E*THIRTEEN BASE PEDAL REVIEW

Words and Photos by Travis Reill

I have been, and perhaps always will be, a flat pedal rider. I figure, if they are good enough for Sam Hill, they are good enough for me. In reality, I am terrified of having my feet attached to the bike and, therefore, have been on a quest to find the flats that will replicate the security of having my feet stuck to the pedals. As my quest continued, I tried e*thirteen’s Base Pedal, my first time on the e*thirteen pedal platform, and my first extended amount of time on a composite pedal.

ABOUT THE E*THIRTEEN BASE PEDAL

e*thirteen keeps its pedal lineup simple with the Base Pedal (tested) and the Plus Pedal. Both pedal platforms have the same dimensions and overall look, with material being the distinguishing factor between these two. e*thirteen keeps the price relatively low with a composite offering for their Base Pedal.

This isn’t the first time e*thirteen has ventured into the world of composite pedals. The brand’s LG1 pedal had an alloy platform with removable composite layers on top and bottom, with the intention of the composite bits being replaceable. And, while the alloy/composite layering didn’t stick around, the pin pattern certainly did, and many looked at the e*thirteen Base Pedal with a sense of de javu. With the LG1 being praised for its grip, e*thirteen incorporated the same pin pattern into these new pedals. The Base Pedal uses 22 6mm pins, splitting them evenly with 11 per side. e*thirteen also provided 22 shorter, 4mm replacement pins in the box.

The Base Pedal offers a 100mm x 110mm composite platform with a bit of concave. The platform measures in at 15.5mm at the leading and trailing edges, and tapers down to 13.75mm in the center. The pedal is built around a steel axle and an inboard bushing and outboard bearing, with the pedal sitting a good distance from the crank arm when installed.

THE DIRT

Testing the e*thirteen Base Pedal would be the first time I spent a significant amount of time on a composite pedal. Composite pedals have intrigued me, and while plenty of articles have written about how composite pedals perform just as well as alloy, I still wondered if I would notice a difference. I did not. While this may not be entirely new information for you composite pedal lovers out there, I thought I would surely be able to notice some sort of difference.

What was noticed was the incredible amount of grip the e*thirteen Base Pedals offered. I initially anticipated switching the 6mm pins on the pedal for the 4mm spare pins e*thirteen provided. The 6mm pins looked too long when I first received the pedals, and I was concerned that my shoes wouldn’t get enough contact with the platform itself. However, I am glad I tried the 6mm pins before making any changes, as they worked wonderfully, digging into my shoes well.

Perhaps it was the pedal/shoe combo I used, but I rarely had issues with my feet moving on the e*thirteen Base Pedals. I spent the test time in Leatt’s 2.0 Flat Pedal Shoes, which offers the softer RideGrip Pro rubber compound. It’s likely that this softer compound along with the fairly deep tread allowed the pins of the Base Pedal to dig in more than a shoe with a firmer sole compound. Through corners, off jumps and when bashing through the chunk, my feet stayed firmly planted on the e*thirteen Base Pedals without the slightest bit of twisting or movement. I had one instance of my feet coming off, but I think I have to attribute that to poor riding and not having my heels down through a chunky bit rather than having an issue with the pedals themselves.

Overall, grip and traction are significant, and e*thirteen’s Base Pedals checked both boxes for me, with their 6mm pins and 11-pin pattern.

I felt the 100mm x 110mm platform size was sufficient for my size ten shoes.  I never had any issues weighting the pedals in corners or over technical sections, however I imagine that riders with larger feet might think this platform is on the smaller side. Despite not having any issues with the size of the Base Pedal, my go-to pedals have a larger platform than these e*thirteens. It would be nice to see a larger offering from e*thirteen in addition to this size to accommodate riders with larger feet.

The only other issue I had with the e*thirteen Base Pedals was with one dust seal. Early in my testing period, I noticed a goopy, grimy build-up around the spindle where it enters the composite platform. Upon wiping it away, the gasket moved away from the pedal, revealing what I would eventually conclude as the problem. To be safe, I took the pedal apart for a quick look around, showing everything in what looked like normal working order. I concluded that the dust seal gasket must have come off, allowing grease out of the pedal and giving me the grimy build-up.

After applying more grease, I found the gasket would not stay in place as I put the pedal back together. I eventually gave up and rode the pedals as they were. This will obviously allow grease out and dirt in – not a good recipe for the pedal’s longevity. This only happened to the non-drive side pedal, however, and I think it can be chalked up to an issue with that particular gasket and not a problem with the e*thirteen Base Pedals.

The Wolf’s Last Word

I would not hesitate to use the e*thirteen Base Pedal as my go-to pedal on my trail bike. The ride feel is the same as alloy pedals, they offer incredible grip, and at just $50 they are significantly less expensive than alloy pedals of similar quality. I imagine the gasket issue I experienced was a one-off, but it’s worth paying attention to. If you have big feet, you might find the Base Pedals a bit small for your liking.

Price: $49.95
Website: ethirteen.com