Burgtec Penthouse Flats MK3

Mar 10, 2010
by Si Paton  
I'm from Smethwick near Birmingham, England. If you know anything about the area think the Black Country, "Yam, Yam.." I was brought up in Council Flats as a kid before "Upgrading" to maisonettes and eventually a Council house with a garden!

My love affair for flats continues and I have finally upgraded to the PENTHOUSE: Burgtec Penthouse that is!
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Call me a tramp.

I've personally known the three guys behind Burgtec for several years from the great game we're all in. I know they have a vision to make the best there is, their reward? Well it's certainly not Ferraris. I bumped into 1/3rd of the crew, Rich Burgoin the other week over at Cannock Chase on the gay XC bikes. Their reward is seeing a rider on their products, their Burgtec company name lovingly polished and shining on your bike.
That's worth more than pound notes for sure.

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Believe it or not, we used to leave our front door open on those hot summer nights, there was nothing worth nicking.

Less chat and more business: I feel quite honored to be flowed a set of the new Burgtec MK3s, it seems only MTB Royalty get a set in the post for their birthday. Even Sam Blenkinsop had to buy his for pound notes or whatever that country of residence he was in uses. Imagine having someone win a World Cup on one of your products. He thought your pedals were that good that he actually bought them out of his own back pocket when he could of picked up any other brand for free!

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Red

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My camera skills maybe a little crap but I'm getting the hang of this levitation.

From first glimpse you can only be impressed and that feeling will stay from straight out of the box to onto your bike. Introducing the new Penthouse Flat Mk3s, Burgtec’s best ever pedal. How do you improve on a World cup winning pedal? We kept the best aspects of the mk2 pedal, surface area, pin position and durability. These were factored into the design of the mk3s.

There are 3 major changes to the pedal design:

-Lower profile. The thinner pedal allows better ground clearance.

-Lighter weight. A pair of mk3 pedals are 250 grams lighter than a pair of mk2 pedals. A major concern of racers nowadays is weight. But our major priority is reliability. Yes you can buy lighter pedals on the market but we make sure our pedals will last a minimum of 3 seasons of solid race abuse. That’s why we offer a 3 year warranty on the body and axle of the pedal.

-Unique Pin design allows damaged pins to be taken out with ease. Where most pedals take the pin through the body which can lead to the pin braking off and damaging the body. The new pin comes up through the pedal which allows you to remove the pin no matter how damaged the head is. Also the the pin head has been designed with a breaking point that no matter how hard you hit an obstacle it will break before ripping the pin out.

Specifications:
-Colours: Black, silver, snow camo, red, purple, blue
-Huge surface area & pin design ensure grip when you need it most
-22mm thin pedal profile
-Easy to remove pins
-Pin has 4mm diameter and is diamond knurled for added traction
-1.5mm Dish allows your feet to sit into the pedal, increasing grip
-Fully CNCed pedal body machined from aircraft grade 204 2TG Aluminum billet
-Unique pedal body design allows all pins to be removed
-Weight 550g with steel axles. With Ti axles To be confirmed
-Titanium axles available soon
-Price £150 Steel axles.
-Price £185 Ti axles.
-Internal Specification
-Super strong axles for maximum power transfer from rider to bike
-Dual sealed bearing arrangement for smoother running
-3-Stage process on axle: plasma coating, nickel-plating, titanium nitriding
-Axles made from the finest EN24 T steel
-Fully serviceable every part is replaceable
-Maintenance made easy. Simple design allows for easy pedal repairs



They are not going to win any medals at a Weight Watchers meeting!

Currently on a long term test, actually up against my Straitlines. I will of course give you the full honest low down, warts and all. I'm guessing you want to know exactly what you are getting for your:

£150.00
$233.00 Canadian
$233.00 US
Euro 165

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The scales never lie

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Click here for Burgtec's website.

Contact questions? Need to know something about a specific Burgtec product? Samaritans busy? Give Burgtec a call, anytime of day or night:
T: 0044 (0)1782 540 432
Email: info@burgtec.co.uk

Stay Unclipped.
Si Paton..
Descent-gear.com
2010 POC lands next week. Free UK Delivery!

Author Info:
si-paton avatar

Member since Jul 26, 2006
361 articles

89 Comments
  • 23 7
 Heavy, expensive and unimaginative. I'll probably get neg props for this but someone needs to be honest.
  • 4 7
 You've got it right man, the lack of design skills on these is striking; I could have come up with something lighter and stronger in ten minutes. The price is way out of line too, my $50 Wellegos are better made than these.
  • 6 5
 ye, but they have such good bearings, take soo many knocks and bumps, the pin design is excellent and the grip on these pedals surpasses anything i have tried before. I do not own these pedals though
  • 4 5
 You must have not tried many pedals then...

Why wouldn't someone just buy Twenty6 pedals for cheaper, look better, last longer and are lighter weight?
  • 7 3
 i have tried plenty of pedals and these pedals have beaten them all in feel and grip and surely thats what we are looking for a in the perfect set of pedals
  • 3 4
 explain to me how a pedal that weighs close to 600g is perfect?
  • 2 3
 syncros mental mags.... 200 bucks USD, 440grams, twice as many pins if you please.... going on three years with no issues what so ever


EDIT: excuse me, they are 428grams. guess they got rid of the mag versions.... check out the crux. www.syncros.com/pedals.htm
  • 3 3
 tbh with you i've ran dmr v8's for as long as i can remember, the bearings are smooth, the grip is awsome, there customizable, they cost £20 and i honestly ran a pair for 4 years and my m8 is still using then today ! there all i can ask for in a pedal Smile
  • 3 3
 Yes for V8's, they even come with the tools you need to service them... a syringe. So easy and you hardly have to do it, ever. Oh, and I think ill stick with my Road Gap II's for jumping, bigger, cheaper, super grippy and may even be lighter... I've never checked the weight. But hey, if daddy'll buy these for you... or your inferiority complex surpasses your common sense when it comes to spending your cash, well go for it..... someones gotta buy them I guess.
  • 2 5
 I second the V8s! Cheap and reliable. I'll never spend more than $50 on pedals. Either they grip or they don't. Pedals are almost the least important part on the bike, provided the grip your foot (which can be fixed with 5-10s on any pedal) and don't weigh 700 grams.
  • 5 7
 does anyone else agree that there are soo many total tools on pb tese days?
yeah lets all get v8's and go fall flat on our arses cos they grip like cheese and then give it a day and oh no my bearings have all gone to cock i have 3mm of play IVE RIDDEN BETTER PLASTICS THAN V8'S and you have to have size 5 feet for your feet to fit the tiny platform

least important part on a bike? HA Facepalm
  • 5 2
 totaly agree with you dude, cant stand v8s WAY to small and the bearings are also f*cked(pedal grinds lol ) but still my ody JC trailmix's are running great and have seen many pedal grinds, ad in they cost the same as v8s and grip much better, add in a larger platform that fits my foot(us size 11) quite nicely tup


and yes least important part on a bike? they can be the difference between a bike feeling sketch or amazing. tires and pedals in my mind are the most important parts on a bike, if they dont grip ur not going to enjoy riding Salute
  • 2 2
 i run v8's the grip is awsome and my shoe size is UK 11 and if you take them apart and give them a good clean and grease the bearings last for ever, and i would have fort the most important part of a bike was the frame or wheels, cause lets face it, with out them your going no where.
  • 2 2
 u clearly havnt ridden a propper pedal have you?
without pedals your going nowere either you muppet most parts of a bike a vital thats why they are there
  • 2 0
 ive rode v8's, shimano dx, cannondale crush, straitline ( dont know which ones )and the v8's just had more grip, plus with being able to get longer pins you can customise where you want more grip, and how can you call other people tool's your the one getting all hyped up arguing about pedals, its my personal choice and if you dont like it, get over it.
  • 1 2
 my point exactly you have ridden some of the worst pedals possible (i cant comment on straitlines never owned a pair)
and you can get longer pins for almost any pedal....
  • 2 0
 id hardly say there the worst possible pedals, theres alot worse, the v8's are the only ones that cost under £50, and there all i need in a pedal
  • 18 2
 They look sooo nice, but damn £150? ;o
  • 4 0
 Cheaper than Twenty6s. They look pretty cool, I like the levitation picture Smile
  • 3 3
 i agree... unless your a full on weight winnie then why pay that much for something that gets smashed on rocks alot of the time...
  • 10 1
 If they do last the claimed 3 seasons though, then they probably work out the same price, maybe cheaper, than replacing other pedals every season.
  • 5 3
 my wellego b38 were 30£ weight 550g and have cartridge bearings and cnc body... and there are surprisingly strong too, smacked them on rocks couple of times so hard i crashed and they barely have a mark. 150£ seems a bit steep indeed.
  • 3 0
 Wellgo makes pedals most most "Premium" companies, which only relabel their products as "Premium" and charge you 5 or 6 times more for the very same product.
  • 2 0
 they are nice pedals i've has some of these for a couple of mounths... they are really nice... however... there performance doesn't justify the price... better getting cheaper lighter pedals...
  • 3 0
 way too expensive...
  • 1 2
 A set of twenty6's are the exact same weight as only one ti axle Burtec!! Ridiculous weight + ridiculous price = stupid to buy. I mean, common for the set of the non ti spindles adds 2.5 pounds onto your bike!! Holy crap.
  • 1 0
 RE: Straitlines. I got a few runs on a set a few weeks ago and I have to say I was not impressed. That was with my 5 10's too. I run Superstar Nano Tech flats. £40 and f*cking amazing pedals, The best I have ever used. Period. www.superstarcomponents.co.uk
  • 1 0
 Well so far all the pedals i've had ("top end" major brands) have had bent axles, and bushings going within 6 months, think with this warranty they might be worth it.
  • 6 1
 Anyone that knows me knows that I'm a clips man. But that is not to say that I don't use or like using flats. I have a fair bit of experience of them over the years, from the very original DMR V12's that came out and pretty much copied the old Shimano DX flat, to the later V12's, through unbranded, Funn Soljam's, Shimano new DX, and a multitude of other options that either failed, didn't impress or were just junk.

DMR: Bearings aren't bad but the platform is too small. Not bad for dirt jumping etc where you actually want to slide your feet a little but down a very rough downhill course the game has moved on and these just don't cut it. The body is also soft, the axles not particularly tough and the pins get ripped out easily. And because of their shape it's very awkward to redrill the body to take bolts.

Shimano DX (New): Pins are far too small and just don’t seem to have the bite that alternatives have. On the upside they’re made well, have good bearings, are pretty well sealed and are relatively easy to redrill and fit longer bolts. They don’t do anything outstandingly but they are a good & solid pedal that for the average rider isn’t bad at all.

Funn Soljam’s: Now these I like. They have a huge platform, a nice concavity, a nice spread of pins that means you can get rid of most of them and still have the ones left in the right place. Downsides are that the unsealed ones have quite soft axles but they are at least cheap and spares are available. The Sealed ones have solid bearings, good axles and have the same solid platform. The downsides are that I am convinced the body isn’t as tough as it seemed on the older pedals as pins seem more readily ripped out but it’s easy enough to drill the pedal to take bolts.
  • 6 1
 Damn post length limit...

Burgtec’s: These are my go to pedal. Why? They may be heavy but they are very solid, the body isn’t prone to damage and the pins are easily replaced when damaged by cutting the head off and unscrewing from the back. They last for a good amount of solid riding, are easily rebuildable, have good back up and have a huge platform that gives a very solid feeling underfoot.

The thing to understand is that each pedal is designed for a particular price/type of riding/rider and so you need to base your pedal choice around that. If you’re a smooth, 8st rider with small feet who rides generally non rocky and rough trails and barely clips a pedal then there is clearly no need for a huge and burly pedal like the Burgtec. However, if you weigh 12st+, have huge feet, ride rocky trails that eat bike parts for breakfast and clip pedals all the time then clearly the weight weeny option isn’t going to be the best and you should consider something more along the lines of the Burgtec in strength/platform size.

It’s all a balance...but for me I know that I fall into the latter camp which is why I always nab a pair of burgtecs for those times I want to run flats.
  • 5 0
 Remember that weight isn't everything. Yeah, they're heavy, but think where they're located: at the bottom centre of the bike. Heavy parts down here aren't a disadvantage in the same way that a heavy bar/stem/saddle & seatpost would be as they would raise the centre of gravity of the bike.

What people always forget is that just because a product doesn't suit their needs doesn't make it a bad product. If you're a weight weeny who isn't heavy on components then there is no real advantage to the Burgtec's as you just won't gain any benefit from them as they are designed as bullet proof products for heavy and aggressive riders. However, when you look at the abuse that they can take, and you see the number of gouges and rock smashes that they can take and still come back for more then you see where the real benefits of the pedal are. I used to believe that the cheaper pedals were better as you could replace them several times and still have change over a more expensive pair. But not anymore. Why? Well for a start you can still destroy cheaper pedals in quick succession or you have have them last for several years but either way it's annoying as sin when you rip all the pins out half way through your weekend at a race you've just spent £250 getting to. It can be a false economy to go cheap.

But don't get me wrong, there are many other very good pedals out there, each with their own selling points. The main selling point on the burgtec's is their indestructibility, and on that measure they're very hard to beat.

Just because you may be the smooth rider who never breaks kit that does not necessarily translate to every rider on the planet and there are many out there who would rather have a solid, tough & dependable bike run after tun that can take all the abuse they throw at it. In the UK there is a very good reason that the vast majority of the flat pedal riding Elite's choose Burgtecs...
  • 6 0
 very expensive, prefer my straitlines that ive been using the past year though
  • 5 1
 I have sworn by my sets of straightlines, but... I will be purchasing these in the very near future! For some of you to say you could design a lighter stronger pedal, well, pull ya head outta your ass! I never liked the mk2's at all, untill I tried a pair! Now the slimmer mk3's are here, no doubt they will be on the dh rig!
  • 8 3
 my 50/50XX hold up just fine for $70 USD....only way i'd pay $233 USD for pedals is if they include a blonde double-d stripper!
  • 1 1
 ive had 50/50 on my hardtail for a good year and a half now seem to hold up fine but on my dh bike im trying out superstar nano tech flats only 42 gpb dunno how many dollars that is but they look flash and grip amazingly check them out if you ever get the chance


www.superstarcomponents.co.uk
  • 4 1
 I have 50/50's too. They lasted until I clipped a blade of glass on my 2nd ride and they bent like cheese... The pins fall out all the time and they are not that gippy with poor bearings. Apart from that I like the 50/50's!
I also had straitlines and bent 3 axles in 18 months with them.
  • 1 5
flag westbayrippa (Mar 10, 2010 at 15:16) (Below Threshold)
 5050xx for life. these dont impress me
  • 4 2
 5050 fail they last roughly a day of ridng before they self destruct.
they dont impress you why?
do you actualy have a reason other than price?
there race pedals and a minimum of 3 seasons riding if you think about it thats kinda cheap if u have that kinda money to put down all at once.
  • 2 4
 they just dont impress me. sorry. and ive had my pedals for almost a yr, and they havent "self destructed". im happy with them. im sure if i used these i would b equally as stoked. I like to support american companies mate
  • 2 4
 ^ +2, my 50/50xx are holding up just fine, so have my Mallet IIs and my other set of Mallets....Cranbrothers has delivered a decent product IMO.
  • 1 2
 50/50 hold up fine if you put some thread locker on the pins.
  • 1 0
 did some one say "blonde stripper"? can i get in on that?
  • 3 0
 Mine are mint just got some of the new one's, my old set were 3 years old and still going strong, in my opinion there is no better pedal out there for longevity, really weel thought out, fit and forget, it's like buying a king headset and I bet there wouldnt be as much bitching about price on them. You get what you pay for.
  • 6 1
 I guess if i got a free set of pedals, i'd write something really nice about them as well.....
  • 2 1
 I agree with most on here....ugly, expensive and heavy. They could have saved a lot of weight by machining out some of the areas on the outer edges between the upper and lower pins. I love my Wellgo MG-1's that are waaaaay lighter and have more than ample gripage. IMO...FAIL!
  • 2 1
 Not sure why company's seem to think they can gauge on us so F$#@ing hard. These are no better than straightlines and cost almost double???? Still not impressed that I can build a 250 YZ for cheaper than My race bike. NOT COOL PEOPLE
  • 2 1
 550 grams per pair? For steel? At $233 Canadian? I'd say this company has completely lost the plot, if they ever had a clue to begin with! Straitlines are made in Victoria and are the highest quality pedals out there, save for 26 ti's, which cost three times as much. Good pedals cheap? Wellgo MG-1's, at 365 grams a pair. Nuff said.
  • 3 0
 they remind me my atom labs "air corps", which are lighter and reasonably priced...been running them for a year now and love 'em!
  • 1 0
 I like my FlyBikes Rubens. 454 grams. $100US. I once hit a rock so hard that it stripped the thread out of an XT crank and the pedal was poking out on an angle but it was not damaged at all. Spare parts are a problem though (I needed to replace a left handed threaded internal nut).
  • 4 0
 Cloverleaf I couldn't of said it better. The long term test will be the proof in the pudding, i'll keep you updated. Si..
  • 2 1
 Not my cup of tea - too heavy, too expensive, too little bling.

It says a LOT for them though, that World Cup racers - not Masters level mid pack racers, or teenage punks - think that these are good enough (to pay for!) to put on their bike.
  • 1 0
 why do people think more pins means more grip? less pins, provided that they are well placed, puts more pressure on each pin and therefore more grip.

fwiw i own and love these pedals. i realise they are not to everyones taste and if they hadnt been a gift i would have probably bought easton flatboys which are nearly as good. i trashed straitlines and a few brands of magnesium pedals (too soft) so buying burly pedals made sense for me. if you get by on something cheaper with no hassle then you would be daft to splash out on these. dont knock em till you try them though!
  • 1 0
 i'll stick with my tbc stepdown peddals $98 CAN and super gripy to the point you fall because you cant slide off(everyone of my friends did first ride on them Razz ) and super tough as for weight idn i dont care about it
  • 1 0
 These look nice but I love my Straightline's. Also expensive but aesthetically smooth, roll well, super grippy (hex pins) and seem to be burly (Year old and a little scratched but structurally flawless).
  • 1 1
 SSooooooooo nice,TTooooooooo expensive,i understand about you get what ya pay for,but what done it for me was the fact that a good old while back i was in a local Halfords store,yeah i know glorified bike and car machanics store,but anyway i had a potter about until i came across some "real" decent flats by Bikehut which retails for around £30,it said on the back of the box,and made no quarms that they're made by Tioga.
The moral to the tail is i seen the same type of pedal only quite a bit thinner,but the outer body mouldings looked the same apart from they were thinner and carrying a big name for serious pedal money.
And just to end this story,the original pedals have never needed touching,they're bombproof and cost a third of the £90 the other pedals did,WHY?.I thought the credit crunch was dying down.
GringoDrool Beer tup Big Grin
  • 1 2
 for $233 they're not enough. There is no way that a flat pedal can actually command that price and not leave you feeling ripped off. Well it'll be easier than ever to tell the kids with rich parents apart from the rest of us now...
  • 2 1
 a little on the heavy side don't you think?
point one racing pedals cost the same and they are much lighter and look better...
  • 1 1
 I think it's epic I can buy MG-1 Ti's for $75 and they weight half as much... Don't get me wrong these pedals are badass but spending $230 pedals just.... does not make sense.
  • 1 1
 i was looking at these but when i came to buy a pimping pedal set i went for the canfield crampon make these look like rubbish!
  • 1 1
 I thought I paid a pretty penny for my Wellgo Mag's .... hmmmm ... These look pretty much the same as my Wellgo's, but my Wellgo's arent removable pins.
  • 3 2
 FYI, you can now buy Burgtec products direct from their N. American distributor. Go to www.burgtecusa.com for more info.
  • 3 1
 ugly, heavy and expansive, no way :-)
  • 3 1
 they call these thin? i wanna see how thick the old ones are!
  • 1 0
 the straitline pedals are so much nice and lighter and cheaper straitline all the way and these are nice
  • 3 1
 They look nice...but $233? ...I'd rather spend my money on something else.
  • 1 0
 Way overpriced and overweight. Why would I pay that much money for pedals that weigh 550g?
  • 5 4
 "gay XC bikes" f*cking grow up.
  • 3 1
 thank-you... I didn't really understand that comment either, I was hoping it was a joke...
  • 1 3
 no, you grow up.
  • 1 0
 gt85, I was gonna write a snotty comment back but it's a waste of time if you have that logic.
  • 2 0
 I agree. if he considers the "gay XC bikes" comment to be "grown-up" I dont want to meet the adult figures of his childhood....
  • 1 0
 Big Grin
  • 1 0
 nice but yeah i ll give you $180.00
  • 1 0
 for this price i prefer the twenty6 prerunners ti.
  • 2 0
 Got em Smile
  • 1 0
 I'd take point one over these in a heart beat.
  • 1 2
 You can get the Tewnty6 rallye Ti's for $30 more they weigh more than 200g's less, look much better and I would assume theyre grippier.
  • 1 0
 ...and damn 550g?
  • 1 1
 dsnt float my boat, too heavy.. and ugly
  • 1 1
 ugly ? hahahahaha
  • 1 0
 not ssaying that helps sink the boat, just saying i find them ugly, there are a loads more pedals out there better looking than these.
  • 2 4
 Everyone and their brother makes pedals these days eh? Same re-hashed crap , someone needs to get creative already..
  • 1 0
 I tried.
  • 1 2
 heavy and expensive oh wow!
  • 1 2
 heeeaavyy
  • 1 3
 They look just like Atomlab pedals.
  • 1 1
 fail
  • 1 2
 yep, what a chunk of a pedal..
even though i'd never spend 165eur on some pedals, i'd rather go for Point One Racing "Podium" pedals. Some bucks cheaper, REALLY thin and hell yeah, they even look like 150eur pedals should.. ^^







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