The thinner the mountain bike pedal, the lighter and less bulky it will be. Canadian company Outlier MTB has taken this concept to the extreme, with pedals that sport a platform which is completely open in the middle.
Calgary-based Outlier is offering two models of its unique pedals – the Void and the Pendulum. Both feature a very short axle that only goes through the crank-side edge of the pedal, leaving the middle wide open. They're essentially just outlines of traditional platform pedals.
Not only does this almost-axle-less design allow the pedals to be thinner than their conventional counterparts, it also reportedly allows the rider's shoe to flex downward by a small amount in the middle. That flex is in turn claimed to produce an "exceptional amount" of grip on the pins arranged along the outside of the platform.
The Void is made of CNC'd 7075 aluminum and features oil-filled 6902 bearings along with a total of 18 M4 steel pins (nine per side). Each pin protrudes 5.71 mm from the pedal's surface. The pedal platform measures 115 mm (4.53 in) long by 115 mm wide, and is just 9.85 mm thick. A set of the Voids is said to tip the scales at 458 g (16 oz).
The Pendulum is a bit different. Its platform measures 120 mm (4.72 in) long by 115 mm wide, is 14 mm thick in the middle (7 mm at the edges), and sits 6 mm below the center of the stubby axle.
This setup is claimed to lower the rider's center of mass for better stability and control, plus it reportedly allows the pedal to swing forward during sudden decelerations (like a pendulum), cradling the rider's foot in a heels-down position.
The bottom-heavy design also causes the pedal to self-right itself whenever the rider takes their foot off. This means that pins are only required on one side of the pedal, resulting in a claimed weight of just 414 g (14.6 oz) per pair.
Both the Void and the Pendulum are priced at CA$299 (about US$213) a set. The Void is available now, whereas the Pendulum won't be available until its next production run, estimated to take place in the second quarter of next year. Tioga previously offered a somewhat similar pedal, the MT Zero, but it has been discontinued.
Source: Outlier MTB via Pinkbike
