Anvl Tilt Ti Pedal - Review

With pedals being a key contact point to your ride, it should come as no surprise that there is a good chunk of personal preference surrounding how they feel. Over the years, I’ve come to prefer a pedal with a nice concave front to back, and have also enjoyed pedals that feature some side concave - more common in older BMX pedals, but DMR fosters this also, as does the Specialized Boomslang.

Pin placement seems to be much the same on a lot of pedals but, two to three pins across the rear and three to four across the front, with at least two on the outermost edge of the pedal seems to be sufficient. In my experience, the flatter the pedal, the longer the pins will need to be, and the more are required, but this is also subject to personal taste.



The Tilt features a faux concave, front to rear. It’s faux because while it looks like the pedal profile has a concave, the material across the axle actually sits higher than the front and rear. This creates more of a reliance on the pins which, while essential in any platform pedal, can be greatly assisted by the use of a proper concave profile. To cover this off, Anvl has set the front and rear pins a couple of millimeters higher than the center pins, which should create a “concave” to the pedal and an in-the-pedal feel for the foot, although there is still significant contact between the shoe and the raised section above the axle.


Performance

Out of the box, the pedals felt quite natural underfoot, though I still wanted to remove the center pin on the back row, as well as the two by the crank. This adjusted configuration didn't drastically change the grip of the pedal - grip was no better or worse - but did greatly improve feel, giving a more in-the-pedal feel than the stock pin placement. The two inboard-side pins propped my foot up a little more than preferred, creating the more on-the-pedal feel. It took me a couple of rides to totally get used to the initial pin setup and while comfortable overall, the adjusted configuration felt more planted to me.

The pins remained solid throughout the course of the summer, taking hits and shrugging them off with ease. In fact, I couldn’t customize their placement with the Allen key and had to resort to a pair of vice grips in order to remove pins - good if you’re happy with the stock placement and setup, but not so good when attempting to mix it up with some longer pins or their placement around the pedal. I didn’t try to remove any until I had ridden the pedal for a while, in order to get a feel of the stock setup, which may have resulted in the pins getting a little jammy, but it’s something worth noting.

The Tilt pedals were tested with a range of shoes, including the Giro Jacket (Vibram rubber sole), FiveTen Freerider Contact (Mi5 rubber sole) and the Adidas Terrex (S1 Stealth rubber sole) and I found that all provided adequate traction. The Terrex was a hair worse than the other two, mostly due to the shape of the sole that shoe contains, which includes more lift through the toebox, similar to clip-type shoes like the Teva Links or Specialized 2FO. The Mi5 sole of the Freerider Contact provided the best grip of the shoes tested.



Despite the Tilt pedals not featuring a true concave, they gripped the shoe really well in most riding situations, and I never had any issues while climbing or descending on a regular ride. When the going got a little more ragged, though, I found my foot moving out of position more so than with other pedals and was the same regardless of pin configuration. This was noticeable when going a good clip in chunky terrain, and while it wasn’t enough to cause any major concerns - the ones that can result in a pile of flesh and metal in the dirt - it's preferred that the foot remains glued to the pedal during these already more stressful moments.

Personal preferences aside, something that could have improved the pedal in more ragged situations would be a larger platform. At a measured 100mm x 94mm, the pedals are on the average to smaller size on the market today. The plus side to their current size is that pedal strikes become less of an issue, but I’d take a little more surface area any day. The pedals do feature chamfered edges for when they come into contact with obstacles, and they made out well when taking a hit.


Issues

After only a couple weeks on the Tilt pedals, they developed some play, especially noticeable when twisting the foot side to side. This wasn’t something noticed early on when out on the trail, but its a concern nonetheless. In the end, it was determined that the play was thanks to the use of the DU bushing on the inboard portion of the axle, with the bushing breaking in and resulting in the slop (something that happens with all pedals that feature this design). It never became an issue nor got any worse. Once the bushings wear beyond the initial break in, Anvl has you covered, with replacement bushings for $2 USD each. Should you want to update the axles, there is a kit available which includes the bushings, bearings, and steel axle for $39.99 USD - there is currently no option to replace the titanium axle.


Pinkbike’s Take:

While the Tilt pedals aren't the largest or grippiest available today, they do a bang-up job with what they have. Their ten hollow pins on each side of the pedal aid greatly with this. If foot placement and stability are a problem, or riding rowdy, rough trails is your jam, it may be better to look elsewhere. If you have smaller feet, ride less on edge, or prefer smoother trails, and cost isn't a concern, the titanium axle Tilt is a decent pedal to consider. They're light, reliable, feel comfortable underfoot, and keep your feet in place during most riding scenarios. - AJ Barlas