Race Face Releases Updated Aeffect R Pedal with 25% More Platform

 I hate axle-bumps in the platform: I always choose pedals with a big inboard bearing and a flat actual-platform-area; but really these bumps are pretty minimal. There are way worse offenders out there.

 @justinfoil: when other companies offer zero bump, why buy these??

 @justinfoil: I've never had a pedal with inboard bearings that could survive more than a couple wet months without the bearing seizing up. I'll take a minimal bump for a pedal that's reliable. These look pretty good.

 @JustinVP: I rebuild the bearings with "waterproof" grease as soon as I get them. Usually lasts through a typical Yorkshire winter of riding OK.

 @JustinVP: I will take a pedal with no big inboatd bearings and no bumps, plenty of them. Had spank spikes and bearing died after one heavy rain. Running Nukeprooof Horizons for 3rd season now without any rebuild.
People just want to buy the thinner pedals they can like those 5mm would make a real difference. The same with weight, 50g difference per pair and people think this matter...

 @lkubica: why do you have an issue with the inboard bearing?
I’ve never seen a one have their feet close enough (and not have their ankle hit the crank) for it to be an issue.

Strange that you’ll critique what others find important (thinner pedal) but believe that your opinions are valid.

 @lkubica: 5mm in pedal thickness is huge. Closer to the axle means less likely to roll off, and you get more ground clearance without changing cranks. Also lowers the overall stance, especially important with pedals at 3 & 9 where changing cranks would have no effect. 5mm is a real difference in many places, especially around the contact points. Yes, you can adapt, but isn't is better to be closer to what is your best fit and/or the best performing?

 @justinfoil: It isn’t really 5mm though if talking about stance or being closer to the axle - it’s 2.5mm.

So a 5mm thicker pedal saves 2.5mm ground clearance and puts you 2.5mm closer to the axle.

 @justanotherusername: Exactly. Now tell me how it's about avoiding strikes, and what will you do when faced with a trail with deadly stones 2.5mm higher on average ....
I think that MTBers and performance bikers in general are really f*ing princesses, which is a real joy for the bike industry and bike media. But this also leads to crappy products because a 17mm thick pedal will not sell, so, let's make a 13mm thick convex pedal with a bearing whch will rust in 3 months, win/win, sell more expensive stuff that breaks more easily.

 @lkubica: it's not about 2.5 mm meaning you literally can't ride a trail with slightly taller rocks. It's about having less strikes on average, meaning you can more easily power through janky shit. It's about the pedals and pins lasting longer. It's about being able to sneak through somewhere that maybe a thicker pedal means you can't get that one extra full pedal stroke in because rocks get just enough in the way.

Do princesses deal well with shit that breaks immediately? I don't think so. Your analogy breaks down.

I love a thin pedal, but if it dies early _because it's thin_, it's not good and I don't buy it again. Which I actually haven't had to deal with because Bennies and Atlas have been good for me: been smashing them to pieces (imagine how much sooner if they were thicker) well before they stop spinning well (including a normal and fine bearing change after a year or 2 of heavy riding)

 @justanotherusername: yup, that's true. I didn't say how much the stance or clearance changed, just that 5mm in a pedal is important. 2.5mm clearance and 2.5mm lower stance is still a benefit, especially if it can be done with zero, or very minimal, trade-offs.

 @justinfoil: They are not minimal, that's the point. You get a pedal which will either by far less comfortable or less durable.

 @justinfoil: Its most often not going to be 5mm though, unless you take the absolute thinnest vs the norm anyway, such as the canfield crampon which is massively convex.

The RF pedal at 15.5mm just isn't that thin at all too - the DMR Vault is 17mm - so you have a whopping 0.75mm difference there but the Vault has a nice concave shape as a benefit.

There is literally a few mm difference between most pedals and you are kidding yourself if you think 1-2.5mm is going to give you any actual benefit in the real world what so ever.

 @lkubica: trade-offs are zero for me. Bennies or Atlas are very comfortable, and long lasting, for me.

Other the other hand, Stamps, for example, are a tiny bit thicker as use a bush instead of inboard bearing, but not comfortable for me. They might be durable, but I'm not sure since couldn't ride them long enough, though I do know one person who broke the outside edge clean off and another who has had issues with the long -top-loading pins bending enough to mess up the threads at the top of the hole. So YMMV.

I'm not out here shouting that Stamps suck, but you seem to be unable to stop insisting that all super thin pedals suck for all people.

 @justanotherusername: Well, the thickest bit I could find on my Atlases is like 13.5, and there is a definite concavity. But hey, if the Vaults are comfortable for you use them.

But 2mm _is_ going to give a benefit. Think about every rock strike that might smoke a pin clean off: 2mm more clearance and that becomes a glancing blow. Same 2mm and every glancing blow becomes nothing. Same 2mm and some of those big smacks that actual disrupt pedaling get scaled down to a pin smoker or glancing blow to the pedal body. I'm not saying you're going to magically clean every rocky tech climb in your area by saving a couple mm off you pedal thickness, but at the end of the day you're going to be able to pedal more smoothly in more places, and save on pin replacements. If you can find a thin pedal that fits you well and lasts, keeping in mind that there will also be thick pedals that _don't_ fit you well _and_ wear out quickly, there is zero reason not to use the thinnest ones.

 @justinfoil: @justanotherusername @lkubica
It’s almost as if there is choice in the market, because people prefer different things. Just because it’s right for you, does t mean it’s right for everyone, chase we are all different, and like different things, and that’s cool.

No need for anyone to be right, cause there is no right. Just different.

Ease up on one another, cause you’re not gonna change each other’s mind

 @onawalk: this is called an opinion you know... You may have different and when we simultaneously express different opinions it's called a discussion Otherwise we could close comment section since you could argue that every product is for someone and if you think it makes no sense you should just shut up.

 @lkubica: opinions are fine,
It’s the assertion that you’re right, and everyone else is wrong.
That’s not a discussion, that’s being argumentative.

Every product is for someone ya muffin stump,

The comment section doesn’t necessarily exist for people to one sidedly decide that all other opinions are wrong, while they’re right.

You didn’t answer my earlier question about inboard bearings and hitting your ankle

 @justinfoil: It states right here in this article the Atlas as being 15.5mm thick and flat e.g. not concave.

It would be almost impossible to have a concave pedal with a 13.5mm edge thickness as an axle is 12mm thick usually, unless you are standing on the bare axle of course?

I’m sorry but your analogy is just silly and there is a great reason not to use the thinnest pedals available, because they are convex/ not concave and as a result are often a bit shit.

 @justanotherusername: This article is about the Aeffect pedals, not Atlas. I was talking about Atlas at 12-13.5mm

Some other axle being "12mm thick usually" means nothing. The triple row of outboard bearings in an Atlas is 6x10, so the axle in that case is only 6mm" thick" and the outside of the bearings is only 10mm. So much for your "usually".

Also, not everyone likes/wants concave pedals. Some like perfectly flat, and even other prefer slightly convex. Again, IF they are comfortable _for you_, there is no other trade-off. Thinner pedals have no downsides besides things that apply to all pedals: fit is personal, and shit bearings are shit bearings no matter the pedal thickness: plenty of thick pedals die fast deaths in adverse conditions.

 @justinfoil: My mistake - I didn't know you meant a completely different pedal model which explains a lot!

I still don't think 2.5mm will make a blind bit of difference though, but if it does to you then that's what matters.

 @justanotherusername: does 5mm make a difference? It's only 2.5, which doesn't make a diff, more than 2.5, which doesn't make a diff. Does two times zero differences make a difference? Does 3? 4?

The thinner the pedal, the more ground clearance, and the more ground clearance, the less shit you hit, even 1mm. Every little bit helps. It's not going to mean you magically clear everything janky with no strikes, but it will mean less strikes, which means your pedals and pins last longer and you can make smoother strokes, which is always nice.

 @justinfoil: just take the pins out of the pedal then, every mm counts….

 Yeah, I have a pair of the "old" Aeffect pedals and they didn't use top-loading pedal pins... I guess the advantage to using them is having a more robust pedal but for sure, total PITA to swap once the tips have been bludgeoned by rocks.

 Probably cheaper to cut the holes, and def cheaper to get the grub screws. Back-loading pins need to be threaded all the way through and the back surface needs both space to get the pins in and a smooth surface for the heads to set against. That's a lot of work to fit all that in the design and manufacture. Top-loading just needs room to make a deep enough hole, much easier to design in.

 If the axle bump wasn’t a deal breaker, the top loading pins are.

 I prefer top loaders since I bend pins a lot. With bottom loaders you need to dremel them off, with this style you just twist them out with vice grips. Neither way is a deal killer, but this is a lot less work. This is assuming they bend not snap, but bendy pins last a LOT longer for me than snappy pins.

 @justinfoil: I would rather tap a through hole than a blind one when doing it for production and you can get a form drill to put the hole and bore for the bolt in one hit.

I agree they are less complicated to design / package though.

 @JustinVP: could be a bit region specific, too. I'm way more likely to grind a pin to a nub than bend one, the granite around here is grippy but basically 10 grit. I've also had good luck with just grabbing a bent pin with a small knipex and bending it back. It either breaks off, or easily goes straight enough to back out. Quicker and cleaner than any kind of cutoff tool.

 ain't that bad, just use pliers if the hex is worn. Easy way to save weight over bottom loading pins is what I'd guess.

 I use vice grips on the pin if a allen wont fit. Works fine

 Really depends on a lot of factors. I've been running the now old atlas pedals for a while now. No interest in changing them. I even bought a rebuild kit when I got them, but have yet to use it.

 Probably more often than I should. Sometimes I just get bored and like to change things just to see how much different they are.
No, there’s absolutely no rationalizing it. Yes, I could absolutely keep them until they fail or aren’t supported.

 @nickfranko: That's fair. Buying new shiny parts does make me pretty happy lol

 A lot probably depends on where, and how, you ride. Rock strikes are inevitable around here, and sometimes intentional in order to make a snipey line.

My (previous-style) Atlas pedals have gone through at least 3 pin replacements and 1 (maybe 2?) bearing replacements, in just 2.5 years, and I'm thinking before the end of this year they're need a full replacement because things are getting so beat up it's becoming a pain to change pins and bearings.

I had Stamps before that (that big open space in the outboard region doesn't agree with my feet) and went through a pin replacement after maybe 4 months. A very wide platform like the Stamp makes rock strikes even more likely/necessary.

 I don't change the pedal out, but my oneups smoke the bearings every year or so. I have to rebuild them or they make all sorts of racket. Id buy new pedals if i could find a pair that are similarly low profile that don't weigh too much.

 I've had the same pair of Specialized Bennies on 3 bikes over 5 years. Lots of hard rock strikes at Highland, Diamond Hill, Vietnam, etc; 1 complete pin replacement, 4 "rebuilds" which included removing the axle and applying fresh grease.

They still spin freely but lately they've been getting awfully sharp and shin-slashy so I may get some sandpaper out to smooth them down

 I've had magnesium Wellgos for at least a decade, although to be fair I didn't ride off road for a good portion of that. I had some pedal strikes last year but they still seem fine otherwise.

 I'm three years into a set of plastic Nukeproofs that I bought as a stop-gap... but multiple friends of mine are finding that some of the high end options they've been getting are failing in a variety of ways within weeks or months.

 I go thru a set of flats about every 1.5 seasons when the edges grind down to where they don't really hold pins anymore. If I didn't ride like such a beater they'd last longer I'm sure

 @nickfranko: retail therapy to keep motivating yourself to show up.

 @adrennan: I didn’t need those TMacs, but they certainly showed up at my door, anyway.

 @justinfoil: please document a few of these lines where you hit your pedal on purpose--I must see these

 @owl-X: less on purpose and more letting it happen and accepting it might be the best way to maintain the overall flow.

Not often the "only way" down/through but very often a fun way.

 @sjma: Bennies are amazing. I sold a pair because they didn't match my new frame, should have just rattle canned them black. Silver or black Bennies are lelikely going to replace these Atlases when they next need bearings, because I'll probably have to cut away bent pieces to fit the drift in.

 @sjma: also shout-out to Highland, Vietnam, Diamond Hill. I now know approximately where you live, haha. Haven't been to Vietnam in years, but it's def great. And only off-roaded at Diamond Hill, also many years ago, but heard the biking trails have gotten lots of work put into them lately.

 Sell them with my bike every year... I usually have enough left over to buy new pedals. But I usually buy plastic pedals anyway.

 @justinfoil: Diamond Hill is the first stop for the eastern states cup usually so it’s received a ton of attention. The RI locals do an amazing job of maintaining the trails down there, but there are still plenty of granite land mines waiting to punish riders for sloppy line choices

 @justinfoil: oh.

that's way less exciting.

 100%

Not changing from these concave vaults

 A whole platform bends too easly when Striker. I will Never buy them again.

 A great pedal, but now that I've tried something bigger, I think it's too small.

 @lightone: That’s my experience, too. And the axles bend really easily. Deity and OneUp have much higher quality axles. Anyone need a couple Vault right axles? All my lefts are bananas.

 @JustinVP: Yes, actually...

 Vaults are dope but DMR's customer service was absolute garbage when I had to warranty.

 @hi-dr-nick: that's a bummer. So far they have been pretty beefy for me. I bent an NX crank when I clipped a rock with the outside of my pedal. The axle on the vault is still perfectly true, pretty crazy

 I'm not. I just got fired today. )-:

 At least you can get to the pins from the bottom...oh, wait.

 It's really a pretty minimal bump, maybe 1mm?

At least they're not shouting about a concave platform or pin length while ignoring a 3-4mm tall bump.

 Bump also does not go all the way across - images show it tapers down in the middle. Could make it better? But def not excited to try them at $130

 What pedals do you like that don't have this?

 @Svinyard: nice try, google it

 Like it did matter. Most of our shoes aren't totally flat either which makes this point moot.

 Hard to improve on perfection when Shimano XT SPD pedals are still being made at reasonable prices and readily available

 y'all clipped in riders get shoes with boa and fancy lace covers. let us have cool pedals.

 @sjma: The clip mechanism is dialed but the platform leaves much to be desired on all of shimano’s clipless options

 @Chondog94: You're the only one that sees the point being made here basically; others just bickering about the mechanism of Clip-Ins, I'm talking about is the platforms.

 They are, just very slightly. I needed to check against a straight-edge...

 One up pedals crack.

 I smoke the bearings in mine roughly once a year. I don't ride in the wet. They don't have great longevity regarding bearing life.

 @ndefeo96:
Interesting, I’ve been nothing but happy with the bearing performance on my OneUp’s. Probably the best bearing life I’ve experienced in a pedal; going on 2 years (Vancouver = mostly wet). I found the RF Atlas I had previous to be the worst for bearing life. Seemed like after a only a few months the bearings would be toasted.

 @ndefeo96: I should have been more clear, oneup composites for the win. I don’t like metal pedals. The composite pedals last me 1-2 years and cheap enough to replace.

 Worst pedal made in recent year. Terrible massive bearing that gets in the way.