Product review - AEST pedals

supersonic
supersonic Posts: 82,708
edited August 2014 in MTB general
http://www.dx.com/p/aest-ympd-09t-alumi ... aign=super

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Whilst they are not advertised for any particular style of cycling, these super-light flatties from AEST will certainly raise an eyebrow or two amongst the weight weenies in the MTB world. Hitting the scales at just 252g for the pair (that's less than a single DMR V8!), they were bolted on to a XC race bike and taken for a spin.

For such a lightweight pedal it would be expected that the platform is on the small side, but it comes in at a reasonable 98x85x17mm. A slight concave profile allows the foot to sit neatly in the pedal and helps clear the bulge at the axle (a problem on many other designs), while the classic parallelogram shape adds to the ergonomics. The cage however sits very close to the cranks:

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Compared to the Wellgo MG1 you can easily see that the Wellgo offers much more clearance - many may find the inner pins to not even make contact with your shoe, though in practice it worked ok, albeit with a few heel clips of the crank. Six screw in studs per side offer reasonable grip, but are rather short - luckily they are of the common type and are easily replaceable for longer versions should you require more adhesion.

The bearings have been excellent. A slight bit of play was noticeable when fitting, but after many miles this has not developed into anything more sinister, and they spin extremely smoothly. Oh the axles are titanium too, not bad at all considering they cost £23 for the pair! The end caps are easily removed for servicing too.

It's fair to say that these are not going to be the pedal for you if you are a gravity merchant or require the highest levels of grip and strength. The larger footed may not find them to their taste either, but my size nines coped admirably and, once I had adjusted to the foot positioning, I found them to be a reasonable performer and actually pedaled more efficiently. If you are not a fan of SPDs and want something light for XC or trail work this good be the perfect solution. Even on faster road oriented machines they will do a sterling job if you want to keep the weight down. At 23 quid it's hard to grumble for what is a beautifully made (and good looking) pedal - just watch that shape!

Price: £23.20

Performance 7/10

Value 10/10

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