The Product
Despite looking like something out of Star wars, the X pedal is definitely something to consider when looking for your next set of foot rests. The sealed bearing platform pedal is brought to you by the frame manufacturer (Xtension) famous for those Azonic badged frames. The X pedal is the company’s first dive in the platform pedal market and a fair amount of development has gone into its unusual looking design grip pattern.
Features (taken from local supplier) visit Xtension's official website for more details
· Full concave design offering maximum traction.
· Low-cost, easily replaceable pins.
· Cromoly spindle with allen-key installation.
· Sealed bearing / DU bush bearing means adjustment-free silky smooth operation.
· Anodised finish means no paint to flake off.
First Impressions
It took a little while to get used to the narrow design of the X pedal platform. Having just taken off the big mamma FUNN Soul Jams the X pedal platform felt strange yet comfortable. With the pedals installed the onto the Avanti D8 I was interested to see if the narrowness would reduce pedal bite. Pedal bite occurs when your pedal clips a rock whilst riding along. It sucks and I'm sure you'll agree! In theory, the X pedal's narrow design should reduce the chances of smashing rocks. After a few rides and a race I became more comfortable with the feel and enjoyed the way the pins stabbed into the sole of my shoes really giving you a "controlled" feeling as to where your foot was sitting on the pedal before hauling into a berm or kicker.
Idea behind the X
It’s clear that Xtension was looking to steer away from the chunky and hardcore design of most $80-$100 platform pedals we see on the shelves at the moment and focused more on weight/pin placement. Xtension confess this pedal is specifically designed for the XC rider who is looking for a lightweight simple platform away from the clipless option. Although they explain the X pedal is also suitable for all other forms of riding it's definitely worth looking at if you are a frequent XC trail rider looking for something small and simple. The X frame design is also quite popular with the mud crabs as its simplistic frame design provides resistance to mud clogging if you’re out racing in the rain. Dirt Mag gave the Xtension pedal a good wrap because of this.
Grip Factor
Not much to say here really but "they stick like sh*t on a blanket* there is no faulting the grip of these pedals and providing you are wearing a decent set of flat soled "skate" style riding shoes you shouldn’t have any issues keeping your kicks on these X men. You may however want to adjust the pin heights from the stock levels as they seem to work better with the "outer" pins just a little higher then the "inner" pins so that the sole of your shoe digs in a little more towards the middle of the platform. I must confess I am running the pins at the stock level at the moment and have no issues with the amount of grip they are providing in the conditions I’ve ridden.
Overall Impression
Personally I believe the X pedal would be best suited to the budget racer/trail rider looking for something strong yet simple which is light enough for pushing the grannies to bombing your favourite trails. If you’re a hardcore dirt jumping demon and this is the only riding your rig ever sees then you may benefit from a larger foot platform specially if you’re always taking your feet off the pedals. I personally have been out dirt jumping and 4Xing on them and have had no problems but then again I'm not a foot trick expert but I’m guessing you would prefer a larger area to land your kicks. For the downhiller at heart the X pedal provides confidence when your nutting through that rocky area of the DH course where every pedal can buy you time however over excitement can cause death when your pedal snags a rock. The X pedal is a solid performer in the $100 price bracket and with sealed bearings and chromo spindles you can have faith that the product you are purchasing is of a quality build and design. If you can find someone with a set of X pedals then definitely ask them politely for a test ride, as you really need to feel them before purchase as with any investment of your hard earned cash.
Rating
The X pedals have found a home on my bike for the time being and despite their different looking design these pedals are great grippers and definitely worth a look when looking for new pedals. Although not for everyone if you can at least try them out before purchase they may be a design beneficial to your riding style.
6.5-7/10
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Thanks to Michael at For the riders for making the review possible.
