| When it comes to setting up your mountain bike so it performs the way you want it to and need it to many people focus on things like the saddle, handlebars, tires and so on. But many people overlook one of the crucial components which are the pedals. Without pedals on your bike you won't be riding anywhere (well maybe some downhill!) and it's important to have the right type of pedals for your style of riding to make the most of your mountain bike experience. |
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Now if you ride flat pedals rather than being clipped in you know how important things such platform design and grip is as to how well the pedals will perform. There are hundreds of models out there to choose from with different materials such as aluminum, composite (plastic), magnesium and so on with different weight and durability characteristics. DMRBikes make all sorts of bike parts from complete bikes to forks to handlebars to cranks and so on.
DMR makes a variety of pedals as well and one of their most popular is the Vault line because it offers a larger platform and gives you the grip you need to stay attached to your bike in rough situations. The Vault pedals come in standard model, a lighter magnesium model and what they call the Superlight magnesium version. We tested the mid-range magnesium version which they say weigh in at 366g for the pair compared to the standard version at 400g and the Superlight at 290g. It's not a huge weight difference but some people are really into that so they will pay extra for the lighter pedals.
The magnesium Vault pedals feature a cromolly axle and measure in at 17mm for the height and feature a concave foot bed for a better fit to your foot. The pedals use 12 replaceable bolts or studs on each side to grip your shoe. If you wear them out or break them off all you need to do is screw in some new ones and you are back in business. The bearings are also serviceable if you wear them out as well. The platform itself measures in at 105x105mm which is larger than most flat pedals giving you that extra foot real estate many people are looking for.
We tried out a pair of the Vault pedals after replacing some worn out Diety pedals that served us well. The Diety pedals were losing their grip and we wanted to see how well the bigger platform of the Vault would work in comparison. We will say that the Diety pedals can take quite a beating and they hold up to serious abuse as you can see in the picture.
If you are not running a large pedal and switch to the Vault pedals you will notice the size difference right away. It may even take you a little time to get your foot placement right so it feels comfortable. But once you get that squared away you will be good to go and you can enjoy the increased real estate. They have some resistance while spinning so you don't have to worry about them spinning out of control if your foot slips.
As for the grip it's pretty good but not mind blowing. One thing we must say is that it's not as grippy as we were expecting based on all the reviews from other sites but maybe we were just expecting too much. Even with some Five Ten Freerider Shoes we expected a little more. Don't get me wrong, your foot will not be slipping off any time soon but they don't hold on nearly as well as the e*thirteen LG1+ pedals we have tested for downhill riding. Then again the pins on those pedals are quite a bit sharper than on the Vault.
Overall they are really nice pedals and worth the money if you like to spend a little extra on your pedals. The finish on the pedals is pretty nice but of course we don't expect it to last too long after some serious rock contact which still remains to be seen. They are available in Matte Black (painted) and Mag Grey versions (painted) and come with a 9/16" axle only. You can order extra bolts as well from their site or other bike sites or maybe even get them at the hardware store.
