Hi All,
I did a quick review on some pedals I have gone through while riding muni and trials for the past 2.5 years. Hopefully others can benefit from my experiences.
http://www.corbinstreehouse.com/blog – Mountain Unicycle Pedal Review
–corbin
So are those the snafus that come on the current 24" KH? or are they an older model?
Most mine are from the older model(s) (pre 2007), but I think they are the same ones on the current models.
-corbin
I was scrolling down through the review and saw the Wellgo B-57s. I said to myself that those are going to fall off the spindle. And sure enough, in the next picture they did. A very predictable failure for that style of sealed pedal.
Corbin, spot on with the KH, Oddeseys, and Wellgoes. However, I’ve ridden unsealed snafus on my muni and trials unis for over 3 years straight. I’ve dropped them in rivers, ridden at beaches, and done plenty more ungodly things to them, adn they are still going strong. I even shattered the pedal body on my trials pedal, re-welded it, and it it still good. I think the bearings DO last if you tighten them on occasion. Snafus have lasted longer than any other pedal I’ve ever used, including wellgos, eastons, sun zuzus, and plenty of no-name brands.
You know, Wellgo in chinese sounds like chinese for viagra…
What do you do to your pedals? 
I see how trials riding would kill pedals with pedal grabs and grinds, but I’ve had a pair of DMR V8s (unsealed) on my muni for over two years with no problems. With occasional greasing the bearings have stayed in good nick. It’s pretty wet and gritty where I usually ride as well, and the uni often gets dropped on rocks.
Rob
i’m wondering same as rob… i have heard a few bad things about snaffus but because so many people have them, it was a matter of time till some have problems…
the B-57… well that is just bad i feel sorry for you, i had a set of wellgos which lasted very well… and in fact my try-all red are just rebranded wellgo’s and they are ok…
your last set of pedals look awesome though good choice
Hi all,
thanks for the responses. My friend Ken also recommended:
Mosh Step from http://www.jrbicycles.com/ for $32.95. I may give them a try next.
rob – what do I do with my pedals? Come across the pond to this years California Muni Weekend (in Santa Cruz, CA) and you’ll find out. Me, Louise and Jason H. are hosting.
As Beven said, the Snafu’s aren’t all that bad; but I’ve known more than one person who has had them seize up.
–corbin
I’ve been using dk distortion sealed magnesium pedals for a while now. They are smooth, and grippy. I really like them. danscomp.com/ also, you might want to try pedal protectors. unicycle.com
I’d love to sometime 
So what do you think it is about your riding that is so hard on pedals? Big drops (that I don’t do), hitting pedals on rocks, water, grit, lots of miles (all of which I do do)? I’m not arguing with you - just wondering why I get away with using unsealed bearings for so long in a potentially very bearing-unfriendly environment, and you’re getting through loads.
Rob
I really have no idea why my pedals seem to get abused so much. I don’t really do big drops. Maybe my pedals just get loosened up a bit, and I don’t take enough time to tighten things frequently enough, causing them to prematurely wear out. I have noticed that water, and dusty/sandy areas tend to wear on the bearings/bushings really quickly.
–corbin
Perhaps it’s the (dry) dust that does the worst damage. My pedals are exposed to plenty of gritty water, mud and rocks but not too much dust - it’s rarely dry enough for dust.
Rob
yeah i agree its probably the dust… screws up bearings well… dirt just dries and comes off…
That’s what I don’t like about unsealed pedals for muni. They won’t stay smooth unless you get your hands dirty and spend the time to do regular maintenance on them. If things get bad they can seize up a bit. Sealed pedals get by with much less maintenance and the maintenance that is required is easier. But then some sealed pedals have a tendency to fall off the spindle.
I’ve seen some pedals that have an integrated grease port. An integrated grease port would make much of the regular maintenance much easier and less messy.
I just got a pair of the new Atomlab Aircorp pedals for Christmas. They use bushings. No traditional bearings (sealed or unsealed) inside. I’ll be giving them a try and see how they hold up to dirt, grit, water, abuse, and other conditions.
Link to said pedals? You’ve piqued my interest…
This sounds like a pedal mod in the works. Y’think I could just drill and tap a small hole in my JC’s, close it up with a set screw or something like that, and use it for re-greasing?
As nice as a grease port would be, wouldn’t you still have to remove the pedal to clear out the old grease and grit?
I guess now is a good time to plug my favorite pedals of all time.
http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.drillium
They have a huge platform. That means when you’re really stomping on the pedals, the force is distributed over a larger portion of your foot. That makes them much more comfortable.
Aggressive pins, keeps you feet on them.
…and, Hey, a built in grease port.
The bad? $109 MSRP
I haven’t kept links on pedals I’ve seen that have a grease port. However they tend to be the more expensive small brand pedals that have that feature. I’ve seen both sealed and unsealed pedals that have a grease port. I have not used any pedal that has a grease port.
It seems to me that unsealed pedals would benefit most from the grease port. They need greasing more often and disassembling the pedal to grease it is more involved. Using a grease port would make that process much easier.
Sealed pedals are easy to disassemble and greasing them up again is easy as well. You only need to grease up the bushing. If the cartridge bearing is dry you replace it. Reassembly is also easy, nothing like reassembling an unsealed pedal.
I tried unsealed pedals on my muni a while back. I fashioned a grease port by drilling a hole through a rubber cork and fitting that cork over a grease gun barrel. Take the end cap off the pedal, shove the grease gun in and fill 'er up. Worked OK but was messy. The cork wouldn’t always hold the grease in so some would squirt out. Messy. Also non-trivial to fashion the rubber stopper to fit without leaking. I gave up on unsealed pedals after that for muni use.
How long have the Speedplay pedals held up for you? And in what kind of use?
The Speedplay pedals have a needle bearing along with two cartridge bearings in each pedal. I had a bad experience with needle bearings on my Kore platform pedals. The needle bearings got destroyed after only 2 or 3 months of winter XC use. The needle bearings were not replaceable in the pedal so once they were gone the pedal was toast. $70+ pedals that didn’t last more than a few months. I’ve been very reluctant to get anywhere near needle bearings in a platform pedal since.
The Speedplay pedals could have a better needle bearing design that fixes the problem I had with the Kore pedals.
I’ve had my atomlabs aircorps for a while now and I’ve been more than happy with them! Those drilliums like many other flats have the bearing end cap right there on the outside, just waiting to bet bashed up; the aircorps spindle is recessed and so it will never come in contact with the rough ground. Thinnest pedals out there and waaaay stable during drops, as well as super-sticky! Love 'em!
