OneUp Composite Pedals - Review
Remember when OneUp was that company with just one product—a 42-tooth cog? The company hit the streets in late 2013 with a simple, affordable alternative to SRAM’s spendy XX1 drivetrain. What a difference a handful of years makes. In addition to a veritable legion of sprockets, OneUp now also offers chainrings, chainguides, their popular EDC Tool system and two different flat pedals.
OneUp Composite Pedals Details
• Nylon composite pedal body
• 115 x 105mm platform size
• 10 steel pins per side, w/ Nyloc nuts
• DU bushing/cartridge bearing axle system
• Weight 360 grams
• MSRP: $48 USD
• oneupcomponents.com
• Nylon composite pedal body
• 115 x 105mm platform size
• 10 steel pins per side, w/ Nyloc nuts
• DU bushing/cartridge bearing axle system
• Weight 360 grams
• MSRP: $48 USD
• oneupcomponents.com
OneUp’s flat pedals come in both aluminum ($125/USD) and nylon composite ($48/USD) flavors. We’ve been testing both varieties, but we thought we’d start off with a review of their most budget-friendly offering.
On Trail
"Plastic" pedals are nothing new, but they took some time to gain a foothold in the mountain bike scene. While some people argue that they just aren't as rugged as aluminum versions, a lot of us have been smacking nylon composite pedals into large, immovable objects for years now with no spontaneous combustions. I'm not saying it's impossible, but if you are routinely shearing these things in half you are either the fruit of Thor's loins, woefully unlucky or... actually, I don't even have a third alternative for you on this one. Properly designed, these things can take a beating. If you consistently break these things into tiny pieces, you might consider reevaluating your pedaling style or preferred choice of horse steroids.
Having said all that… nylon pedals are often chunkier than their aluminum counterparts and somewhat lacking in the traction pin department. If you ride flats, thin and sticky are generally key attributes of your dream pedal; so from that standpoint, some of the nylon composite pedals out there have been a bit… sucky.
But scroll back to the picture above and you'll see that OneUp's nylon pedal has the same size platform size (115 x 105 millimeters) and shape as their aluminum model. The pedals also share the identical number and distribution of traction pins (10 per side in a nice, even spread). The key difference is thickness.
OneUp's alloy and nylon pedals offer the same basic platform size and shape. The key difference, from a riding perspective, is the thickness of the pedal. Are those handful of millimeters noticeable when you are actually pedaling? Slightly. I prefer the feel of the aluminum pedal. But the price of the nylon pedal is real hard to argue with.
An obvious competitor the nylon OneUp is Race Face's Chester pedal. In the name of Science, I ran the pedals side by side. Thickness and weight are almost identical, but the OneUp features two more pins per side, a better pin distribution and a slightly wider platform.
OneUp's nylon pedal isn't chunky, but the aluminum version is noticeably thinner—11.7 millimeters at the center and 8.65 millimeters at the leading edge. The nylon pedals, by contrast, are 17 millimeters at the center and 13 millimeters at the leading edge. Can you notice that on the trail? Yes, but it's fairly nuanced. All things considered, I prefer the thinner pedal: Fewer pedal strikes and a more stable feel are always a good thing. The stock pins on the aluminum model are also a tad longer, which I dig. That said, the difference here is real subtle. Because I'm a geek, I often rode with one plastic OneUp pedal and one aluminum pedal. Ninety percent of the time, I forgot which was which. That kind of tells you how close these things are in terms of actual performance. And if you are all about counting the grams, the two different pedals even weigh the same.
The aluminum OneUp pedal is, however, undeniably easy to rebuild: You open the thing up with a cassette lock-ring tool and playing around with the bearings every season is a snap. The aluminum version is an all-cartridge bearing affair (four of `em per pedal). The nylon version pairs bearings and DU bushings. When it's time to rebuild the composite pedals, a bearing/bushing kit will run you $16.50 (USD).
The OneUp's have a slightly convex shape to them. While I prefer concave platforms, OneUp employs a less aggressively convex shape than what I've seen on other pedals. We're only, after all, talking about four millimeters here. The platform size and shape on these pedals are excellent. The pin distribution is nice and even. Compared to the Race Face Chesters, the OneUp's come out on top—more pins, better distribution, bigger platform, same weight and thickness, slightly lower price.
Pinkbike's Take
 | If you are looking for a crazy-affordable flat pedal that's lightweight, offers outstanding traction and a relatively low profile, you can't beat these pedals. Forty-eight bucks? Damn. If, on the other hand, you want the thinnest pedal possible and you hate DU bushings with a passion, you should still opt for something swank in aluminum. |
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107 Comments
"If you are looking for a DURABLE crazy-affordable flat pedal that's lightweight, offers outstanding traction and a relatively low profile, you can't beat these pedals"
The only reason a couple of companies offer plastic pedals is for people learning. So they wont mess their legs too badly. Anything else, they are just toy pedals.
Unless you ride sub zero conditions on a snow bike.
And guess what those pins are just as sharp as the ones on aluminum pedals. These are in a whole different world than the molded bear traps that come on Walmart bikes...
Or thin pedals for what it matters?
It is all about they way they feel.
I had my Forte since 2012.
As an example, Superstar Nano-X is the same thickness (as the composite, 17mm) with the only downside being the weight penalty with steel axles (80g heavier). The deciding factor for me, tarty as it may be, is that I really hate the look of battered nylon pedals, but I really like a well-worn AL pedal. My black (Superstars, funnily enough..) are three years old and have developed a beautiful patina all the way round the edges!
I'm willing to bet when those new XT flat pedals get a long term review it will be similar to their SPD offerings, Cheap, and crazy durable. Shimano is never first to the party, but when they show up they bring the best snacks and the tastiest beer.
I ended up getting the OneUp composites and couldn't be happier. I've run Electrons and Dietys and the OneUps are better. The convex shape is not noticeable IMHO, don't let that scare anyone off.
Oh, and don't get me started on US shipping costs.
Cheers.
@vernonfelton My armchair assessment is that when you ride flats, tossing a bike to escape situations is easier to do, versus clipless, where tossing the bike happens less frequently because your meat is probably still attached. That instinct for self-preservation probably saves a lot of pedal abuse. On clipless, a lot of stress is focused directly over the axle on a virtually indestructible cleat, with support coming from the sole if the shoe. On flats, it would seem the bigger the pedal platform, the more leverage the weight of the bike and/or rider has to bend, break and grind up the internals, axles and pedal bodies.
Maybe Shimano just has their pedal construction perfected with conical races/cones and bearings, just like their "old fashioned" (and easily serviced) hubs. Somewhere along the line, people were convinced that press-in bearings were better, even on pedals.
My two cents.
I came from 4 years of SPD M540 pedals, and the above setup feels just as secure. The confidence the flats add in terms of not being clipped in was surprisingly large for me. I'd been riding for probably 4 years with SPD and while they helped keep my feet on the pedals thru the chudder, roots, rock gardens, etc, they limited my particularly unflexible body to move around on the bike. Unclipping was not an issue for me but is obviously a bonus when it comes to flats. These flats really helped my game in terms of body positioning, I've been able to micro adjust my foot/body positioning depending on the corner, even with the studs locking my feet in. They are also comparable in weight at 350ish grams, which is great. I've bashed them on rocks and nailed trees with these things and they are durable as heck. Another bonus for us low bottom bracket people is that the profile is actually more slender than my SPD M540s were. So rock bashing, while infrequent, is even less frequent!
TLDR: I highly recommend One-Up composite pedals. They are a great cost effective way to try flats and have been durable/reliable for me (190lb geared up klutz).
The most expensive "BMX" aluminum pedals barely cost above $100. They're the same thing, aluminum slabs with removable pins, and bearings to make them go spinny-spin.
After a quick bearing swap, they still ride good as new. Though I am STILL not sure why the copy for the FR Atlas pedals all say they have a grease port... I have taken mine completely apart and see no way to pump grease into the bearings without disassembling them.
Prompty took them all off and tried the OneUp Al version. They feel great and I like that they are even thinner (had to lower my seat a few mm's). I think I like the slightly convex better than the concave as well.
Hate DU bushings as every pedal I've seen doesn't spin smooth and always seems to have either drag or play. Just my experience...
Just want something for my steel hardtail single speed.
Same price, alu, 8 pins per side (and you have 8mm or 10mm in the box), tons of grip, 440gr
m.pinkbike.com/news/review-bazooka-funn-bigfoot-pedals.html
The construction quality was fine but they’re not nearly as wide feeling as the numbers would indicate and the grip was terrible. I felt sketched out the whole time riding them.
Bought another pair of VP harriers afterwards and haven’t looked back.