Welcome fellow Mountain Biker to a Bristol and South West based blog containing local routes, rides and reviews. Brought to you by locals to the area with additional publishings from further afoot. Hope you enjoy.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Product (long term test) review:Shimano MX-30 pedals.



I decided on these pedals for the simple facts that they have sealed bearings, were reasonably light and the price tag wasn't to heavy. I have used different pedals in the past including the DMR V8's which I found had too big a hole in the cage design. And after a few hours riding it made my feet sore. So these seemed ideal. No big holes but still pleanty of clearance for crud.
These have been on my bike from new for over a year and a half with, I'm delighted to say no problems. Sure the pins are going to get full up with dirt, but that's why God invented sewing pins. And they will fallout and the allen key hole will get knocked out of shape. But rest assured Shimano give you a spare sachet of pins included in the price. Once you have them set up, they grip like a newly born child.
The bearing quality is fluid. And once broken in they continue to be. Give em' a flick with your foot and they will spin about 3-5 times. Not to little not too much. And I haven't done a thing with them. Haven't been so kind to give them any grease or even a glance. This is what fit and forget is all about.
The overall design of the pedals is second to none. They have slight futuristic twist on normal flats with their straight lines and bold angles, not to mention the light gunmetal finish.

Now, in all of my reviews I appear to rave on about how good the products are, this could be down to the fact that I do my research before buying something and I am always wanting good quality durable components. So I buy them and review them. Like I say these pedals have been the point of contact between myself and the drivetrain for over a year and a half, with not problems. Until today though. When doing a downhill section I overcooked it coming into a berm after a jump and went down. And thinking about it now the non-drive side pedal must have hit the tree on the berm. I didn't notice anything strange until I tried to do the run again moments later. When it was quite obvious that the axle was bent. Which was a bit dissapointing. But we all know this can happen from time to time. We fall off, the bike sometimes gets broken too. These pedals have had some abuse over time from rocks, roots, stumps e.t.c. and have carried on.
The amount of damage suffered to the axle though was minimal. The pedal would still revolve and I managed to get home safely. A closer look at work when I take the pedal apart will tell the whole story and I may be able to straighten it. But for now I belive that they are still amazing and I'm convinced that if they weren't as strong as they actually are my foot would be in some pain right now.
If you are looking for a light, strong and durable, fit and forget pedal set, that wont break the bank and last a good long while before you ever need think about replacing them. Then I give you the MX-30's.
9.8/10