ONEUP COMPONENTS SMALL COMPOSITE PEDAL REVIEW

DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER? (FROM A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE)

Words & Photos by Caitlin Wilkinson

This one is for the SheWolf’s or Shredders out there who have smaller feet! Back in May, I received some OneUp Components Small Composite Pedals to test during the summer in Scotland. I was already riding with a pair of OneUp Components aluminum pedals, so this would be a great comparison between the larger and smaller pedals, and I was hoping to boost comfort and grip levels even further. Is it true that smaller pedals are better for people with smaller feet, or is this just a myth? Let’s find out!

THE LAB

OneUp Components recommends their Small Composite Pedals for riders with a shoe size up to US 6.5/ UK 6 (Men), 8 US / UK 6 (Women), or 6 US/ UK 5 (Kids). The platform size is 97.5mm x 92mm, compared to the standard Composite Pedal which is 115mm x 105mm. The body measures in at the same 18mm thick over the axle, which tapers down slightly towards the front and rear to give a subtle concavity to the platform.

The Small Composite Pedals have 7 steel pins per side and come with new Friendly Pins installed. The Friendly Pin is an aluminum nut that covers a regular threaded pedal pin, and are the same pins found on the full-size composite pedals. If you want more grip, you can replace the long Friendly Pin nut with the shorter nut supplied in the box, leaving the aggressive threaded pin exposed to maximize bite into your shoe soles. This is great for riders looking for slightly more float on the shoe or less chance of injury from a slipped pedal, without sacrificing the maximum achievable grip of the pedals for the most aggressive rides.

Weighing at 330g they become 25g lighter per pair vs the standard Composite OneUp pedals. In typical OneUp fashion the nylon composite compound feels extremely solid and built to take a beating. There is a choice of seven colors (Black, Red, Blue, Orange, Green, Purple, Turquoise) which retail for $49.50/£49.50.

THE DIRT

For my UK Women’s Size 5 feet, the OneUp Components Small Composite Pedals were theoretically going to offer a great fit, and they didn’t disappoint. The trail I took these pedals on first was spicy, providing the best test to see if my feet would be slipping off the pedals. At first, I noticed that my bike was easier to maneuver, and with that it allowed me to turn into corners easier due to the smaller platform. It gave a more engaging experience with my feet and the bike, and better yet; my feet didn’t jump off the pedals and I didn’t notice any strange footing position from hitting any smaller faster sections of trail. Naturally, they felt different, but they didn’t take long to get used to and I quickly found a comfortable and consistent spot for my feet. I was well used to riding with OneUp Components full sized aluminum pedals, which I’d been rocking for two years. They are fantastic pedals as I said above, but I often found myself with my feet at odd positions and found they would occasionally pop off mid trail, whereas these Small Composite pedals produced no such sensations.

Surprisingly it was the climbing that was noted to be significantly improved. I am not a strong climber, but I noticed that I was able to keep up with my friends for longer and I wasn’t stomping my feet like I used to. I wouldn’t have expected that changing pedals would make a notable difference to climbing but being able to get my feet in a more powerful position on the pedals without them risking flipping over the pedals proved to be the ticket to unlock some extra juice on the way up.

The durability of these pedals is like any other type of composite pedal. Whilst they are strong and haven’t threatened any sort of failure, you can certainly take them out for a beating on some granite rock and you’ll find some obvious dents and scratches. The longer you ride with them I found that – like all composite teal blue pedals – the color turns green after a while, so that was also a shame but expected. They look amazing for a small composite pedal, and out the box they are aggressive looking, especially once the sharper pins are exposed. I like the option of different pins as these are also designed for kids, so they don’t particularly need aggressive pins, so this is something parents could consider for their kids, or for anyone who doesn’t like aggressive pins.

The main difference that I found that I liked from the aluminum pedals, was that they have not faded over time due to their anodized finish, although they have taken some nasty scratches over time. All I would desire from OneUp is if they made an aluminum version of the small pedals as I’m stuck in my ways and always would prefer a metal version, but until then I’ll be rocking these until they die.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Do I think size matters? Yes. Since installing the Small Composite pedals, the connection between my feet and the bike has significantly improved, they have such good feedback to your bike and gave me the support that I needed to engage with my bike in a new way. Some steeper trails weren’t as scary anymore as I knew that my feet would be in the correct position and also, I loved the way that I was able to just move my body more thanks to my feet.

I genuinely think that if you are riding with small feet, or any children out there; you should be riding with smaller pedals. You’ll thank yourself for it, and for those with big feet? Stick to the full-size flats.

Price: $49.50 /£49.50
Website: Oneupcomponents.com