The Radavist

If MKS is known for anything, it’s their ability to design and construct a no-nonsense pedal with zero required maintenance. However, MKS hasn’t seen many advancements in its catalog over the years, so when a brand like Sim Works reaches out with idea, you get the best of both worlds. The Bubbly pedal is the result of a tight collaborative effort between two Japanese companies, fusing the heritage of MKS with the practical, modern designs of Sim Works. These pedals include a triple-sealed bearing housing, a stainless pedal spindle, and the largest platform of any MKS product to date. The Bubbly comes in black, silver, and a limited edition bronze for $98. They’re in stock and ready to ship today at Sim Works’ webshop!

Metal pedals are great until you clip your leg with a sharpened end. On the other hand, plastic pedals aren’t the most durable, randomly coming unattached from the spindle, leaving you stranded on the trail. Squidworkx is looking to combine the best of both worlds with a fully-customized flat pedal, utilizing a self-extracting spindle in a metal spindle body, with plastic wings. These pedals also utilize pins that are completely independent of the pedal body. The best thing is this whole system is customizable and rebuildable at Squidworkx.

We knew LOOK was expanding their lineup to include flat pedals when the Geo Trekking was announced and today, the brand dropped their modular collaboration with Vibram. These pedals are marketed to the commuter market and the dirt market. While the commuter pedals lack any sort of retention studs, they rely on super-grippy Vibram technology. The dirt pedals, however, rely on a series of studs to keep your feet planted while riding trail. These pedals don’t cost an arm and a leg either. At just $70, you get the pedal platform and Vibram pad. You can purchase additional pads as well for $45 and yes, they come in a variety of colors. Head to LOOK to see everything and your local dealer for an in-person experience.

At this point, we should all be paying attention to what we consume and these days it’s hard to tell what is a good product versus what is good marketing. Make things people want instead of making people want things, right? Companies taking the stand and pushing for sustainable production and also recycling is important. I for one, want products with environmental considerations, that push progression of product design. That’s why the PEMBREE R1V pedals caught my eye. Here’s why:

They are carbon Neutral, including transport to customers.
Materials: All individual components of the R1V are fully recyclable.
Recycling aluminium reduces energy consumption by 95% compared to producing new.
Energy: The Pembree factory solely uses renewable energy from Ecotricity
Manufacturing: All swarf is 100% recycled. No waste to landfill.
Packaging: All Pembree packaging is recycled, can be recycled and is 100% plastic free
Trade In: At the end of life all of your Pembree products will be welcomed back for recycling and you will get a credit on future Pembree products.

These pedals retail for $218 but come with a 5-year warranty. Even if you balked at that price – like I did – it’s good to see the environmental considerations motivating production. See more at PEMBREE.

Some people like clipless pedals and some like flats. Benedict from Ron’s Bikes discusses how to pick the best pedal for your cycling escapades in his latest Youtube video.

Known for their high end, titanium moto exhausts, Japan’s Yoshimura’s USA branch announced the launch of Yoshimura Cycling and their first product available is their Chilao pedal, which you can now pre-order for $180.

As for what other kinds of products the brand will develop, we aren’t entirely sure but follow Yoshimura Cycling on Instagram for more updates as events warrant.

Double-sided pedals usually don’t do it for me. While I appreciate the concept, most offer a sub-par riding experience. The clipless mechanism is usually too loose with no ability to tighten up and the platforms are typically small, offering little to no grip. Granted it only takes a few bad experiences to taint your opinion of double-sided pedals but something about LOOK’s Geo Trekking pedals piqued my interest. LOOK’s pedals are great. I’ve been enjoying riding on them since switching from Time ATACs to SPD pedals. Although these pedals intrigued me, it didn’t take long to see their faults and gimmicks.

Visibility is crucial when undertaking ultra-endurance racing, or just riding at night and commuting through urban environments. With winter on the way and shorter days to follow, many riders will be taking on their favorite routes under the veil of darkness. LOOK‘s new Geo-Trekking pedals look to make visible waves, providing unprecedented visibility with a revolutionary new lighting system.

The Geo-Trekking pedals use LED Vision lights, similar to pedals that use reflectors. These LEDs have 15 lumens each, making the rider visible at a distance of more than 400 meters as well as at a 180° angle, adding sidewards visibility at road junctions. If you run them in Flash Eco mode, the lights boast an operational run time of 30 hours, and feature an indicator light that warns when battery life falls to critical levels. They are USB-rechargeable via a supplied micro-USB cable, with a fast 50-minute recharge time.

Could these pedals make vehicular incidents less frequent? Who knows, but every little bit helps. Check out more information below.

Race Face makes exceptional pedals. From the high end Atlas, to the Chester, and now the affordable Ride Pedals. With a steel axle and nine different colors to choose from, the Ride ($34.99) is another option within Race Face’s stout lineup. They weigh 320g and have 18 molded traction pins (9 per side). See more at Race Face.

Those who dabbled in vintage bikes and components, the name Chater Lea will ring a bell. Their cottered cranks and other components were always in demand, including their “Sprint” pedals. At Bespoked UK earlier this month, Chater Lea revealed its first new product from the recently relaunched brand, the Grand Tour Pedal. These are made from high corrosion-resistant, marine-grade 316 and hardened 17-4PH stainless steel, giving the pedals an aesthetic more akin to a high-end watch, rather than a bicycle pedal. They will be available for purchase via Chater Lea’s website in the next five to six weeks at a price of £250. These pedals come with a lifetime original owner warranty. Check out more at Chater Lea and see more photos below.

I’m a huge fan of Time’s Speciale 12 pedals with their metal design, refined profile, and bear-trap like engagement but the pricing – at almost $350 – was out of range for a lot of people. Time has the answer, with their new Speciale 8 Enduro pedal. It has a smaller profile and isn’t as refined looking at the 12, but at $125, who can complain?

Specs:
Colors: Black, Blue, Orange
Body material: Aluminum
Spindle material: Hollow steel
Weight: 392g / pair
Dimensions: Length – 90mm, Width – 64mm, Thickness – 21mm
Price: $125 (€150)
Availability: Late February

See more at Time!

There are a few of us out in the world of cycling who have always ridden Time pedals. In a world seemingly dominated by Shimano clipless systems, there are still diehard fans of the French company. It’s been years since Time updated their pedal platform and believe me when I say it’s been long overdue. With recent models lasting mere months, instead of years like their predecessors, I was thinking about making the switch to Shimano. Then the Speciale was announced.

The trifecta of MTB destinations has inspired the colors of the latest release from Fyxation. From the bone white plains of Fruita, Colorado to the red dirt of Moab and high piñon and juniper of Sedona, each of these pedals take inspiration from the natural tonality of these high desert MTB destinations. Head to your local dealer to see them in person or to purchase and head to Fyxation for more information.

The Time ATAC platform is my preferred pedal for mountain and ‘all-road’ riding, so when the company announced their Speciale pedal, my interest was piqued. Made in France, at Time’s factory in Nevers, these new pedals come in a few colors, are made from 6106-T6 aluminum, feature a wide platform, adjustable pins for optimal grip and a micro-adjustable clamping system, allowing riders to tune their engagement. I’m anxiously awaiting trying these out. See more information at Time and holler at your local dealer for ordering.

For those looking for a new XC or trail pedal, you might want to check out the new Ritchey designs. Both feature a 4º float, use a bushing, needle and cartridge assembly for a fully serviceable pedal.

Blue Lug has some fancy new pedals in their stock. These Panda Pedals are a playful product, perfect for your flat-pedal pushbike! Check out more at Blue Lug and thanks for the photo, Tomii!

I’ve always wanted to ride Speedplay pedals, but with all the hike-a-bike rides I do, it would wreak havoc on their cleats. I’m sure this isn’t the first time Speedplay’s had that criticism and maybe that’s the motivation behind their new Zero Pavé pedals.

Here’s their selection criteria:

-You enjoy riding in mixed terrain environments, road, gravel, or cobbles
-You demand a high performance pedal in wet and dirty conditions
-You expect to walk on un-paved surfaces

Basically, if you enjoy riding your road bike off-road, these might be your new best friend. Head to your local shop for ordering and if you have tried these out yourself, let us know your thoughts!

Made in the USA

Look, I don’t like to post Kickstarter projects all that often but I am intrigued by this one… Thoughts? My only concern is the platform (or lack thereof) seems like it’d be hard to mount and dismount effectively, especially in muddy or wet conditions but I’ve yet to try it out for myself.