Pedal

MagLOCKs are platform pedals that keep the user's feet in place using magnets instead of the mechanisms used in "clipless" pedals. We recently had a chance to try them out, and generally liked what they had to offer.​

Last November we first heard about MagLOCK pedals, which use magnets to keep the rider's feet attached. Designer Dave Williams is now back with a sleeker, lighter and less expensive version.

Though Aalberg Audio's Ekko and Aero stomp and wireless controller have still to be released, the company has announced two new additions to the family ... the Rom reverb pedal and the Trym tremolo pedal.

DigiTech is about to release a new guitar pedal called the Trio that crams a funky bass player into a pedalboard-friendly box alongside a virtual bin basher. The Band Creator pedal is reported capable of automatically generating bass and drum parts that match the rhythmic feel or chord progressions.

There are already bicycle locks that alert users when their untended bike is moved, along with tracking devices that let users know where to find their bike once it's been stolen. Paris-based Connected Cycle is now offering those same functions and others, in its smart pedal.

Some cyclists find "clipless" pedals too difficult to quickly get out of. Additionally, they don't work well with regular, non-cleated footwear. That's why Salt Lake City-based mechanical engineer David Williams has created the MagLOCK bike pedal.

Brazil's Portalmod has developed a virtual pedalboard system called MOD. Users choose plug-in digital effects using a browser-based interface, then send the setup to a music-optimized computer in a stomp over Bluetooth. The company is now readying its MOD Duo unit for a US crowdfunding launch.

FlyPedals are aluminum adapters for clipless bike pedals. By attaching cleats to the underside of the FlyPedal adapter, they will clip in and out of the clipless pedals much the same way a pair of bike shoes would, effectively transforming them into flat, street shoe friendly surfaces.

When we're on a bike, our feet are at least somewhat held in place against the pedals. This can damage our leg joints, if they're forced to move in a stressful fashion. Germany's BioConform is now offering what it claims is a solution, in the form of its adaptable BIUS1 pedals.

Electro-Harmonix has released a new guitar effects unit called the Talking Pedal that emulates the vowel sounds of a human voice in a similar way to the Heli Talk Box, but without the long tube running from the mouth to the pedal.

The Ultralite bicycle pedal system is claimed to be the lightest in the world, and features pedals that look like bare spindles.

Pedal Lock is a new kind of lock designed to both secure and incapacitate your bike by using the pedals for theft prevention.