New Pedals

Recently, I found an inexpensive way to dramatically improve my ride. I replaced my pedals.

I can’t remember what brand my previous pedals were, but I wasn’t very happy with them. They had two problems: they were too slippery and they were too narrow.

My old pedals were made of a hard nylon that did not sufficiently grip my shoes. My feet would sometimes slip off, usually when I was climbing a hill. Needless to say, this was an annoying problem. A bit dangerous, too. It was more likely to occur when the pedals were wet.

I particularly noticed the narrowness of the pedals when I was really digging in to climb a hill. My feet are a little on the wide side, so when I pushed on the pedals with extra force, the outer edge of my feet would curl over the edge of the pedal. This drove me crazy. I didn’t like the sensation at all.

My replacements are Evo “Freefall” pedals. They are made of metal and have a cleated surface that firmly grips my shoes. There is zero slippage. I haven’t rode in the rain with them, but I’d be surprised if my feet slipped on them even in the rain.

The pedals are 10 cm wide, a width that supports the whole of my foot, with no curling over. They are wider than most pedals; I would definitely recommend wide pedals to everyone, even those whose feet aren’t particularly wide.

I’ve only had them on my bike for a day (two rides), but so far they’re working out well.

Perilous Pedals

I am for the most part happy with my current bike. The only complaint I have is that it is too heavy. While that is not a major issue; occasionally, when I am lugging my bike up a staircase, I find myself wishing it were lighter. I guess the upside is that it is good exercise when I have to carry my bike.

A component of my bike I did change not too long after getting it, however, was its pedals. The reason I changed them was that they were far too slippery. My feet would sometimes slip right off the pedals’ smooth plastic surfaces, particularly when I was starting to pedal. And this problem was made worse when it was wet out.

For the most part, having a foot slip off a pedal is just an annoyance; it’s a bit of a surprise when you attempt to move forward when a light turns green but instead have your foot come off the pedal and smack to the road. But slippery pedals can be dangerous, too. Think of all the scenarios where failing to move your bike suddenly could be a problem.

Another issue I had with these pedals was that I would sometimes have a foot slip off while I was going up a steep hill. While this too can be dangerous, the main problem is that it is a drag to have to start biking again midhill from a complete stop.

So, I was lucky to have a friend who had a spare pair of pedals, which he offered to give to me to replace my original set. I much prefer these pedals. They are metal and toothed and so grip the soles of my shoes well. It’s possible to slip off these pedals, too, but it happens only very rarely. This is the type of pedal I recommend.