Pedal

A quirky project has landed on Indiegogo that may appeal to aggressive guitar players who constantly see their picks fly off into the crowd. Coming from Acorn Amplifiers, it's a stompbox that dispenses a new pick at the push of a footswitch.

Shoegaze heroes My Bloody Valentine are one of the loudest bands on Earth, so much so their wall of sound has even caused buildings to crack. Chief noisemaker Kevin Shields has now made a pedal so you can DIY your own guitar-triggered home demolition.

For many bicycle commuters, painful shin scrapes caused by pedal strikes are just an unavoidable part of cycling. They might not have to be, however, if the designers of the rubber-bodied Bumper Pedals have anything to say about it.

A lot of bicycle commuters use so-called clipless pedals, as do many mountain bikers who make their way along dark streets when coming back from evening rides. The dual-color LED Arclight Pro Clipless Pedals are made for just such folks.

The classic keyboard and mouse setup is a gaming staple, but there are two other appendages slacking off under the desk: your feet. Gamer brand MSI is now launching the Liberator, a programmable foot pedal that can be used for any action in any game.

Last year Redshift Sports announced its LED-equipped Arclight Pedals, which "magically" illuminate white in front and red in the rear, no matter which side of the pedal is up. I had a chance to try them out, and they're everything that was promised.

While clipless pedals are used by many cyclists, some riders still worry about not being able to get their feet off when coming to a stop. That's where the Cleat It system comes in, as it electronically releases the feet with the press of a button.

While a headlight and tail light are essential for night-time bicycle commuting, one thing that really catches motorists' eyes is movement. Arclight Bike Pedals were designed with that in mind, as they feature auto-color-changing LED modules.

Given the fact that bicycle commuters have to carry a lock with them at all times, we've seen a number of bike parts that double as locks. One of the latest, the ET-one, lets a pedal do the job – partially, at least.

Although there are now bikes with 3D-printed titanium frames, they're out of most cyclists' price range. That said, if a current Kickstarter campaign is successful, you may soon be able to buy a set of thin, light pedals made in the same fashion.

Back in 2019 we reviewed the magped Enduro mountain bike pedals, which keep the rider's feet in place using magnets. Well, the Austria-based magped company has now announced a new-and-improved model, called the Sport2.

The pedals are a part of the bike that we don't give much thought to, but perhaps we should. Here are a few unique pedals we've come across, which show that someone out there has indeed been thinking about the things.