Hustle Bike Labs Takes a Stab at Magnetic Pedals With the REM
First it was MagLOCK. And then it was Magped. And now a Colorado upstart company called Hustle Bike Labs is having a crack at magnetic platform pedals. The idea has always seemed to have some merit, but up until now, the products have never caught on. Maybe this time will be different.
Or maybe it won’t.
The idea of magnetic platform pedals is that they can provide the security of traditional clipless pedals, but with far easier engagement, along with the freedom of movement — and the ability to more easily eject yourself — that comes with platforms.
Hustle’s REM pedals follows a familiar formula, with a powerful neodymium magnets embedded in the middle of both sides of the pedal body, surrounded by an array of traditional thread-in pins. And like those other magnetic pedals, the cleat is basically just a steel plate that fills the pocket of standard clipless-compatible shoes. But there are also a couple of key differences.
Whereas the magnets on the MagLOCK and Magped pedals are fixed in place, the REM’s magnets are mounted in a block that can pivot slightly about the axle, which supposedly allows for a more natural feeling on your feet, and also helps your shoe adjust to the shape of the pedal. Currently, the block is machined from Delrin plastic, but production units will be made of aluminum and filled with roller bearings.
The REM also uses much stronger magnets than anything else to date, with just over 65lb of pull force per pedal as compared to about 35lb for the MagLOCK and 45lb for the Magped. According to Hustle Bike Labs founder Craig Payne, this provides a connection that’s akin to a clipless pedal, but still with much more freedom of movement since your feet can still easily slide across the surface of the platform.
The REM pedal design is still being finalized, but Payne has some ambitious performance targets in mind. This includes a 600g weight per set without cleats (when fitted with titanium axles — chromoly ones will come standard), as well as a sub-US$200 retail price. Payne is hoping to have the pedals ready for a more formal launch by Sea Otter in April.
hustlebikelabs.com
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more like former clip-in users who got sick of getting ankle injuries because clips can get dirty and sticky and not release as expected sometimes
And even more like flat users who are fed up with destroying their shins on a regular basis.
I rode clips for 15 years. I rode clips before I could drive. I think I learned the "skill" of yanking my foot out of a trap pretty well. Still wish I had never tried. The only thing they did was mess up my ankles, destroy my confidence in chunder (because no matter how much "clipless skill" you have, your brain knows it takes time to get in and out and will try to keep you in even if a little foot out when blasting tech shit would be faster/safer/funner) and make me make a bunch of useless metal noise on the trail trying to clickity clack back in whenever we stopped and started.
Next group ride, try to count clipping in attempts by the clipless riders. Don't forgot a calculator, 'cause it'll be a lot of tappy tap taps
I've also bash my shins 100% less on flats (read: zero), because my brain _never_ tries to pull up on the clip and then has the pedal release accidentally
I would think regular XC shoes would probably be fine, since the lugs on the sole usually protrude more than the cleat.
a) rock gardens. I dislodged constantly on tech or rocky terrain.
b) I come from a flat pedal riding back ground. So I naturally want my ball of my foot to be in front of the spindle. I bought giro shoes because they position the cleat where I want it to be. However, the magnet on the pedal isn't located on the prime position.
c) depending on how strong your legs are, you can dislodge on vertical pick up. I did math, and I would've needed 80 N of pull force magnets. The max they have are 20 N.
But you unclip just like regular clipless pedals. twist and pull off. I dropped $400 for some pedals and shoes I don't touch anymore.
b) if you come from flats, why would adding a magnet cause dislodging? see above. but yes, the magnet should at least be centered in the top of the platform, not the entire pedal, since most all pedals project further out the front
c) again I think missing the point. they're not supposed to allow you to pick up the whole bike (shouldn't use normal clips for that either...), they're just to help keep the foot closely attached. Which again should be mitigated with good technique, not fallible mechanisms whether mechanical or magnetic.
why would you need to or be able to twist your foot out like normal clips? you'd have to lift up to get rubber off the pins before you could twist. in fact, I can see these magnetic type pedals causing more ankle injuries than clips.
Using it wrong. A f*cking plate gets bolted to the shoe and you your foot to the pedal. There is a foam elastomer to position your foot freely.
Literally the majority of riders who ride flats will have the ball of their foot in front of the spindle.
There is a reason why magnet pedal don’t find traction even after all these. Yes there are a few companies before magpeds who have tried and are barely breaking even.
And yes clipless absolutely sometimes just pops out unexpectedly. And sometimes gets stuck and won't release. And sometimes gets mudded up and becomes very hard to clip in to. If you think they're perfect, you're deluded, or you already have perfect pedal pressure/technique and thus don't really need clipless.
BTW, I (and others I know) can pedal one footed on flats, so the pulling up argument is stupid, and any power increase has actually been shown to be quite small even for well trained professionals and negligible for average riders. In other words, most people would be faster with the physical and mental freedom of flats.
I would buy a pair if the price was closer to $120 than $200.
Remember the 4Ps (product, price, place, promotion), and don't think you'll get much meaningful feedback from the Pinkbike trolls. From Pinkbike, yes; trolls, no.
Top quality puns: hell yes.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GY4m022tgo
Am I missing something?
#stillflatsforlife
Now 15+ years later, I occasionally swap between platforms and clipless on my FS trail bike. The platform rides force me to maintain certain skills and habits, and are safer for jumping, but I still find that I have much more confidence and control in the rougher stuff on clipless pedals.
and you get way more control in the rough stuff being clipped in.
And what bad habits are they teaching? I think your technique has to be better in clips because you can't just easily drop your foot to catch yourself from bad cornering technique.
If you're generally not a flexible person in the hips/pelvis/glutes, maybe flats would be better.
1) A good set of pedals (they don't have to be expensive, just good. Raceface chesters are fine)
2) A good pair of sticky shoes like five tens or ride concepts. If you don't have these, you're missing out on what flat pedals can really do
3) Proper foot position on the pedal. From what I seen on the trail almost daily, most people ride with their foot too far back on the pedal. (I think we have road biking to thank for that). For mountain biking, the ball of your foot should sit AHEAD of the pedal spindle, not behind it.
Proper foot placement, coupled with sticky shoes and solid pedals should result in zero slipped pedals, no matter how chunky the terrain is. How is Sam Hill able to ride the world's roughest tracks at the fastest speeds without his feet bouncing off the pedals? Proper equipment and technique.
For the record, I also ride cliplesls pedals. I think both have their merits, but I don't feel like clipless pedals are ever required for keeping my feet on the pedals.
I do agree that clipless does allow you to float over rough stuff a bit more naturally, but it still can be done in flat pedals with practice.
I stand by my statement that I would only want clipped to pull up on my pedal, as I can ride flats properly. (and yes, that includes being able to spin fast and float terrain (not sure even how to respond to the guy that says clips help him corner better..lol))
My reference of missing something was to why anyone would want a magnetized flat pedal that doesn't even allow you the best benefit of being clipped (imo),
You don't have to ride long with the general public before you see many (good or bad, you decide) habits that were born from riding and jumping only in clips
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