Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Review: Twenty6 Predator Ti Pedal (Updated)

The Twenty6 Predator testing is finally over, and the conclusion is crystal clear. Tyler (the man behind Twenty6) promised an evolution of the much acclaimed Prerunner pedal. Pretty much everything was reviewed and improved upon... And Tyler delivered.
The result is the Predator pedal; thin, big, lightweight, grippy, and more expensive than your car. I wanted to find out whether this pedal is worth your hard earned cash, or whether this a CNC adventure gone wrong? Read on and find out. But first the basics:

Enduro sealed bearing, and quad o-ring seals should keep this sucker going strong for a long time.
(click to enlarge)

Self lubricating tapered turcite bushing, on a burly nitride coated titanium spindle. The CNC milled pedal body is has a concave and offset design, and each pin is isolated and raised so that the foot is resting less on the pedal body, and more on the pin itself. This pedal has more tech than your flat screen tv.
(click to enlarge)

My pin-system is smarter than your pin-system. No seriously, have a look at this picture to fully understand why this is such a smart system.
(click to enlarge)

The Predator is slightly taller than the 11mm Point One Racing Podium Pedal. But overall the Predator is bigger. If some of you would want some more comparison pics, please say so in the comments field, and Ill upload them. Comments does not require a sign-in.
(click to enlarge)

Predator with a Ti-axle. 343grams. Pretty close to the claimed 340 grams
(click to enlarge)

The amount of grip is just insane. If you are a 5.10 shoe user (and if you are not, you should be), be prepared to experience a new level of grip. The pedal body is large and thin, finally a pedal where there is enough real estate to rest the entire width of your foot, and I really like that.
(click to enlarge)
14 months of testing has given me a very good idea of what the Predator pedal has to offer; a lot. The huge platform with the amazing grip are definitely the highlights, and are quickly apparent. What comes after months of testing is the question about durability, and there is nothing to put my finger on here either. These pedals are tough, and durable, and continue to take heat. Top that of with the fact that they are thin as well, and offer a innovative pin-system, and you have yourself a winner, and a product above the competition. If you got the cash, then there are no excuses not to get these.

UPDATE

After 17 months of intense use, this pedal had a catastrophic failure. The pedal body snapped during a jump session. I wasn't hurt, and there was no drama, it just felt weird, and my foot "collapsed" into the remaining pedal body, allowing me to ride-it out - so to speak.
(click to enlarge)

There is no room for failures like this, so early, on a such an expensive product. Score reflects that. I will add that Tyler of 26 Components has been awesome, I got a new and improved version of the Predator Pedal, after a few emails. Read more about that here.

The Good:
-Huge platform
-Amazing grip
-Thin
-Lightweight
-Smart pin-system

The Bad:
-Replacement pins are expensive (and so is the pedal)
-Overall price?
-17 months into testing the pedal had a catastrophic failure. 

Score: 0/6

6 comments:

  1. I am currently in the market for a new set of flatpedals (actually a lot of my gear needs replacing), but these are ridiculasly pricy :-)!
    Can you recommend another pedal also?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Take a look at the E13 LG1 Pedal:

    http://bythehive.com/e-thirteen/lg1-downhill/lg1p-pedals/

    They are way cheaper, and are pretty good from the short time ive been on them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi VP,

    Looking at getting some new pedals. Would love your comments on:

    - PointOne Podium 2
    - Twenty6 Predator Ti
    - e13 LG1R Ti
    - Canfield Crampon Magnesium

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi there Cal Chin. The podium2 is a bit small imo and so is the new Crampon pedal. The new generation Predator pedal is improved, but after having seen the new LG1R pedal (and done a parking-lot test), I would definitely recommend that one.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You beat the hell out of a mountain bike part for 17 months and you were surprised when it failed? #smh

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yeah I expect something this expensive to last more than 17 months. And so should you.

    ReplyDelete