hi,
i was wondering if anyone has any advice for me on my new pedals for my MUni/Trials. I currently use FUNN (unsealed) but now the bearings are shot. i was looking at the following (all sealed) pedals:
-Snafu
-Wellgo B-37
-Sun/Ringlé
-FUNN
-Shimano (a bit expensive)
Thanks for your help
Hi,
I will give you what I know, but it is limited by my lack of experience. It is also information learned from many hours reading the newsgroup during the past year.
I was looking for new pedals a while back and did some searches
in the newsgroup and found a lot of information there. YOu might
want to try that if you don’t get a lot of responses here.
I bought the sealed bearing Snafus, mainly because Kris Holm liked them and I felt like splurging the day I bought them. One of the reasons Kris liked them was because they have fewer pins than some other pedals which benefits your pedal placement during pedal grabs.
The Snafus have pins that screw in from the top of the pedal which is good, because they don’t get pushed out of the bottom
of the pedal when you grab onto something as can happen over time with other pedals.
Coming from using plastic odyssey pedals, the difference was “night and day”. I find them grippy and stable. I ride them only for muni and when riding simple urban trials like tall curbs up and down and gapping.
Work the maze.
I found this archived in a Microsoft Word file
Hope it helps.
John Childs 12/08/01
It all depends on what you like in a pedal. My preference is for pedals with a large flat platform. But others like a concave platform. I don’t find the concave platforms to be as comfortable as a flat platform.
I’d also go for a pedal with sealed cartridge bearings rather than loose “unsealed” ball bearings. The unsealed pedals are a bugger to adjust and overhaul.
Pedals that I’ve used
Sun Ringle Zuzu sealed:
A good very grippy pedal. The platform is just a little smaller than I like. But a great pedal. Stay grippy even when it’s wet and muddy. I was using these on my muni until I discovered pedals with larger platforms. I’m now using them on my Coker.
Primo Tenderizer:
A beefy pedal with replaceable pins. It was a little thicker than I like and I didn’t like the concave platform. A grippy pedal. Comes in sealed and unsealed flavors.
Haro Big Block sealed:
A beefy pedal with replaceable pins. A nice big flat platform that was comfortable to stand on. This was my favorite pedal for a while. But it’s heavy. It didn’t have good grip when things got wet and muddy. It was also a little thicker than I liked. But I still loved the pedal while I was using it. I upgraded from the Haro to the Kore and then to the Eastons.
Easton Flatboy:
I already posted a review of these pedals. If you want the Easton pedals get the old version with the larger diameter pins. The new ones seem to be using skinnier pins that are prone to bending and shearing off.
Atomic Laboratories Aircorp:
I just ordered these pedals today from my local bike shop. They are rather spendy. I hope they’re good. The 2002 model looks good. The old models had some issues with the end cap bolt. The bolt was a little too large and would rub on the bottom of your shoe. The new ones look better. I’ll post a review after I get them and ride with them a bit.
Kore platform pedals:
Don’t get these. They use a needle bearing instead of a bushing. They lasted me about 3 months before the needle bearing cage disintegrated. These pedals also use the skinny pins like the new Eastons. I got these pedals as a Winter pedal. They were very very grippy even in the wet and mud. But the damn needle bearings fell apart and the needle bearings can’t be replaced. Well, more accurately the bike shop and I could never get in touch with anyone at Kore to find out if replacement needle bearings are available. Their customer service sucks.
Most of these pedals can be seen at http://www.danscomp.com/
Written by john childs
Written 12/20/01
Actually, I’m the one who has the Snafu pedals. I got them on the recommendation of Kris Holm. He is using them on his Trials uni.
I got the unsealed ones from www.danscomp.com for $28 US. I would give you a direct link to them, but the danscomp site doesn’t show a different URL when your in different parts of the page. You can find them under bike parts > pedals.
I’ve had them for a month or two, and they have worked very well. I got them because I was knocking the pins out of my welgos, taking the threads that hold the pins in out, so it was impossible to replace them.
The pins in the snafus screw in from the top of the pedal, so they cant be pushed out the bottom. I actually did knock out one of the snafu pins, but I think that it was because it wasn’t tightened enough. I was able to replace it using a set screw slightly bigger than the original pin.
Generally, I think they are very nice pedals.
Ben Plotkin-Swing
I would avoid the FUNN pedals. The reviews I’ve seen on them say they use a 3/16" axle to save weight. Yikes! That’s a wimpy axle. The better platform pedals use an axle that is about 9/16". Either all the reviews are quoting the wrong diameter for the FUNN axle, or the pedal was never designed for hard use. FUNN’s web page is down <http://funn.co.uk> so I can’t verify any info on the pedal. Are they still in business?
The other 4 pedals are all good. Can’t really go wrong with any of them.
I have seen some very good prices on the B-37 pedals. If you can find them for something in the low to mid 30’s that’s a good price. Retail for them is about $80. The B-37 is nice because the axle is shorter than the pedal body which protects the end cap on the axle from getting all banged up when you drop the uni. The Sun-Ringle pedals have a longer axle which exposes the end cap to damage when dropped on pavement or rocks.
john_childs
i’m currently using “Outland MTB” platforms,i got them at my local bike shop,
they come with sealed bearings, they have a shorter axle that seems to resist bending so easily, fully servicable end caps that are protected by the pedal.
the pins are hex grub screws that screw in from the top so they don’t pop out the other side like wellgos.
i like them because they have a large surface area for grabbing and they’ve got loads of pins so if you think theres too many you can always take some out.
also they tend to “sit” just where you left them so there still in the rightplace when you land a uni spin.
see the picture, that was when they were new, there not quite so shiny any more. they’ve outlasted two sets of bicycle euro cranks and there just about to outlast a suzue hub.
ive used a load of different kinds of wellgo copies, and these are my first decent set of pedals, i’ll keep them as long as they still work becaue i haven’t seen any that i like better.
I recently recieved a pair of Azonic fusion pedals. similar to the snafu pedals these had set screws coming in from the top of the pedal and the holes dont go all the way through. the pins are large and well spaced to give better grip (of which is excellent). I havent had a change to test them for pedal grabbing yet, so i dont know how the pins will hold up for that type of use, but it souldnt be that bad.
Also they are die cast magnesium (which may or may not be good, so they are very light. other bonus is standard sealed bearing, but they are not the only pedal to have that. they run about $40 a pair, and for more information (or just to look) check out <www.Azonicusa.com>.
RE: platform Pedal purchases
My favorite are the Wellgo WAM-B1 pedals. Unfortunately these are not
currently available from Unicycle.com, but I hope they can be added in the
future. The don’t seem to be mainstream. They used to have them at Dans
Comp, but they’re not on the Web site now. I found an example here:
http://www.fizzzbikeshop.com/v2/product.asp?ID=PDWG1602
I paid about US$30 for mine from Dans Comp. I hope they’re not out of
production.
These pedals have pins on the four corners, but otherwise provide a large
area of non-pin but still grippy support.
Stay on top,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
jfoss@unicycling.com
“If we are what we eat, then I’m easy, fast, and cheap!”
Try Dmr
Ive ridden DMR V8’s for the last 3 years, no probs.
Flat peddle, replacable screw in pins, you can replace these with grub screws when they snap.
Comes in black, blue, red, silver,
Also comes as a DMR v12, sealed bearings,
or a DMR Magnesium for the weight conscious (mag chips easily though, no good for trials)
and as an extra, a titanimun axle upgrade. hows that.
James