john_childs
2002-11-06, 08:15 AM
The Aircorp pedals are made by Atomic Laboratories. Their web page is at AtomLab.com (http://www.atomlab.com/)
The Aircorps are the best muni pedal I have found. They can handle some trials and would do fine on a unicycle that does double duty as a muni and a trials uni. But they aren't ideal for a pure trials uni just because the pedal body uses a softer aluminum that will get chewed up by lots of pedal grabs. If you can handle the pedal body getting all chewed up they would be fine for trials.
Pros:
The best muni pedal I have found.
The thin large flat design is comfortable to stand on and is stable under your foot. The large thin design makes it less likely for the pedal to roll (flip over) under your foot.
Very grippy when used with Vans or the AXO/661 Dually. Your foot can slide or move halfway off the pedal and still manage to stay on the pedal. On most other pedals your foot would have slid completely off.
Very grippy in the mud and wet. A great Winter and wet season pedal.
Large diameter grip pins won't sheer off or bend when you hit rocks or do pedal grabs.
The pedal bearings hold up really well. I've been using my Aircorp pedals on my muni for over 10 months and the bearings are still going strong with no signs of looseness or wear.
With the replacement O-rings the pedals stay well sealed against dirt and water getting inside the pedal. I used the pedals through a Winter and Spring riding season in the mud and wet and the grease inside the pedal stayed clean.
Very solid and very reliable. They have never gotten loose or caused any problems for me on the trail.
Cons:
The pedal will eat the stock O-rings after only a few rides. It will be necessary to replace the stock O-rings with O-rings from your local hardware store. Get some 9/16" x 7/16" x 1/16" standard O-rings. The outer diameter will be a little too big so you'll need to buff the OD down slightly with an Emory board (fingernail file). Buff the OD down just enough so you still get a little bit of friction to keep the pedal body from free spinning when your foot is off the pedal. Replacement O-rings are 37 cents each at my local hardware store. The O-rings serve several purposes; seal the pedals to keep out dirt and water, add drag to keep the pedals from free spinning when your foot is off the pedal, and keep the pedal snug. Without the O-ring the pedal will feel loose on the spindle.
When it is eventually time to replace the bearing you'll need to use snap ring pliers to remove the sealed bearing cartridge from the pedal body. Snap ring pliers are about $10 at my local hardware store. Fortunately, it is not necessary to use snap ring pliers if you just need to pull the pedal body off to grease the spindle or check the O-rings.
The pedal body is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy instead of something a little harder and more durable like 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. A harder alloy for the pedal body would hold up better for pedal grabs and grinds. I don't know why AtomLab chose to use 6061-T6 alloy instead of something like 7075-T6. This is only a minor issue because my pedals have been holding up fine.
They cost about $100. But they're well worth it.
The only real significant problem with the pedals is the need to change the O-rings and that is an easy fix. After changing the O-rings they're one of the best platform pedals around. I give them a 10 out of 10.
The Aircorps can be purchased (for less than retail) at
beyondbikes.com (http://www.beyondbikes.com/shopping.asp?type=14)
go-ride.com (http://www.go-ride.com/prod_pedals.html#atomic)
The Aircorps are the best muni pedal I have found. They can handle some trials and would do fine on a unicycle that does double duty as a muni and a trials uni. But they aren't ideal for a pure trials uni just because the pedal body uses a softer aluminum that will get chewed up by lots of pedal grabs. If you can handle the pedal body getting all chewed up they would be fine for trials.
Pros:
The best muni pedal I have found.
The thin large flat design is comfortable to stand on and is stable under your foot. The large thin design makes it less likely for the pedal to roll (flip over) under your foot.
Very grippy when used with Vans or the AXO/661 Dually. Your foot can slide or move halfway off the pedal and still manage to stay on the pedal. On most other pedals your foot would have slid completely off.
Very grippy in the mud and wet. A great Winter and wet season pedal.
Large diameter grip pins won't sheer off or bend when you hit rocks or do pedal grabs.
The pedal bearings hold up really well. I've been using my Aircorp pedals on my muni for over 10 months and the bearings are still going strong with no signs of looseness or wear.
With the replacement O-rings the pedals stay well sealed against dirt and water getting inside the pedal. I used the pedals through a Winter and Spring riding season in the mud and wet and the grease inside the pedal stayed clean.
Very solid and very reliable. They have never gotten loose or caused any problems for me on the trail.
Cons:
The pedal will eat the stock O-rings after only a few rides. It will be necessary to replace the stock O-rings with O-rings from your local hardware store. Get some 9/16" x 7/16" x 1/16" standard O-rings. The outer diameter will be a little too big so you'll need to buff the OD down slightly with an Emory board (fingernail file). Buff the OD down just enough so you still get a little bit of friction to keep the pedal body from free spinning when your foot is off the pedal. Replacement O-rings are 37 cents each at my local hardware store. The O-rings serve several purposes; seal the pedals to keep out dirt and water, add drag to keep the pedals from free spinning when your foot is off the pedal, and keep the pedal snug. Without the O-ring the pedal will feel loose on the spindle.
When it is eventually time to replace the bearing you'll need to use snap ring pliers to remove the sealed bearing cartridge from the pedal body. Snap ring pliers are about $10 at my local hardware store. Fortunately, it is not necessary to use snap ring pliers if you just need to pull the pedal body off to grease the spindle or check the O-rings.
The pedal body is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy instead of something a little harder and more durable like 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. A harder alloy for the pedal body would hold up better for pedal grabs and grinds. I don't know why AtomLab chose to use 6061-T6 alloy instead of something like 7075-T6. This is only a minor issue because my pedals have been holding up fine.
They cost about $100. But they're well worth it.
The only real significant problem with the pedals is the need to change the O-rings and that is an easy fix. After changing the O-rings they're one of the best platform pedals around. I give them a 10 out of 10.
The Aircorps can be purchased (for less than retail) at
beyondbikes.com (http://www.beyondbikes.com/shopping.asp?type=14)
go-ride.com (http://www.go-ride.com/prod_pedals.html#atomic)