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Whats a good flat pedal?

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Old 01-30-21, 08:16 AM
  #1  
bark_eater 
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Whats a good flat pedal?

Storms coming and I'm stealing the spiked pedals from my touring bike and primary ride to put on my studded tire snow bike. For what ever reason I was planning on getting MKS Lambdas for next year, but I need another set now... So any recommendations? Thanks

PS. The pedals I have are Fooker knock offs of Raceface Chesters, and I would be fine owning another pair for the interim.

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Old 01-30-21, 03:51 PM
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I have VP Vise on a couple of bikes. Like them a lot. Around 4,000 miles on one pair, still good.
VP Vice (VP-015) - VP Components





Also have Rockbros on a couple of other bikes.

https://www.rockbrosusa.com/product-...als-nylon-9-16



My ego says VP, my wallet says Rockbros. Truth is they are interchangeable for me.

Great reviews here. https://www.gravelbike.com/?s=flat+pedals
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Old 01-30-21, 05:04 PM
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I have a set of the vp and will probably get another . Price is fair also .
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Old 01-30-21, 05:37 PM
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I have orange pedals on my bikepacking bike, and blue ones on the hardtail tandem. Brands are DMRBikes, ISSI. I don't notice any difference.
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Old 01-30-21, 05:52 PM
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Azonic 420
Black-Ops Torqlite UL Pedals
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Old 01-30-21, 05:56 PM
  #6  
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I'm very happy with those plastic Rockbros for $25. The ones I got are extra large, but they have some that are normal size like Chesters.

The pin bolts on Rockbros don't protrude as the ones on Chesters.
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Old 01-31-21, 09:54 AM
  #7  
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Originally Posted by tyrion
I'm very happy with those plastic Rockbros for $25. The ones I got are extra large, but they have some that are normal size like Chesters.

The pin bolts on Rockbros don't protrude as the ones on Chesters.
I'll check those out. I caught my shin with the pins on the Fookers, and after a week of Neosporin and suntan lotion, it still wasn't pretty.
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Old 01-31-21, 11:26 AM
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Originally Posted by bark_eater
I'll check those out. I caught my shin with the pins on the Fookers, and after a week of Neosporin and suntan lotion, it still wasn't pretty.
I actually ground down with an angle grinder the pins on the Chesters I had. They were just too long for me.
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Old 01-31-21, 05:28 PM
  #9  
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I have Race Face Chesters on both of my bike....really pleased with them
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Old 02-01-21, 01:39 AM
  #10  
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I like my Shimano PD-GR500’s grippy but not sharp with Shimano quality
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Old 02-01-21, 06:08 AM
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i've been touring on Crank Bros Stamps for couple years. Have them on several bikes. Also have a couple pairs of Crank Bros 50/50. Seems like Crank Bros will chew through a set of 5-10 Freerides in about 1.5 years.
I've used Welgos, a magnesium version. I think maybe I had to repack the bearings on those a couple times. I accidentally did a 5 day tour on a set of TOMS with spikey Welgos. They got chewed through by the time I was home.



hard to see STAMPS - cheap pedals for a free bike.
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Old 02-01-21, 08:22 AM
  #12  
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My bike shoes are New Balance cross-trainers that I belt sand all the sole over hang off of. Their not particularly sticky, but the hold up to the spikes better than my shins.
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Old 02-16-21, 09:47 AM
  #13  
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Just a quick up date. I ordered the large RockBro's pedals off Amazon. The ones I got had undersized threads, so I sent them back. Liked the size, but they where unusable. They may have been knock offs of knock offs. The box looked like it had been shipped more than once, so I guess I'm not the first time-suck victim.

PS I mistakenly wrote Crank Brothers instead of RockBros.

Last edited by bark_eater; 02-16-21 at 07:52 PM.
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Old 02-16-21, 03:33 PM
  #14  
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Crank Bros would not have bad threads those were probably knockoffs and unfortunately a lot of online non bike specific marketplaces don't give two poops about selling fakes and knockoffs. If you aren't willing to buy them locally at your bike shop then go directly to https://www.crankbrothers.com and they have legitimate stuff or find a legitimate bicycle retailer online, there are plenty of shops these days that have an online presence as well as a brick and mortar shop and would be quite happy for the business. Also https://www.raceface.com/products/chester-pedal will get you all of your actual Chester pedals without the fakes.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos will be ok without your business. I know it seems like he is on the brink of poverty especially since he is the world's richest man but I can assure you he doesn't need your business buying fakes and knockoffs and whatever other cheap crap he is peddling and the people who work in the Amazon warehouses really don't need your business because they see almost none of that money and get hit with the brunt of issues because of it while Bezos and Co. deny any issues at all while raking is massive profits.
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Old 02-16-21, 07:49 PM
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Ya know its cool and all to shake your fist for the proletariat, but that list of toys you got on the left hand side looks like it costs more your average Amazon workers yearly wage. Or mine. On the other hand I loves me some nutritional yeast.
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Old 02-17-21, 02:01 AM
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Originally Posted by bark_eater
Ya know its cool and all to shake your fist for the proletariat, but that list of toys you got on the left hand side looks like it costs more your average Amazon workers yearly wage. Or mine. On the other hand I loves me some nutritional yeast.
The flipside is you buy something that's quality and maintain it it'll last longer and be cheaper than buying multiples of cheap.
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Old 02-17-21, 07:22 AM
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Ended up ordering another set of Fookers. First set where "Quality" and with needle bearings should be durable.

Now as to commentary on life choices:
Karmically at least 80% of my possessions are second hand, with a huge amount of sweat equity makeing things work. The pedals that need replacing, where pulled off a BMX at the scrapyard and rebuilt. They'll be fine for another thousand miles, I'm sure. But I don't have time to Hazmat suit up to buy little grade 5 machine screws at the hardware store, 30 minutes each way, burning fossil fuel. Yea I could ride a bike If I could hire a tutor/sitter for my kid, who would have to drive at least an hour to get here and back from town, not to mention that to get the $ to pay this tutor/sitter would require almost as many man hours as those paid for, and require an 1 1/2 of driving to just to get to the job. Then I gotta find the hour of shop time to drill all the holes and install all the little pins. Or I turn on the internet and decide whether to spend an extra $25 for the sticker on a product probably made by the same wage slave in the same factory over there. Yea that sucks. And their "comparatively" totalitarian government has some how white washed the conflict of pimping out the collective to capitalist pigs, but hey China now has a middle class, and hell its only been 3 generations since the Chinese have dealt with war and famine while being feudal peasants. Some times that extra $25 is just $25 of white privlledge spent to pretend that some how MeMeMe doesn't cast a shadow/smells like rose water.
So If any one else is looking for an acceptable set of flat pedals I suggest reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" first.
And take it from me the "angry angst ridden anarcho-punk socialist" program is great, except for the dental plan.

Last edited by bark_eater; 02-17-21 at 02:25 PM.
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Old 02-17-21, 09:26 AM
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I like the iSSi Thump pedals, or the RaceFace Chesters. Either on is reasonably priced at $40-$50, and have molded or steel pins. If you have ever experienced foot numbness from the center bar the iSSi's would be a good choice because they are concave.
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Old 02-17-21, 10:14 AM
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I haven't haven't had any problems with the Chesterish pedals. I have gotten hot foot from MKS GR-10 flats with cages, using my relatively soft sneakers. Funds allowing I'd like to try MKS/Rivendell Gammas. I think they've got a concave set up. I definitely like to have a large platform to shift my foot around on and adjust my "fit" depending on what's hurting during a long ride.
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Old 02-17-21, 11:48 PM
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Raceface Chesters, the most popular flat on the market for good reason. If the price is too high, their chinese knockoffs, (Rockbros, etc) are about half the price and not half bad.
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Old 02-18-21, 12:17 AM
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I've had good fortune with Xpedo Spry, very lightweight, grippy, low profile and they've been pretty damn durable for me.
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Old 02-18-21, 10:41 AM
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I went with another set of the Fookers/Chester knock offs. The original set I pick up because of the needle bearings are supposed to be more durable. I've got at least a couple thousand miles on them so hopefully the second pair will do as well.
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Old 02-18-21, 12:44 PM
  #23  
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Another vote for VP. VP 001 specifically. They have a good size platform with comparatively light weight. Mine are very smooth and have been durable through a few impacts.
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Old 02-18-21, 06:16 PM
  #24  
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+1 for Chesters.
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Old 02-19-21, 05:34 AM
  #25  
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https://www.mkspedal.com/?q=en/product/node/303

MKS Allways

"We set out to design a pedal that can be used for all types of cycling. We knew it needed it have a large platform, replaceable pins, our triple sealed bearing, while still being lightweight.

We present to you the MKS Allways: Any road (or path), all of the time." MKS


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