REVIEW
OneUp Composite Pedals For Smaller Feet
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This is my second attempt at writing about these new, smaller, OneUp Composite pedals. The first devolved into a grumpy, grating, and circuitous rant that I realized, upon re-reading, wasn't fair to OneUp. I've gone back to a blank sheet and I'm going to try to focus on what these pedals are instead of what they aren't.
I'm very passionate about good kids' gear and I've been asking for years now for any pedal maker to create a composite competitor for my daughter's Chromag Radar. The market needs to deliver a platform with a similar level of grip and control for grom-rippers whose parents can't stretch to the 125 CAD price of entry.
While the Radar is designed for kids aged 4-10, OneUp has unapologetically hedged its SKU count on making a pedal that can work for teens and adults up to a size US-6.5 men's or size US-8 women's shoe. For reference, I'm writing about here about an eight-year-old just pushing out of a size 1.
The small OneUp pedals are really two systems in one. They ship with a 'friendly pin' setup where the nuts have a threaded sleeve to protect riders from traction. Oops, I mean, from the pins.
BOGO
OneUp's new kids' pedals are being billed as two unique products for the price of one. They come stock with what I've been referring to as safety pins, even though they're really safety nuts, and I later learned that OneUp calls friendly pins. The standard short nuts are included in the box for those looking for more grip.
The idea here is to protect your child's delicate flesh from OneUp's infamously vicious M3x10mm socket head pins while they're learning to ride and then boost up their grip in the future. From a mountain biking perspective, it's certainly a tradeoff as the fat-and-smooth anti-traction nuts are going to mean significantly more slipped pedals whereas with the sharper setup, a slipped pedal has the potential to be much less common and also much more painful for your grom.
The small Composite pedals come out of the box with their 'friendly pin' setup installed.
The 28x standard nuts necessary to convert to full-traction mode are included. It's an easy job.
Recognizing that my kid comes to the OneUp safety pin situation from the privileged situation of being used to really good traction, the first test went poorly. Wearing her usual size one Five Ten shoes, she made it around one lap of the small underground parking garage of our building before she handed the bike back and shot me the 'that's enough of this nonsense.' look she's been auditioning for her teen years. The quote from the Clairebarian is "My feet just slide all over the place."
I asked the folks at OneUp what the deal is with the safety nuts in general and then why they shipped the pedals with them pre-installed. Their response was "We discussed which pins to ship the pedals with at length and landed on the "Friendly Pins" because we imagine that most people who ride these pedals will prefer the less-grippy versions. We tested them on the pump track with kids ranging from 5-10 and they all seemed to work well in that application." And also, "Keep in mind that not everyone's kids are shredding the Shore."
My prime concern here, and it makes me genuinely sad, is that out in the wild, I'm going to see kids struggling to find traction on these pedals because their bike shop or parent hasn't swapped out to the sharper nut setup.
Kids or adults, confidence in your equipment can be huge for progressing on a mountain bike.
With the nuts swapped out, the small Composite pedals provide excellent climbing traction.
Descending on the small OneUp pedals is a matter of full-grip, two-thumbs-up confidence.
Stay Sharp
I don't want to come across as too antipathetic here. I see an endless stream of kids riding shitty grip-less cheap plastic bullshit, and anyone reading this who has ridden flats can appreciate how deflating bad pedals can be on a ride. It's better to have more good-grip options and with the full-traction setup, OneUp has hit a sweet spot at 50 USD | 65 CAD that I know more parents, at least locally, will be willing to contemplate versus the 107 USD | 125 CAD Radar.
After swapping seven nuts per side, two sides per pedal, the small OneUp pedals deliver excellent traction. From the moment we dropped into our first trail, the Clairebarian had full-grip confidence and she actually put together a couple of sections of trail for her first time.
The gold standard comparison for kids' pedals is the Chromag Radar. The Radar sells for 125 CAD vs. 65 CAD for the OneUp.
The small OneUp Composite pedal with the 'friendly pin' setup removed will be familiar to a lot of riders.
Climbing, both up gravel and single track there was plenty of traction but my kid had significant landmarking issues. Despite the wide body, or in my thoughts because of the wide body, she regularly had her feet hanging a centimeter or so over the edge, or at weird angles, and of course with all the traction resetting the foot position requires picking up and replanting a foot.
This was not an issue in terms of powering her bike along, but it is an ergonomic concern as her parent especially as we ramp up into some much longer rides this summer. For whatever reason, when descending her foot position was much more consistent.
Climbing up gravel or single-track, landmarking a good foot position didn't come naturally.
The issue didn't translate to descents, where Claire had no issue finding a great position.
I maintain that the odd pin bite is potentially a lot less painful than fighting for traction.
So Why So Wide?
OneUp is selling this new Composite option as a small pedal as opposed to a kids' pedal. They say it's good for adults with a shoe size up to size 8 women's or size 6.5 men's, and also good for kids. The platform is 97.5mm x 92mm compared to the regular Composite Pedal which is 115mm x 105mm. For reference, Claire's pair of Chromag Radar pedals have a much narrower 70mm width with a 93mm length.
My initial concerns about reduced trail clearance, from the 2cm wider pedal bodies, have proven unfounded so far and the traction is at least equal to the Radar even with The Clairebarian's size 1 shoes not always contacting all the pins, particularly when climbing.
I don't know what the ideal shoe size for the size small OneUp Composite pedals is, but I'd guess it's somewhere around a size 3-4, or in other words, it's the ideal next size of pedal once my kid has outgrown her Radars. I'll confirm that a couple of years from now, as for now we've gone back to the Chromag pedals for the much more consistent landmarking for climbs.
I'd say the ideal shoe size for the small OneUp Composite pedals is a 3-4 and the usable range is 1-6. Parents of groms with smaller feet will want narrower pedals.
These OneUp Composite pedals have excellent traction and the smaller pedal body is going to serve riders, including big kids, tweens, and many teens, much better than their full-size Composite option. But, I can't help but feel that there was already a plethora of small pedal options that cover that exact use case.
FiveTen makes seven sizes of kids' shoes smaller than The Clairebarian's size 1 Freerider shoes and for those kids, sadly, I don't see a pedal option in OneUp's lineup. It's with disappointment that I say that amortizing a Radar pedal over multiple years is still the winning solution if you're planning to start your little kid on trails. Here's hoping that some company steps up with a little-kid-composite option sooner than later.
If your feet or your kids' feet are looking for maximum traction from a pedal smaller than OneUp's full-sized Composite but larger than the little-kid-sized Radar then the small Composite could very likely be your unicorn. The body measures 97.5mm x 92mm, it's 18mm thick, they come in seven different colours, and they sell for $50.00 USD | $65.00 CAD.
You can pick them up at your preferred local bike shop or direct from OneUp.
Comments
ackshunW
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Who cares about the pedals!!??! That off-camber stump roll!!? Amazing!
But then also, the pin sleeves is a cool idea, in theory at least. I wonder if there’s a combo configuration (pins at trailing edge, sleeves at leading edge, or vice versa, or etc .) that balances grip and safety better than the full sleeve setup.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
"I wonder if there’s a combo configuration (pins at trailing edge, sleeves at leading edge, or vice versa, or etc .) that balances grip and safety better than the full sleeve setup."
I'm going to say no, at least with The Clairebarian's FiveTen shoes there's zero penetration with the 'friendly pins', and going forward from there I don't know that there's a grippier shoe option available. When I set out to swap nuts I just did them all - and that did largely salvage the experience.
That's not me saying that every kid needs that level of grip for the riding they're doing, but for fairer weather just-riding-around Odyssey makes their Twisted PC pedals with a 98x89mm body in nine colours for 18 USD | 25 CAD.
That's not to say I'm against the safety pins per se, more options are almost always better. It's just that by making them the default I think OneUp has set up a lot of kids to end up having a sub-par experience with their product (down the adults not making the swap).
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ackshunW
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Wellgo sells some pedals with a compromise type pin (pictured below on a commuter pedal, but some flats have them), which I can confirm has better traction than any molded-in pins/bumps, but is also much kinder to skin:
https://en.wellgopedal.com/products_detail_8_456.htm
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Andy Krull
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I've used these Wellgos on a Transition Ripcord build. Both kids got along with it well. We have small feet in this family though... < size 4
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Jeh
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I couldn't get behind the Radars when we started real riding so just ran the full-size OneUps. We don't call him Flipper, but we just crossed 8yo and are up to size 3 Freeriders. He doesn't seem to have an issue. His sister is down in size 12s and even with the 16" wheels the big pedals didn't seem to hang her up. Now we're on 20" and 24" and I think they've adapted to the size.
We've had good luck with turning the regular pins out a turn or two. They rattle a bit but there have been no complaints re: grip. They're still quite sharp, but not nearly as exposed. I'm not sure that they're any safer on the shins but we haven't had a major incident in 3 years now. But we're riding today after school so I'm hammering on this wooden desk...
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Any shop in town can probably hook you up with some pedal washers. I think (haven’t tried) they be small enough to work with the OneUp system. Then you could have the pins lower and tight.
I’ll test it out tonight!
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
"Who cares about the pedals!!??! That off-camber stump roll!!? Amazing!"
Cheers! That was the second ride where she'd done it. I was told that I had to spot her, but it was okay if I had the camera out (HAHAHAHA). She's not smiling in the photo (concentrating too hard) but I actually wish I had an after photo because it was a full-glow moment.
Mountain biking giveth and it taketh away, but it's hard to beat that rush of confidence after riding something scary oh-so-smoothly.
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Vik Banerjee
8 months, 2 weeks ago
“I live, I love, I slay [trails], and I am content.” – Conan the Barbarian
She's living up to her namesake's moto...with a slight modification.
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Mammal
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I know that root knob. Good on her for conquering in it's semi-greezy state.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Cheers! She’s a very calculating rider so when she’s ready for a new move she knows.
No pressure rides.
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Karl Fitzpatrick
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Is an awesome photo of what even gives me the willies. Go Claire!
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Velocipedestrian
8 months, 2 weeks ago
All the riding shots are great, it looks like an excellent day out.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
We generally only have excellent days out but that does often mean staying flexible with our plans. Sometimes it’s another loop, some times it’s a half-lap and home.
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bps
8 months, 2 weeks ago
The friendly setup could work well with a pair of vans!
Beefier axle on the full size version would be a dream come true.
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Shoreboy
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I guess shrinkflation is still going on. The small comps are $64.50 CDN, the regular comps are $49.50 CDN.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
My understanding is the regular Composite pedals are $5 more in terms of SRP but OneUp has a lot in stock and has them, temporarily, on sale for $20 CAD off ($70 down to $50 vs. $65 for small).
I still probably could have noted it though, so thanks for pointing it out!
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Andy Eunson
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Less width would probably be good for my size 40 shoes. I find that I ding my Chromag Scarab pedals quite often. And I look down and often enough the pedal body is sitting outside of my foot doing nothing but hitting stuff.
With respect to those pin covers, I know a lot of older women who would like this. Their fear of sharp pins cannot be overcome. I keep telling them to get 5.10 or equivalent grippy shoes, sharp pin pedals and slipping a pedal they way they ride will be non existent. But I think their experience with crappy plastic pedals and hard soled shoes can’t be overcome. I will continue to preach.
My own Scarabs have Dagga pins front and rear. The rears have washers because that part of the pedal is thinner than the front part. To keep pedal pin height the same.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I suspect there will be no shortage of the safety nuts floating around if folks want to buy the larger Composites and run the ‘friendly’ setup.
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4Runner1
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Ordered two pair this morning. My kids are gonna be stoked. We’ve had a tough time finding good pedals for them. Now our entire family rides the same great pedals. Also, the colours are a win.
That said, I’ll be throwing the friendly pins into the ol’ parts bin asap.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Cool! What size shoes, if you don’t mind me asking?
Looking forward to your feedback. The grip is awesome so I’m certain they’ll love them.
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4Runner1
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Sizes 2 and 3 right now….haha
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Perfect!
As you say, lots of good colour options. My kid only cares about blue right now.
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4Runner1
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Haha!
Purple for my daughters bright green Spawn and red for my boys Fluid 24. They’re stoked.
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UFO
8 months, 2 weeks ago
My daughter is now on year 5 of her Radars, worthy investment when we threw them onto the bike she was on at 4 years old.
I commend OneUp for making a more kid friendly pedal, but these would look silly under the foot of any 4 year old's bike outside of cool colours.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
It’s definitely a ‘big(ger) kid’ pedal. Which is great - more choice is more better. I’m just sad it’s not a great option for parents who can find me their four-year-old some FiveTens but not pedals to go with them, other than investing in Radars.
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rusm
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Honestly i think the friendly pins are a good idea. I've been trying to figure out what bike and pedals to get my precocious 3 year old and these along with the Commencal that can be a strider or pedal bike might be the answer.
For my kid this will transfer well to the pedals and not cause it to be off-putting for him.
I also think parents that are buying these will know swap them out at the appropriate time. Mostly.
Thought I'd chime in for some reason. Unlike your content, the kid stuff is good. Your kids riding stuff i wouldn't. 😅
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chacou
8 months, 2 weeks ago
These must've just launched? I picked up the SDG Slater pedals a couple months ago, I paid about $40 USD and they come with little safety "nubs", in place of the pins. I'm reaching the point of swapping them out now that we're getting into more single track, climbing, etc., although they don't seem to slip too much for my son riding around the neighborhood and hitting the Ninja ramp. He rides in some size 1 DCs and the 90x90 platform is a good fit for his foot. It's nice that OneUp at least includes the "real" pins with the pedals on the SDG it's an additional purchase, I'll be making a trip to the hardware store soon.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
The OneUp pedals launched this morning.
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IslandLife
8 months, 2 weeks ago
The pin sleeve idea is stupid. Just get your kids used to pins right from the get go... trust me, they learn pretty quickly that "sharpy things make my shins go ouch!" And, like you allude to, more traction equals less slips equals less pain overall. They should probably come standard uncovered and throw the covers in the box.
At around 8 years old or so... I put Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Smalls on my kids bikes. Which are a little bigger than these OneUps, but they seemed to be very happy with them. At 12 now... they've just graduated to Chromag Synths.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
The small stamp is 100x100 but it flares out quite a bit at the axle so I’d hazard that the pin profile is probably even more similar.
I’d guess they’d be good with a similar shoe size ~ 1-6 with the sweet spot being 3-4?
———
Have your Synths been good? Sample size of one but the pair on my wife’s commuter have required a shocking amount of attention compared to every other (good) Chromag pedal experience I’ve had.
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IslandLife
8 months, 2 weeks ago
That's probably about right with shoe size... they started using with them at probably around size 2 or 3? We're up to size 7 and 8.5 now, so moved up to the Synth. As for durability, can't say yet, they're only 3 weeks old! But something I'll have to keep an eye on for sure, thanks for the heads up.
The Stamps took a lot of abuse with basically zero maintenance performed over 4 years!
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cheapondirt
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Put me on a convex surface that's almost as big as my foot, I think I'll struggle to find centre too.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Only on climbs though. I think it’s more about width and landmarking on the pins than the length which essentially matches her current setup.
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Velocipedestrian
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Landmarking is a new term to me, but a good one.
I tried the WahWah composites that came with my bike for a dozen or so rides, liked the support of the bigger platform, but found it hard to accurately place my foot first try. Back to the Boomslang and despite the smaller tread I feel more secure. Size 42 FiveTen for reference.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I certainly find some pedals are more intuitive then others but what got me here was how much of a struggle it was climbing versus descending.
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Konda
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I'm curious, are men's and women's shoes different sizes in the US?
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JVP
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Yes. Like most things related to measurements in the US, it's a total clusterf***.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Yeah. Always best to go off the EU size.
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Velocipedestrian
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Or the Japanese size if you want a measument based on a measurement.
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Ceecee
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Mondopoint please. First few glances attribute its development to ISO. One thing it's not good at measuring is elongation due to pronation--better arch support may allow a smaller size shoe. Also, arch- and foot length are not always proportional
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earle.b
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Uggg I keep hoping for a decent composite kids pedal. Guess I need to buck up for two pair of Radar's. Hey Chromag how about kids Synth?
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I’d love to see a Radar sized Synth for the tiny-grom sized groms. Or really for any company to make such an animal.
I think a lot of folks, even in the industry don’t realize how young groms start riding. It’s weird to me that Five Ten has figured it out though.
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Squint
8 months, 2 weeks ago
My experience as a kid riding 80s metal flat pedals with crappy grip doesn't support OneUp's idea that these "friendly" pins are going to hurt less. When that thing comes around at speed into your shin, sharp or dull there will be blood. Better to start with good grip IMHO.
Another thumbs up for that root roll, Shore wood has been greasy lately so that's a tricky move. And a great photo she will be proud of.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
It is a bit greasy right now hahaha. Just back from riding Fromme and it was proper Type-Shore fun.
Cheers! She’s a very calculating rider and it was a big move for her to commit.
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Dan Lees
8 months, 2 weeks ago
My 2c (or 2p here in the UK)...
It's great that options like these, the Radars and the SDG pedals exist.
When my kids went onto 24in wheels and started to use 5:10 shoes I got them gripper pedals.
This was 10 or so years ago and things have changed a fair bit.
The eldest went onto Nukeproof Electron Evo immediately, he got on well with them from the off. They weren't a massive platform and not £££.
My youngest pushed back on metal pins so he used a pair of DMR plastic pedals with moulded pins. Pedal slips were a common occurrence and eventually he came round to the idea of metal pins so we got another set of Nukeproofs.
It's fairly counter-intuitive to lots of kids (and some parents) that metal pins equal less pain overall, but honestly I can say that proper pedal slips that result in blood loss can be counted on one hand in getting on for a decade of riding.
My eldest is now on DMR Vaults as he has size 44 shoes but the youngest (size 43) is still happy on the Nukeproofs.
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frazam
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I appreciate the review (and focus on kids gear) - ordered a red pair for my 8 year old...he didn't want to empty his piggybank for radars. Plan to remove the 'friendly' pins before his first ride on them.
Off topic but have you (or anyone) found any decent short cranks for kids that don't cost $$$ in Canada? Something in the 140 range? Doesn't seem easy to find for a reasonable price.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
At eight it doesn't really make sense to buy the Radar anyway as he'll be out of them soon. Where the investment in the smaller pedal makes sense is talking about much younger groms who are going to get a few years of amortization out of them.
________
Cranks are a hard one. One of the reasons they're so often downgraded on complete bikes is that they actually represent a significant cost to the product manager that goes largely un-noticed (until it doesn't) for the rider. Look at, for example, the price of the most basic Race Face Ride cranks.
Claire's Canfield cranks come in lengths down to 150mm and the quality is excellent, but though I could justify the cost, they're not inexpensive.
Spawn does their Brood Styx, which are less expensive. Trailcraft does nice cranks as well, but again they're an investment.
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Kyle Dixon
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Any thoughts on the new Praxis crank offerings that span the 120-150mm range in 10mm increments as far as Grom usability goes?
ETA: Wicked Dad Props for the mentorship you provide the Clarebarian, you're raising a heck of a kid. And that off camber move! Shes gonna be a force in her own right 🤙
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Haven’t seen the Praxis stuff in person but generally everything they make is okay.
———
Cheers, it’s just patience, positivity, and providing an opportunity - she does the rest.
The best choice we made, for us, riding wise was no tow-rope. She’s been able to find trails as she’s been physically able to find trails, not unlike how I learned the North Shore trails when I moved here.
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UFO
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I'm not a very well experienced Aliexpress'r, but these have caught my eye recently and look to be great value in the short kids' crankset space. Bonus points for using an established dm chainring standard
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005235711175.html
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
They look the part but how do you know the pedal threads aren’t backwards and made of cheese? Wrenching in shop I’ve seen too much actual garbage new in a box to take the chance myself.
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UFO
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Fair enough on the QC points, time will tell for those willing to take the plunge.
More choices are never a bad thing IMO, about 5 years back there were basically zero options for affordable 'quality' short kids cranks.
@frazam: 99.8% sure these will fit your kid's Reaper. They run on the Shimano 24mm axle standard, so will work with Shimano compatible pressfit or threaded bottom brackets.
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frazam
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Great - thanks for the info. Cost is cheap so I'll order them up and give it a shot.
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frazam
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I've been looking at these as well - they seem to be getting positive vibes here: https://thebikedads.com/kids-cranks/
The price is definitely right although I'm not smart enough to know if they'd fit correctly on my son's Reaper.
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XXX_er
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I can't see why anyone would want a smaller pedal surface ?
the pins on my chesters get so trashed maybe from pedaling thru everything to keep the motor boiling that there is noticably less traction after 1 season so i bought another pair and I took all the pins out of one side
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
I don’t think I understand your comment. You mean you don’t know why kids would want a smaller platform? Or adults?
Chester isn’t a hugely big pedal body.
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Cooper Quinn
8 months, 2 weeks ago
"I can't see why anyone would want a smaller pedal surface ?"
Or for that matter, what's with some people wanting smaller shoes??
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XXX_er
8 months, 2 weeks ago
why do kids need a smaller platform, is this a real necessity or just a way to sell us more stuff ? I was always SPD til I kacked the ACL and didnt wana be attached to the bike, then some cheap flats then the Chesters cuz thats what shop bro thru in with a bike. So I'm like " I spend 11.5 K and you are thro'ing in plastic pedals ? " but he said they sold 150 pair and they don't come back
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Cooper Quinn
8 months, 2 weeks ago
"why do kids need a smaller platform"
...because they have smaller feet, and smaller bikes.
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Andrew Major
8 months, 2 weeks ago
As Cooper said, the smaller platform is about optimizing the interface between pedal and shoe. My kid has small feet (size one) and compared to her usual pedals these ones are actually a bit too big yet.
I definitely notice that massive platforms like the Dagga are too big for my size 43 feet, the same as I’m sure my unicorn choices like the NSBillet Daemon and Wolf Tooth Waveform feel small to folks with Dagga-sized shoes.
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