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Have you tried them, did you like them? Is it a good idea from a load/stress engineering point of view?
I like the idea of having the bearing near the crank to allow the pedal body to be thinner, but the bearing bulge seems to bother some reviewers. Personally I can't get my shoe soles on that 1cm between the pedal body and the crank without my shoe upper or ankle fouling on the crank arm anyway. Also crank boots will obstruct them and I'm not sure you could trim the boot enough without it losing its structural integrity.
Most pedals seem to have inboard bushing(s) and outboard bearing(s). Presumably it has to be this way round to avoid a bearing bulge, as the axle is thicker at the crank end. Not sure how pedalling forces apply and which position is the best for having a bearing there. But I do know that in my Unite Instincts the inboard bushings wear out quicker than anything else.
I'm aware of the following models:
OneUp Aluminium - inboard bearing, outboard brass bushing (original had 3 small cartridge bearings but were prone to disintegrating.
PNW Loam - inboard bearing, two outer bearings (cartridge and roller).
Race Face Atlas - inboard bearing, outboard bushing.
Spank Spike/Oozy - inboard bearing, outboard bushing.
Add the Speccy Boomslang to that list.
I used the One Up Alu pedals for over 2years in Scottish slop, and they have been the most mechanically reliable pedals I've ever used when I opened them up to re-greased them(once) I was very surprised at the condition , fantastic grip and still have all the pins due to the low profile. Can't say I noticed the inboard bearing with my feet.
Downsides are, yes crankboots don't fit so your cranks will eat rocks, also unfortunately whatever One Up whatever they used to coat the pedals flaked off after 2 years...so they look awful despite being full functional and have been consigned to the parts bin.
Running the Boomslangs on a couple of bikes for a few years and still running smooth. Can use SRAM and Praxis crank boots with them but need an extra washer.
I had some of the original Atlas pedals. A great design but very poorly made. The three small bearings 9n the outside end were fine once I'd found shims of the right size to take the slop out. The large bearing wasn't sealed very well so needed a dose of looking at after each wet ride.
Foot position was fine as I use a midfoot stance on flats. Worked okay with boots on the SixC cranks right up until the pedal thread gave up.
Add the Speccy Boomslang to that list.
Specialized Boomslang - inboard cartridge bearing, outboard roller bearing.
I would be interested to try a full roller bearing pedal again, so thanks for making a list. My last one was DMR v12, many years ago now.
My GF has oil slick OneUp alu pedals on her gravel bike, which is used for daily commuting in all weathers. The finish has lasted well, but bearing and bushing needed replacement on one side after less than a year.
Kona WahWah. Composite. Amazingly the best pedals I’ve ridden, even beat Chromag. My shoe gets nowhere near the bulge.
Worried about composite? There is no contact between my sole and the composite body. The pins take all the load.
Kona WahWah are very much recommended.
Even the copies seem great
https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005001436154620.html
Taken from the forum a while back:
“ mrdestructo - Big feet, big flats.
Shanmashi do some Kona Wah Wah clones. 120*118*21mm loads of colours. Last cheap plastic pedal I used had the pins ripped sideways on a stairset first ride. These have taken some knocks and look fine
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/major-life-decision-transitioning/page/2/#post-12119939 “
I tried some oneups (bought direct) - the axle was so tight in the pedal they got returned. And it took me a LONG time and multi phone calls to get refunded.
I've been using the new version of the race face atlas pedals, they fit my hope Evo cranks with crank boots but using the supplied pedal washers from hope.
They have insane grip, and have taken a good beating for over a year mostly lake District riding. I've had to change a few bent pins but they came with a good amount of spares. They are mean if they ever come in contact with a shin or calf though!
Bearings wise they been solid, I had them apart recently but there was no need as the bearing is well sealed and was clean.
I can't comment on the bearing bulge and foot interference issues as my stance is a bit wider.