Who here has success with pedals that come with threaded pins? I’m asking as someone who owns a few threaded ones for MTB, but I find that, as a rookie muni rider, smooth pins work way better.
Most MTB pedals come with threaded pins, like Crankbros and Shimano (below).
I own similar pedals for MTB, but when I go muniing on these threaded ones, they chew up my 5.10’s quite quickly. I suspect it’s because I put a lot more sideways force when muniing compared to mtbiking, and the threads also catch on the shoe when I’m adjusting my foot position right after I mount.
I wonder if threaded ones are better for the mtb market (for whatever reason…), and smooth pins are better for muni? There are plenty of pedals with smooth pins, but the majority aren’t big brands. For example, URC only stock pedals with smooth pins, like the “Pedals Push” (pictured), and I quite like the smooth pinned pedals that come with UDC unis.
Do the two types of pin make a difference to your riding?
I think it’s the length of a lot of threaded pins which make them seem more grabby. Smooth pins like on udc pedals tend to be much shorter and the pedals also tend to be flat vs concave for many of the pedals with threaded pins
I’ve never used the same pedal with smooth pins vs threaded ones.
But I’m pretty certain that threaded or not threaded isn’t what makes the difference, it’s the general layout of the pedal. I certainly know quite a few Muni riders that have pedals with threaded pins and are very happy with them, so your experience isn’t shared by everyone.
The only reason why I think smooth pedal pins might be advantageous on a unicycle, is because they tend to be easier to replace once they have been smashed up a bit and pedals on unicycles tend to suffer more than those a MTB.
I used various pedals and felt different grip related to how long were the pins, where they are placed and if their are thinner or standard (where long, thin pins grips better, eat sole and flash faster and bend faster due to UPDs)
So far I’m quite happy with my Reverse (Components) Escape pedals wirh smooth pins.
I mostly use them for trial, but I would definitely use them for muni as well.
Using them every day still causes deep holes in my soles after only 2 months of use
I second the opinion that it’s the diameter of the pins that’s important, more than the threading. Height also, taller is worse.
I had a couple pairs of the Deity composite pedals that used skinny threaded screws, and they were terrible shoe eaters. I swapped the narrow screws out for wider set screws, and they’re a lot better.
Smooth pins that screw up from underneath tend to be narrower (the smooth part has to fit through the threader part), but smooth pins that screw in from the top tend to be wider. My old Addict pedals that I use for muni had a mix of both types - I swapped out the narrow pins for wider set screws. The Reverse Escape pedals that @mark.vogels mentions are like that, too. I expect it’s the narrow from-the-bottom pins that are eating his shoes…
Seems like you all generally agree that grip depends more on diameter, length, and position of pin rather than being threaded or smooth. After looking at my pedals with threaded pins, I found that they are narrowed than the pedals with smooth pins.
But seeing @mark.vogels’s reverse pedal makes me wonder why they’d use a mix of threaded and smooth pins? Especially if it’s true that the smoothness/thread makes little difference. Why not make them all threaded pins or all smooth pins?
Looks like it’s more a matter of how they are installed. The thread has no other function than to screw the pin in.
I much prefer metal pins, but I avoid pedals with very long pins as they destroy shoes and makes my feet go numb.
Maybe they’ve done an update, but mine are all smooth. And the 4 pins on rhe edges are still different (also in color). I actually took out the 6 normal pins on one side, but left the 4 outer pins to assist in pedal grabs.
