FIRST RIDE REPORT
TENET OCCULT V2 FLAT PEDAL
Words and Photos by Cole Gregg
Tenet is a Bellingham, Washington brand that officially launched in 2018 with the simple goal of having a creative outlet to produce products they wanted to ride. 5 years later Tenet has a variety of hard and soft goods to deck out that dreamy new build you have been working on all winter.
In this “First Ride Report” we are going to talk about their new Occult V2 Pedal. The first iteration of this pedal was launched in 2020 with great acceptance from the flat pedal shredders around the world, including our team. While the brand may be lesser known to those outside the State’s there is no lack of quality engineering and stunning good looks.
The Occult V2 pedal drops with some small but substantial upgrades over the V1. Tenet as a smaller brand can be liquid with their product changes and has made the most of their position to implement a “Running Change” production cycle. This means that they can make small tweaks to their products while still in full production. What does this mean for you as the consumer? Well, you are getting the best possible product they can create at that time. No long product life cycles and waiting for that next big change.
THE LAB
The Tenet Occult V2 pedals share a very similar outer profile to the outgoing V1, however a number of changes were made in the name of durability and weather sealing. Let us get into those after a quick glance at the general specs.
The Tenet Occult V2 pedals are extruded and post-CNC’d from 6061-T6 aluminum, with a 110mm x 105mm platform boasting 2mm of dual concavity that sits at 14mm thick in the center. The heat-treated chromoly steel spindle runs on 3 sealed bearings and an IGUS bushing. The pedals ship with 11 thread-thru pins per side, with a pack of grub screws included to tune the grip and feel to your preference. The Tenet Occult V2 pedals tip the scales at 418g for a pair, can be purchased in a choice of Onyx, Gun Metal or Umber colors, and retail for $115. Now for the changes over the Occult V1, and how they came about.
Even with just a 1% fail rate of bent spindles Tenet said that is too much and hit the drawing board increasing the spindle diameter from 10mm to 11mm while also extending out the tapper. This increased fatigue lifespan of the spindle without the need to make the pedal platform any thicker. Tenet utilized EFBE, an independent test lab out in Germany that specialized in highly accurate real world testing. EFBE certifies not only to the ISO standard, but they have also derived their own testing structure called “Tri-Test” that simulates impact and fatigue situations just like you would find out on the trail. Of course, the Occult V2 passed both tests with Tenet claiming the pedal being “the most affordable and durable pedal in the market”. They even back them up with a 2 year warranty, and a lifetime crash replacement policy where you can get 30% off a new set if you manage to destroy them.
One cool thing Tenet has done for their consumers is implement a pedal refresh program. This program allows you to send the pedal back into Tenet and get a full rebuild on the pedal for just the price of shipping. This free service is only for pedals less than a year old, over one year and this service will cost a respectable $30. The V1 Occult was getting more water intrusion than Tenet was happy with when coming from riders in wetter climates. The solution? A new seal with a larger surface area and increased grease packing capabilities was introduced. This has netted longer service life spans and less pedal free spin, which is great for those of us that like to get wild with fully extended no footers. As of now I cannot speak to how this might affect climbing performance but by the feel of it this added resistance is negligible.
To keep the pedal profile as thin as possible while maintaining the concavity they desired, a 10mm x 6mm x 3mm sealed bearing was selected for the Occult V1. This is the same bearing you see in a large majority of pedals on the market, and while these bearings do the job, there was more durability to be had when it came to use in wetter environments. Tenet bumped the bearing housing to 4mm from 3mm. Even though on paper this is a small change, the difference is a 33% increase in ball bearing size within the housing. While this did require some updates on the outer edge of the pedal (a slightly increased thickness where the bearings sit), the sacrifice was minimal for the longevity gains in the bearing.
The Wolf’s Last Word
While I only have about 15 miles on these pedals, those first few high speed rock gardens often tell the story of how I will get along with a set of pedals for the long term, at least in terms of grip and feel. The initial bite on the thread-thru pins is insane, giving more than enough grip even with my very worn winter riding shoes. Getting a foot out on flat corners and back on the power was straight forward, with plenty of grab giving you the confidence to hammer down right away. Comparing the Occult V2 pedals against my standard for flat pedals – the Deity TMAC – both pedals are similar in concave and have the same platform size. The Occults have more bite due to the narrower pin profile, which is great for max grip, but it does make my shins wince a little bit. I have yet to really need to adjust my feet while riding, which is a testament to their surefootedness in the rough, but the feeling I get is the TMAC’s give you less of a 100% locked in feel allowing for easier foot placement changes if that’s your preference.
I have been running the Tenet Occult V2 pedals on my eMTB, and smoked one of the pins on a technical climb almost immediately. Replacing it was straight forward and of no fault to the pedal design, just this guy’s poor line choice. This is a win over the TMACs as the pins are not captured on the bottom side – a big win for the Occults. The biggest difference between the Occult and the TMAC is the price, with the Occult landing a whopping $65 under the TMAC. If it was $10 it would not be much to talk about, but $65 is a huge difference for arguably a better pedal. I am very keen to see how these get along through the rest of our PNW winter and fair with some heavy shuttle days this spring. Stay tuned for the long-term review. 
Price: $115
Weight: 418 grams
Website: Ridetenet.com
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