Race Face has entered the flat pedal arena with two offerings, of which the Æffect is the cheaper. At just under £100 a set though, these pedals are certainly not cheap.
The platform isn’t the biggest at 100x100mm, but the sharp, specially made pins provide an insane amount of grip. There are 10 per side, all of which screw in from the back with an Allen key. This traction isn’t confined to sticky rubber soles either, with the pins giving so much grip on some older skate style shoes that they started to tear the soles apart after just one ride.
The platforms are wide enough to keep your feet steady and in position, although riders with bigger feet might want a bit more width for a more secure feel. The large cutouts shed mud well, even when it’s boggy. After a couple of months of solid use they still look the part and the bearings – each pedal uses an inboard bushing and outboard bearing – feel as good as new.
Should you ever need to, the rebuild procedure is super-simple and easy to follow. We stripped one down in minutes just to see, and it was a doddle.