Pedals
Superstar Mag Lite CNC Pedals It was only when I picked these up off Ed H’s desk that I realised they were pretty special and a hell of a lot lighter than they looked. “Dog ‘em on your bike” Ed said, so I did. I was a bit suspicious as to why he would pass up the opportunity to run such a fine pair of pedals himself…until I remembered he’s one of those clipped in kooks. Anyhows, I think a lot of thought has gone into these Superstar pedals and the results are for all to see – simple lines, neat seals, slim profile, subtle graphics, perfect coverage area for normal feet and just the right amount of pins in all the right places. I’ve run these now on my Meta 4X for three months in all conditions and they’ve held up beautifully. The main pedal body has taken a fair few knocks and the magnesium alloy seems to scuff and dent as oppose to scratch, scrape and snap like other pedals have in the past. They come in at 320g (with the mud you see above) for the pair, which is a load lighter than any pedals I’ve had before, and they’ve still got fully sealed replaceable cartridge bearings and a strong Cr– Mo axle. They’ve got a subtle concave profile to them which feels great, and I’ve not had to touch them on the maintenance front, no stickiness, no squeaky bearings and no baggyness. They are as solid now as they were three months ago, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon. Great pedals for sensible money. JG
Price: £59.99
Superstar Components 01522 705 121
www.superstarcomponents.com
Shimano M647 DX SPD
We might as well get it out the way now…I’m not cool cos I ride clipped in. Anyway, now that’s over and done with I can tell you why I love these pedals. It’s simple really, they just work perfectly and they last for years. I’ve tried pretty much every other make of clipless pedal out there, but every time I come back to these. When they first changed to the plastic cage I was a bit worried that it was a bad move, but the fact is they last better than the old aluminium ones. These pedals are also much better in the mud than the old designs thanks to the cleat being suspended in mid air. I think the main thing I missed when using other pedals was the adjustable tension, I like to run them super stiff so there’s no chance of accidentally coming out. Even running them like that I find they’re one of the easiest pedals to clip in and out of, I just can’t fault them. Of course I wouldn’t complain though if Shimano were to make them a bit lighter. EH
Price: £59.99
Madison 0800 1300 598
www.shimano.com
Kona Wah Wah
So lets begin with “Why?” Why buy these? OK well I’ve been riding a fair amount this season, a mixture of tests, trail features, downhill, events…the kind of stuff you do for a bike mag. I can go back over a year to when I first used them in Finale, Italy. Since then they have travelled everywhere with me. They have hoofed into Schladming root and clunked into Californian gold. They always seem clean, their thin profile always effectively displacing the crap. Their slim line structure also appears to avoid collisions, and the thin pins (all replaceable) are the correct height for good contact. “What the hell you doing with those Kona pedals?” people always ask. Well they work and they seem to have lasted amazingly, they don’t rattle and they’re the right price. I’m trying to hammer them but don’t seem to be doing a particularly good job. SJ
Price: £60
Contact: Paligap 01179 823 673
www.paligapltd.co.uk
PEDALS
132 dirtmag.

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