Bontrager Line Pro Pedals - Review
Bontrager has been quietly building up a deep line of bike components and apparel. Jerseys? Check. Carbon wheelsets? Check. Helmets? Check. Lighting systems? You know the drill. As the house brand for one of the biggest bike companies in the world, Bontrager gets a lot of investment from Trek. No surprise, then, they also produce flat pedals. The Line Pros take over where the brand’s long-deceased King Earl and Big Earl flat pedals left off. Like their predecessors, the Line Pros feature a decidedly burly aluminum platform. But, since this is 2017 and not 2007, the Line Pros are slimmer and lighter than their forebears.
Bontrager Line Pro Details
• 6061-T6 aluminum pedal body
• Durable chromoly axle/sealed cartridge bearings
• 10 pins per side
• 102mm x 99mm platform size
• Weight 420 grams
• Available in orange and black (tested)
• MSRP: $99.99 USD
• www.trekbikes.com
• 6061-T6 aluminum pedal body
• Durable chromoly axle/sealed cartridge bearings
• 10 pins per side
• 102mm x 99mm platform size
• Weight 420 grams
• Available in orange and black (tested)
• MSRP: $99.99 USD
• www.trekbikes.com
On Trail
The Line Pro features a 6061-T6 aluminum pedal body that measures 102mm x 99mm. Comparatively speaking, it’s not the biggest pedal body out there, but it still offers plenty of real estate for most riders. It’s certainly not undersized. Plenty of pedals are making a bid to be the lightest, thinnest things on the market. The Line Pros are not those pedals. At 420 grams, Bontrager's Line Pro is no lightweight (though, again, there are still heavier models out there). Similarly, it measures 17 millimeters, top-to-bottom, at the spindle….and about 19 millimeters at the leading and trailing edges. So, nope, these aren't paper-thin either.
So, why should you give a damn about these pedals? Well, if you must own the lightest, thinnest pedals out there, I guess you shouldn’t. That said, the Line Pros are still a solid choice for someone looking for a set of bomber flats with good traction. The Line Pros feature a chromoly axle and a set of cartridge bearings that haven’t gone griftty after more than a year of muddy rides.
The Line Pros feature a fairly uniform distribution of traction pins and a very open design that sheds mud like a champ.
Speaking of mud, the Line Pros offer outstanding traction when it’s sloppy outside. Some of the credit goes to the 10 traction pins, which have a fairly even distribution on the pedal’s perimeter. You can remove the washers on the pedal and make these things truly bite (a la a Meathook or similarly-scary pedal), but the mushroom-shaped pins are plenty grabby, even at the lower height.
Much of the pedal’s outstanding grip in goopy conditions, however, has to be credited to the pedal body’s very open architecture—mud simply has nowhere to collect. Nice. Of course, the pedal’s layout doesn’t provide room for traction pins on the center of the body, but I still found grip to be excellent without them and, again, if I was angling for even more traction, I could remove the pin washers. For the record, I wear FiveTen shoes, which also help when it comes to getting the most grip from any plat pedal.
The pins are easy to access. Amazingly, I haven’t broken or mangled any of them,…which is sorta surprising because the thicker pedal body does equal more pedal strikes out there on the trail. No way around that. The thicker pedal body also means that the Line Pros are a bit more prone to flipping than thinner pedals. That tendency to roll underfoot is not as pronounced as on some chunky pedals, but after spending a lot of time on thinner models, such as the Canfield Crampon Mountain, Race Face Atlas and Specialized Boomslang, it’s something I have definitely noticed.
The pedal gets bonus points from me for having both 15-mm pedal-wrench flats and a six-millimeter hex fitting and for not growing gritty, sloppy or measurably-shitty over the course of a year’s riding. If you’re a fan of durability, the Line Pros are worth taking a look at.
Pinkbike's Take
 | If you harbor a grudge against DU bushings, can’t stand pedals with that big hump at the crankarm (the one that houses inboard bearings on skinnier pedals) or simply want a pedal that will last year after year with zero attention, Bontrager's Line Pros should be on your list. If you want the thinnest, widest and lightest pedals on the market, look elsewhere. |
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Ball bearings.
Pins that screw in from the bottom and are easy to replace.
420 grams.
100$.
Every thing i like about a pedal.
Nice to see a long term testing.
These are thick, heavy and I can get better pedals from xpedo for half the price (without having to go to a Trek store).
My usual rant here: why the hell do flats cost so much more than clips. I can get Shimano M530s for $30; I know clips aren't for everyone, I just don't get why something that's more complicated and [I assume] expensive to make costs 1/3 as much as these no-frills flats.
And there are a lot of flats that are cheap.
If you want the latest and fanciest stuff you often have to pay for it. Is that sth. new?
My Mom is skinny af. This is inaccurate.
I saw these at the Trek store and they're chunky monkeys. A little too chunky for my taste. What can I say? I'm shallow.
Remember to twist your strap between the holes in the pedal body so the strap doesn't move around. You'll thank me once you try it. Plus, shops have a million of these kicking around, so if you're nice you can get a pair for $5.
More money in pocket for Monster energy or Redbull.
However, the price is still a barrier for most.
Flat pedals should be about having fun; $70-80 bucks max would be way more fun for more people.
They are great pedals made by the guys at HT components - It seems HT over the last few years went a bit price mad though - the simple models are best and last forever.
Besides, the bushing hate is misplaced. you want thin pedals, bushings take up far less space than bearings. bushings in my E13s have been flawless. any drag you might notice when you spin them by hand is unnoticeable when you're actually riding.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I use aluminum bodied pedals, but when I'm looking for a cheap set for a second bike or something, the value proposition of composite pedals can't be beat.
Still on the bike after multiple (9) seasons at Whistler and Galbraith and a few years racing. Yep, HEAVY as an anchor but haven't broken a spindle or body, except my own, 3 sealed bearing per pedal do occasionally freeze up but it's the Pacific North West! The lack of inboard seal doesn't help.
Genuine question