Nukeproof Electron Evo Pedal - Review
Nukeproof has had its ups and downs over the years, but its current UK-based reincarnation is focused on staying relevant to the serious mountain bike crowd. From its humble beginnings many years ago in Michigan, the company has changed hands and has been shifting gears to now offer an expanded line of off-road bikes and components, including the interesting Electron Evo pedals reviewed below. The 354 gram (set) pedals claim to prove wrong that old saying about only being able to have two of three choices when talking about a product being cheap, light and strong. They retail for $60 USD, and are available in six colours: black, white, yellow, orange, blue and green. www.nukeproof.com
Electron Evo Pedal Details:
• Nylon-reinforced composite body
• Seven replaceable, adjustable pins per side
• Three moulded pins per side
• One DU bushing and two sealed cartridge bearings per pedal
• Dimensions: 98mm (w) x 95mm x 17mm
• Axle: CroMo
• Spare parts kit available
• Weight (per pair): 354g
• MSRP: $60 USD
• Nylon-reinforced composite body
• Seven replaceable, adjustable pins per side
• Three moulded pins per side
• One DU bushing and two sealed cartridge bearings per pedal
• Dimensions: 98mm (w) x 95mm x 17mm
• Axle: CroMo
• Spare parts kit available
• Weight (per pair): 354g
• MSRP: $60 USD
The chromoly axles require an 8mm hex key to install and remove - there's no wrench flats to be found.
The set included seven spare pins, but they should also be easy to source if needed. Care should be taken with plastic threads, though.
Materials and Construction
The Electron Evo's parallelogram shape has been changed for 2015, with some center knurling and a raised edge profile being added to enhance the grip, and the wide yet thin body has a large surface platform that is closer to the crank arm while providing better ground and cornering clearance. The bodies are made from nylon reinforced composite to form a lightweight, stiff shape for the chromoly axle, bushings and two cartridge bearings found in each pedal. All seven pins per side conveniently appear to be three x ten millimetre long steel bolts and hexs nut that you should be able to track down at your local industrial supply or big box hardware store.
It's likely a cost effective pedal to manufacture with no machined wrench flats on the axles, and the price of mass producing plastic is typically lower than working with aluminium. Those facts don't mean that our bright yellow test pedals don't look great, though, as their $60 USD price tag contradicts their high-end appearance.
The Electron Evo's parallelogram shape has been changed for 2015, with some center knurling and a raised edge profile being added to enhance the grip, and the wide yet thin body has a large surface platform that is closer to the crank arm while providing better ground and cornering clearance. The bodies are made from nylon reinforced composite to form a lightweight, stiff shape for the chromoly axle, bushings and two cartridge bearings found in each pedal. All seven pins per side conveniently appear to be three x ten millimetre long steel bolts and hexs nut that you should be able to track down at your local industrial supply or big box hardware store.
It's likely a cost effective pedal to manufacture with no machined wrench flats on the axles, and the price of mass producing plastic is typically lower than working with aluminium. Those facts don't mean that our bright yellow test pedals don't look great, though, as their $60 USD price tag contradicts their high-end appearance.
A high-end look with a lower end price.
Function
The nylon reinforced composite pedal bodies are noticeably hard and slippery underfoot, but it's the spike-to-shoe interface that provides the real grip needed on the trail. And while the moulded pins quickly become damaged and irrelevant, the steel pins bite hard into the sole of your shoes with a real authority. The long pins are pretty gnarly and can do some real damage to your shins and calves if it all goes south, but they also make for impressive grip regardless of how muddy and wet your ride is. How have the composite bodies held up? Just fine, actually, but that's not to say that they won't be showing signs of wear and tear after being smashed against rocks for months on end.
The two 6862 cartridge bearings in each pedal spin smoothly out of the box (as you'd hope for), although the black rubber seals are pretty basic and don't even appear to be making contact with the pedal surface. I'm not a real big fan of there not being any wrench flats on the axle, but it does give the Electron Evo pedals a clean look while likely cutting down on manufacturing costs. Disassembling the pedals requires both a 6mm and 8mm hex key, as well as an 8mm socket, but it's a pretty straightforward job that anyone should be able to handle when it does come time to show them some love.
The pedals can be maintained with a few basic tools, while an assortment of small parts can be found on Nukeproof's website.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | The Electron Evo pedals tick the boxes when it comes to grip, reliability and price, and I wouldn't let their composite construction scare you off - they've shown to be just as reliable as any of their aluminum counterparts. And at $60 USD, they are also less expensive than much of the competition. - Chris Johannes |
www.nukeproof.com
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98 Comments
The pedals themselves look great though - or they would if I ever rode flat pedals any more.
Personally, I use the Hex and flat wrench together.
ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb12126249/p5pb12126249.jpg
But still, for the price and quality, I'll change pedals every two years without a care, they are still running strong I I would recommend them with a set of bolts to a set of Sixpack pedals.
www.ht-components.com/ht_portal/product/list?cname=pedal&cname2=dh%2Ffr%2F4x&productCname=nano-p
^ This. I have a blue pair and they started squeaking about one and a half months in.
After taking it apart, there was dirt beyond the seal on the crank side.
It's pretty easy and quick to take them apart, clean and rebuild, but it's not the no fuss, long reliability I was looking for.
I hope the Evo addressed this problem (or was I the only one who had this problem)
Just get Fireyes.
www.fyxation.com/collections/pedals/products/mesa-mp-platform-pedal
Get the Mesa MP instead, all it's pins are metal & it's the same price.