Point One Racing Podium Pedals Review
They advertise the pedal as a racing pedal and I tested how it works for downhill racing.
Point One Racing has one of the most unique looking pedals on the market and I wanted to see just how much abuse they could take from a racing standpoint.
Review inside,![photo]()
Durability
I bought the pedals from CRC just over a month ago and I've managed to abuse these puppies a lot since. They have been hit on rocks while riding, but nothing has broke them yet. I have not done any maintenance to the pedals because there has been no need to. I've ridden them in the muddiest courses at +9celsius to the hottest and dustiest at +28celsius.
![photo]()
![photo]()
![photo]()
Engineering
The pedal has a machined aluminum frame and a special steel axle. The weight is what they are advertised at, 359g. The frame is really open so the mud goes through the pedal easily. I might even go as far as to say that this pedal is more grippy in wet and muddy weather than in dry. I ride in the Five Ten Impact Karver shoes so the grip is quite good. The pedal's rotation is stiff and the pedal won't rotate too much if you do come off them in really rough conditions. The outer chamfers and angled shapes work as advertised: "Overlooking no detail, the outside profile of the body has been designed to deflect rock impacts and keep you moving in the same direction, at the same speed. The outside edge is chamfered in high probability impact areas to improve deflection and reduce wear." I've hit rocks at fast speed without bending the cranks or losing control of the bike.
Here are some video clips of me using the pedals. I'm riding the custom painted Orange 224:
![photo]()
Grip
Although the grip is good I've lost the pedals couple of times. First in the timing run and then in the race run. The second one cost me the podium. Last weekend I reached the podium with a three second gap. I suggest that Point One makes another version which has more pins. I marked the spots where I'd put them (Photo above). The pins would give extra grip for some conditions fe. Straitline has pins at the center of the pedal which gives a really good grip. If someone from Point One is reading this, please make room for more pins and you will have a perfect pedal on the market.
*Editor's Note: We read this and passed it along to the crew at Point One Racing and here is what they had to say...
"It’s great to see our products being raced on and enjoyed. As for feedback. The grip thing is actually a fine line, some people like more and some people like a little less.
But starting in about a month or so, we will be offering a longer stud option in addition to our current ones. Our pro riders have been testing them for a while now and love them! We’ve actually found our riders only replacing the 8 studs closest to the crank arm with the longer ones and leaving the outside ones stock. This gives you a lot more grip, but also keeps your ground clearance low on the outside of the pedal, since the outside studs take the most abuse.
There’re about double the length of our current stud and if you want to feel like you clipped in, then these will do it!" - Point One Racing
Point One Racing has one of the most unique looking pedals on the market and I wanted to see just how much abuse they could take from a racing standpoint.
Review inside,
Durability
I bought the pedals from CRC just over a month ago and I've managed to abuse these puppies a lot since. They have been hit on rocks while riding, but nothing has broke them yet. I have not done any maintenance to the pedals because there has been no need to. I've ridden them in the muddiest courses at +9celsius to the hottest and dustiest at +28celsius.
Engineering
The pedal has a machined aluminum frame and a special steel axle. The weight is what they are advertised at, 359g. The frame is really open so the mud goes through the pedal easily. I might even go as far as to say that this pedal is more grippy in wet and muddy weather than in dry. I ride in the Five Ten Impact Karver shoes so the grip is quite good. The pedal's rotation is stiff and the pedal won't rotate too much if you do come off them in really rough conditions. The outer chamfers and angled shapes work as advertised: "Overlooking no detail, the outside profile of the body has been designed to deflect rock impacts and keep you moving in the same direction, at the same speed. The outside edge is chamfered in high probability impact areas to improve deflection and reduce wear." I've hit rocks at fast speed without bending the cranks or losing control of the bike.
Here are some video clips of me using the pedals. I'm riding the custom painted Orange 224:
Grip
Although the grip is good I've lost the pedals couple of times. First in the timing run and then in the race run. The second one cost me the podium. Last weekend I reached the podium with a three second gap. I suggest that Point One makes another version which has more pins. I marked the spots where I'd put them (Photo above). The pins would give extra grip for some conditions fe. Straitline has pins at the center of the pedal which gives a really good grip. If someone from Point One is reading this, please make room for more pins and you will have a perfect pedal on the market.
*Editor's Note: We read this and passed it along to the crew at Point One Racing and here is what they had to say...
"It’s great to see our products being raced on and enjoyed. As for feedback. The grip thing is actually a fine line, some people like more and some people like a little less.
But starting in about a month or so, we will be offering a longer stud option in addition to our current ones. Our pro riders have been testing them for a while now and love them! We’ve actually found our riders only replacing the 8 studs closest to the crank arm with the longer ones and leaving the outside ones stock. This gives you a lot more grip, but also keeps your ground clearance low on the outside of the pedal, since the outside studs take the most abuse.
There’re about double the length of our current stud and if you want to feel like you clipped in, then these will do it!" - Point One Racing
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Come back and do a review after a year of riding. Then we shall see how the bearings and cage hold up... Because honestly, how often do you guys replace pedals. (IE there is a point to replaceable pins etc).
Not to bash the product, or the article tho... just stating that it's only a month. Kinda short lived for a test type article.
btw, good job on the pic of the pin placement suggestion to the OP of the article. Hopefully they will take note... and something says they will...
btw, hope your not racing in those pumas. No wonder you'd be slipping. Channels would allow pins to slide with force. Skate shoes ftmfw!
Dude I've been on the same set of Primo pedals for over 5 years. There is only a few pins left, the cage is cracked... and they still spin and work flawlessly, and grip just as good as a flat pedal. Put over a 1k of miles on these pedals... and I beat the livin snot outa em.
Same on my street bmx bikes. One set lasted me the duration I had each bike (which was more than a few years a piece). this included pedal grinds etc. I don't hear about any crupi, BMW, or crank bro's pedals breaking or wearing out in 6 months. In fact... is absolutely obsurd to think something would only last 6 months. Especially when there are products that will last many years. (wellgo pedals surprisingly last years if the bearings stay intact) To add... this is the reason I said he should review these again in a year if he is still running them... or at the point he replaces them.
but other than that, if your pedals aren't even lasting 6 months, what kind of crap are you buying?
i have had my dmr v12's for over 6 years now, dh and jumping on them and they are still near perfect.
and my odyssey trailmix's are still perfect after about two years of hard riding on them
www.pinkbike.com/photo/4052834
That being said, all these new lightweight pedals are bound to have durability issues, just think about it guys, smaller bearings (if any, alot use bushings which I hate), lighter weight body's......Its the price you pay. You want bulletproof pedals??
Azonic A-Frames, been using the same set since 2006......they still have all but one pin, still grippy, still spin smooth. But you wont get your DH rig under 35 lbs with 'em.
You do realize that welgo still makes the majority of mass produced pedals right?
you need to find some better pedals then?
I've run the same set of Syncros Mental Alloy pedals on my FR bike for 3 years, and have just replaced one bearing and an "o" ring on each pedal - these pedals have been ridden very hard in wet / snow / mud, trips to Wales and Scotland in the UK, and Vancouver North Shore and Whistler Bike Park in Canada
regarding the article : 1 months means nothing in terms of bearing durability - like another poster said, come back in 6 months and let us know how they are holding up
those pedals look mangled considering they are just 1 month old??
the lack of grip (the tester reported slipping pedals even with 5-10 shoes!!)and the 359gm weight seem disappointing considering the boutique price?
I am currently using the classic Wellgo MG-1 pedal on my all-mountain bike, stupidly high grip with 5-10 shoes, only £40 and 380gm weight = big win
"Racing means Replacing" was a motto in the team van where I raced, folks. If you aren't prepared to replace a part fast, and at a cost that gets you a quality product, don't bother.
Light weight and speed are king in DH, and this seems to be a case where you pay a high price to keep it light and tight on a race course. Oh, and also, I've swapped parts between courses on my old DH racer too. Not uncommon.
Comparing this pedal to a BMX, street, or FR pedal is ludicrous and shows the style-specific product knowledge (or lack thereof) of certain folks, don't you think?
Under the Engineering paragraph: "I ride in the Five Ten Impact Karver shoes so the grip is quite good."
Apart from that they are very well engineered pedals, well thought through.
and
"I might even go as far as to say that this pedal is more grippy in wet and muddy weather than in dry."
Oh give me a f*cking break. That is retarded. This statement especially makes me question the validity of this review.
If you could detail your "serious review" requirements it would help me to do other reviews.
thanks for the info - my MG-1 are very new and I have not hit any rocks...yet!
I would be the first to admit that my Syncros Mental Magnesium pedals were ruined by a nasty rock on Winterberg's DH trail in germany, this rock strike tore a pin out of the pedal body, the pedals still grip fine with a missing pin, but have developed play in the axle / bearing interface which is a contrast to the long service life on my Syncros Mental Alloy pedals!
I have also owned DMR V-12 Magnesiums in the past, and also found these prone to premature death from the soft Mag. metal alloy developing play where the axle bushing sits inboard of the body - what engineers call "flogging out" where a bushing socket (in the body) becomes enlarged for the bushing itself
Magnesium alloy is lighter, but softer...pay your money, take your choice
To be fair, all bike parts are overpriced, how much can it really cost to machine some metal? Chainreaction, for example, still turn a profit selling products at heavy discounts from retail value, and companies would not sell their products to the distributor for anything near to the cost that they make their product at. Any company could lower their prices significantly and still turn a more than reasonable profit, but they sell for the maximum price consumers will pay.
Personally, I would rather buy a product that does the same job as these pedals for a fraction of the price. Not trying to hate on them, they look very nice, and I'm sure they're very good quality, but I will not be buying them anytime soon, and neither will most people.
If the product is sold to a customer and he have selected the product among the other similar products it is not overpricing. Buying pedals at this cost may be unreasonable to you but not for those who are willing to pay the amount to get this product. Overpricing is when someone is selling the very same product far more higher price than the others do.
"To be fair, all bike parts are overpriced, how much can it really cost to machine some metal?" Maybe this clears your head a bit: Production costs aren't just machining some metal. There are peoples wages, design costs, marketing costs, branding costs, storage costs etc. Also there are currency changes when you import the products and of course the costs managing a store where you sell the product. Get it?
And here is an another poit of view which you should learn before you make a statement: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac#t=2m11s
That's extremely ironic, considering the name of the pedals.
Maybe it´s your shoes fault, not your pedals