Plastic Pedals

In the past few years, plastic pedals have become much more prolific in BMX. My first experiences started by just grabbing some Welgos from the shop to try saving a bit of weight. I never had much trouble with the grip of even those! And the weight savings was substantial. Since then, Odyssey, Animal, and virtually every company with a pedal has a plastic version available too. Why am I so excited about this?

1. They're cheap, and lets face it, BMX is full of cats who want good components, for as little money as possible.
2. They're light, light, light. At around 13 oz per pair, who can complain?
3. The colors man, the colors! Odyssey has really shown the potential with using polymers in pedals (and seats, but that is another discussion). A wide range of colors are available from most manufacturers. Odyssey even offers Glow-in-the-dark, and Chameleon (UV activated, color changing) . Lets face it, aesthetics do play a role in our component choices. And rightfully so, if you like the way your bike looks, you're more likely to get motivated to hop on it.
4. Grinding/sliding, whatever you want to call it, is more Kosher with plastics. If you ever get bother for hopping on a ledge, just point at you pedals and say plastic. Certainly, there are some thick-headed people out there who will still give you trouble (because their "girlfirend" left them, no body calls to see if their ok, and they generally have personal issues they feel you are responsible for).
5. You can finally stop feeling bad for riding a bike... wait a minute... Haro Recycled plastic pedals

One thing I will try to do throughout this blog is to show both sides of the story. Plastic pedals are not for everyone. There are definite trade-offs with plastics.

1. Grip. Some people complain that the little "pins" in plastic pedals either do not give enough grip, or wear down too quickly, so there is no grip. This is a fair concern, as some people prefer more grip than others. I would say it comes down to riding style. I thought I had seen something like the Hoffman Solemate pedals, where a nut and bolt are used as pins, avoiding the whole "what?!? Stripped? I didn't even tighten it! ARRRGGGG!!!" problem. Edit: The new JC pedals from Odyssey will have an interesting new pedal design:
2. Weaker spindles. When these pedals first started coming out, people pointed out that the spindles were just run-of-the-mill, cheap steel spindles. This is a big concern to pedal destroyers. However, since competition in plastic pedals has increased, companies are putting in the same grade spindles as their aluminum-bodied counterparts. I still think pedal spindles are designed backward, but that is for a future post (after some CAD work).
3. Having such cheap pedals may lead some people to the idea that it is ok to just toss them out every month or so. Which is fine, as long as you find a new home for the old ones. Donate them to some new rider, or use them in a side project. We should avoid the idea of disposable products.
4. No Anodizing. And lets face it, ano is sexy.

Conclusion: Plastic pedals are great for BMX. Their low cost and low weight fit right in. However, we will likely never see them owning the market, as some people will want the look, grip, or feel of aluminum-bodied pedals.