OneUp Components Composite Pedals [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

OneUp components offer components that are just that. One upped from some of their competitors. They offer a composite pedal that doesn't hurt the bank, but has the same performance as many alloy pedals. With a 115x105mm platform, it makes for a grippy setup. See what our customer thinks!

Overview

About 5 years ago, after a long hiatus from biking I got into mountain biking and bought my first full suspension mountain bike (Ibis Ripley V4). I come from a BMX background, where I raced, dirt jumped and rode a little park as well. Growing up on a BMX I was totally accustomed to platform pedals and was honestly afraid of ever being clipped into my bike. I found this to still be true today, and even though many of my MTB friends ride clipped in, I love the freedom of being able to instantly stick my foot out and rescue myself from falling on a washed out turn or a wet root. I have seen several times when “clipped in” friends of mine have a slow-motion fall when they cannot unclip, and I personally feel the negatives and risks of being clipped in outweigh the positives.

My favorite pedals for BMX were the Primo Super Tenderizer’s, which I quickly learned were extremely bulky and not suited well for a modern mountain biking. The first MTB specific pedals I bought were Raceface Chesters and honestly, I thought they were good and used them for a couple of years. I did get some pain in my feet (size 9.5 US) on long descents, especially at downhill parks so I was interested in trying something a little bit wider. I did also seem to bend the pins on the Chesters very frequently. When the Oneup Composite pedals came out, a friend of mine first showed them to me and I really like the larger platform and the slightly narrower thickness, so I ordered a pair to give a try. These pedals did the job. They seem to spread my weight out better (215 lbs) and felt very supportive to me. Their grip was also great when wearing my Etnies Culvert or Ride Concepts Powerline MTB specific shoes. Somehow, the pins on these pedals seem to last much longer than those on the Chester’s and I feel like I am hitting them less frequently on rocks. I can’t say if that is because of the design of the pedal or if my skill level has improved, but I find myself replacing far fewer pins than I did previously with the Chesters.

Final Thoughts

I am now using these OneUp Composite Pedals on both my trail and enduro / bike park bikes and my wife is doing the same on her two bikes. Neither of us has had any problems with the composite pedal cracking or getting damaged from an impact in the last three years and we are really impressed with this durability. I do regrease the spindles about 1 time per year and so far have not found the need to replace the bearings. I know metal pedals are flashier and look cool, but I can’t justify paying 3 times the cost of composite pedals ( which so far have been extremely reliable). Whenever friends ask for pedal recommendations, I tell them to get the Oneup Compositive pedals because their price vs. performance can’t be beat. Especially the price and free shipping at Worldwide Cyclery!