Outlier's axle-free Pendulum pedals are unlike anything else currently available.
Although they're designed with performance in mind rather than to raise eyebrows, you'll still get plenty of strange looks when riding them out on the trails.
There's no central axle spanning their length, leaving just a frame-like exterior that you're supposed to put your feet on.
This 'hollow' design is one element giving the Pendulum pedals their striking looks.
And yes, the body is offset from the pedal's axle and crank mounting bolt; this makes it sit lower in relation to their axle compared to conventional pedals.
As a result, they're one-sided – another novelty compared to tradition – and self-right when your foot is no longer on them, swinging to their resting, neutral point like a pendulum.
Why, though?
That all sounds great, but isn't reinventing the wheel sometimes futile?
Well, according to Outlier, the Pendulum pedals address several important issues flat-pedal riders are frequently blighted with.
The first is grip.
Regular pedals have a chunky axle and central body to support it, spanning their width.
Making the pedals concave – an essential element that helps 'lock' your feet into the pedal's body – means the leading, trailing and outer edges of the platform must be even thicker than that central section.
This gives some flat pedals a boxy, chunky and tall design.
Outlier has removed the centre of the pedal; the outer frame-like shape is flat, but with no centre – your foot and shoe sink into the void, creating much-desired concavity.
Abundant grip is the result.
Locked-in
Next is stability.
With a traditional pedal's platform height, your feet sit around 6mm above the centre of the axle, according to Outlier.
By removing the centre of the pedal, your feet are already lower than they would be on a traditional model, even when you ignore the Pendulum's offset design.
Factor in the offset design, where the body sits 7mm lower than the centre of the axle, and your feet sit close to 13mm lower than they would usually, lowering your centre of gravity (COG).
Lowering your COG is a massive positive – bike manufacturers such as Whyte go to great lengths to do so, and it follows that doing the same for your body is a valiant quest.
Swinging around
The offset, pendulum design is also claimed to swing forward during braking or deceleration events (think hitting a large, unexpected bump), automatically pointing your toes up and heels down.
That's perfect form for flat-pedal riders, so having a pedal help you is a good thing.
When you remove your feet from the pedals, they automatically self-right to the pin-side up, thanks to the offset axle.
One-sided
Finally, rock, root and ground strikes are minimised.
A one-sided, self-righting design means there are only pins on one side.
The downward face is smooth with a convex profile and thin 7.5mm tapered edges, and has no pins protruding from it.
Combined, rock, root and floor strikes should be glanced off. The chances of getting hung up or caught like a traditional, boxy pedal are minimised.
Is there a catch?
There's always a catch.
The design has reduced the number of points bearings and bushings can be located.
Outlier has no choice but to place the bearings between the body's inner edge and the crank arm, creating a large 19mm, bulbous area housing two 7902 sealed bearings.
The pedal's pivot point, and bearing and axle housing push the usable portion of the platform away from the cranks, increasing your bike's stance significantly.
Compared to Deity's T-MAC – one of the best flat pedals on the market – the Pendulum's platform is 23mm further away from the cranks per side.
Sacrificing shoes
I've only just started testing the Pendulums, but as a life-long flat-pedal rider, I'm in a good position to make some early assessments.
The grip is phenomenal.
Your feet remain absolutely stuck, steadfast to the pedals. There's no movement at all, zero. Even if you try to twist or move your feet, it's impossible.
The self-righting feature works as intended.
I didn't put my foot on the wrong side of the pedals, but colleague Max Wilman has had less luck. He said in one in three foot-off, foot-on scenarios, he's put his foot on the wrong side.
Stability is impressive. The locked-in, toes-up, heels-down feel has never been easier to accomplish. This connects you to the bike, doling out confidence in bucket loads.
Swapping back to regular pedals feels as though you're balancing on a much smaller platform; the pedals want to pitch forwards, angling your toes down.
The biggest issue
For me, the biggest problem was the large bearing bulge.
I like my feet to butt up against the cranks when descending, and naturally position them well in-board when pedalling.
On both climbs and descents, I was constantly shuffling my feet closer to the cranks, only for my soles to contact the bearing bulge, stopping any additional movement.
This proved to be distracting and tiring.
But I've got a solution; I'm going to sacrifice some shoes to use with the Pendulums.
Cutting a section of the inside of the shoe's sole – so I can get my feet closer to the cranks – seems like an easy way to compensate for the pedal's width.
Keep tuned to find out how I get on.
