Pedal

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.

While plastic mountain bike pedals tend to be lighter and cheaper than their aluminum counterparts, they certainly don't last as long. Canadian company Squidworx has set out to combine the best features of both, with its Modular Flat Pedal.

Although many cyclists like the retention offered by "clipless" pedals, there's something to be said for the ease-of-use and wide platform offered by flats. Hustle Bike Labs has tried to combine the best features of both, with its magnetic REM Pedal.

Pocket Pedals are designed to bridge the gap between clipless and platform pedals, temporarily converting the one to the other.

​In 2013, David Packouz sampled some beats played by a top drummer and put realistic percussion at the feet of guitarists. That drummer-in-a-pedal got a baby brother a couple of years later, and now Singular Sound is aiming to shake up the looper space with the Aeros Loop Studio.​

​While many mountain bikers don't like the idea of having their feet mechanically fastened to clipless pedals, they do see the advantages of such a setup. Austria's magped set out to reach a compromise, with its magnetic platform pedals – I recently got to try a set out.

​Regular readers of New Atlas may recall Maglock mountain bike pedals, which use magnets to keep the rider's feet secured to the pedals. Well, if a new Kickstarter campaign is successful, Maglock could be in for some competition, in the form of the Austrian-designed magped pedals.

​Emulating the tones of iconic guitars is not exactly new, we've seen a number of amps, instruments and apps giving players access to legendary sounds. Italy's Sim1 is aiming to stand out from the crowd by not only cramming classic tones into a stomp, but doing so without any sampling or MIDI help.

If you have a commuter bike that you fuss over, then you doubtless try not to ding its paint when locking it up. Taiwan-based cycling entrepreneur Sumchi Wu has developed something that should help keep that from happening, in the form of his Pedal Park magnetic pedals.

​​While many cyclists use clipless pedals, other riders hate the idea of being mechanically attached like that. That's why David Williams and his team first created Maglock pedals. Now, he's back with a smaller, lighter and less expensive version known as the Vault.​

​We've already seen handlebar stems that let you swivel your bicycle's handlebars sideways, so they don't stick out when your bike is parked somewhere cramped. The Stokbikes system has that too, although it also incorporates magnetic folding pedals that'll help keep your bike from falling over.​

The new Vpedal vP-4 is a programmable Bluetooth device that lets you use your foot to operate a range of audio controls or keystrokes, effectively giving you an extra hand. ​