CARDER TECH TENFOUR FLAT PEDALS REVIEW

THINK LESS, SHRED CARDER

Words by Robert Johnston  |  Photos by Finlay Anderson

Mountain bike flat pedals continue to go from strength to strength, making flat pedal riding more fun than ever. But even so, some flat pedals are notably better than others. When these Carder TenFour pedals arrived for testing, we appreciated their unique and purposeful looks. Following some considerable trail time over the last few months, Robert’s flat pedal riding has been reinvigorated, and we’ve especially appreciated their performance. So let’s dive in.

ABOUT THE CARDER TECH TENFOUR FLAT PEDALS

Carder Technology machines their TenFour Flat Pedals in their UK manufacturing facility, from a block of 6082 T6 billet aluminium. The platform measures in at 104mm x 100mm x 16mm, and features 1.6mm of concavity to help keep the foot planted and “locked in”. The leading edge is given a healthy slope to aid in sliding over any obstacles on the trail, and there’s a chamfer on the outside edge to prevent snagging on the edge of ruts.

The top surface of the pedal bodies is given a heavily ribbed surface for your feets’ pleasure. Adding further grip are nine pins per side, machined from stainless steel and with a threaded design to bite into the shoe sole. These thread in from the back side of the pedal, facilitating easier removal should a pin become damaged.

On the inside there’s an En24 steel axle, heat treated and plated to remain strong and free of corrosion. The TenFour pedal spins around this axle on an inner Igus bushing and dual outer cartridge bearing setup, with a double internal/external rubber lip seal to keep the crud out.

The £140 (roughly $175 plus tax) Carder Tech TenFour flat pedal tips the scales at a claimed 422g for the pair, and can be purchased in a choice of seven anodized colors.

THE DIRT

I think that the best praise you can give a set of mountain bike pedals is that you don’t think about them when you’re riding. And that’s exactly what the case was for the Carder Tech TenFour flat pedals.

I have size Euro 45, or US 11.5 feet, and the 104mm x 100mm platform size felt just right. It’s not an uncommon footprint for a modern flat pedal, but a solid selection all the same. The bodies’ concavity is not extreme, but it feels natural and comfortable. When you’re using the central pin the pedals end up feeling a little “flatter”, but it helps to keep the grip a little more consistent if you’re careless with your foot positioning.

The stainless pins are wider than many, which initially had me concerned about a lack of grip. Thankfully though, Carder Tech opted to make these pins threaded, which adds to their ability to latch onto your rubber sole. Combining a sensible pin layout with these grabby pins, you’re left with excellent grip. But because these pins are on the wider side, in the event that you catch your shin, they’re a little less inclined to dig deep. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll still hurt you, but not in quite such a brutal manner.

I tested the Carder Tech TenFour pedals with a range of flat pedal shoes, including the Fox Union Canvas; Leatt 2.0 Pro, and Five Ten Freerider Mid VCS. Their shape and the way the pins latch into a reasonably sticky rubber sole means not only is traction through the rough descents very good, but it’s also solid for the climbs. Climbing traction is typically my biggest issue with flat pedals – which can quickly make technical climbs that bit harder – but these helped to avoid issues for the most part.

To begin with, the Carder Tech TenFour pedals had a lot of resistance to rotation. So much resistance in fact, that they would unthread from the crankarms following a rough descent. They took upwards of ten rides to loosen up, but now spin smoothly with just enough resistance to let you know the seals are still doing their thing. Carder said that if they did not loosen up, they’d happily exchange them for a new pair.

The TenFour pedals aren’t the thinnest out there, at 16mm at the leading edge. However, their angled leading and outer edges help them to slide over impacts, and their concavity helps to keep your feet “in” the pedal. It stands to reason that you’re more likely to strike the Carder pedals than something ultra-thin, but they never felt like they were problematically fat.

Once they’d freed up, the Carder Tech TenFour Flat Pedals held up amicably over a few months of regular abuse. They actually reinvigorated my stoke on flat pedals in general, breaking my trend towards clipless pedal use in recent times. Although I haven’t had to suffer through too much in the way of sloppy winter conditions, pulling them apart has revealed an impressively clean system inside, so I’d suggest their sealing is effective enough to stand up for the long haul. Similarly, the thick stainless steel pins are showing some evidence of abuse, but they’ve sustained no real damage following some fairly harsh pedal strikes.

The Wolf’s Last Word

I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the performance of the Carder Tech TenFour flat pedals. Following the bed-in period for the sticky internals, they simply went about their business without needing to be thought about, which is high praise. They’ve held up to a lot of abuse, and I’m excited to keep on shredding on them.

Price: £140 (Approx $175 plus tax)
Website: Cardertech.co.uk