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background

I put these atomlab trailking pedals on my stiffee back in the winter of 2002 - I have ridden on them for two full seasons... I will give you some quick background and start posting my comments from the present day forward. After my first trip to Plattekill Ski Resort for some "dh" riding I quickly moved from clipless to flats and never went back.

They key to flats is a platform that is wide and grippy, but has a flat profile. I love these trailkings, and right now have no need or desire to try anything else. They are super grippy, nice and wide so your foot feels stable and you have good control... this combined with a nice flat profile to keep them from constantly slamming into things makes them perfect for me.

They are burly, but not bullit proof. If you read the reviews you will hear people complain about bearings blowing out and the pedal just slipping off the spindle - this happened to me as well after only a couple months of riding... however, I sent the pedals back for a re-build (free) and since then, have not had any problems with the bearings (knock on wood).

The one problem I have had is the outside pins constantly falling out - you really notice if even only 1 of the 2 are missing - your foot just doesn't seem right on the pedal... although atomlabs says you can just replace them with similar size inset screws from the hardware store - I have yet to find the appropriate size and thread combo for a perfect fit - which means I end up trying to fit a coarse thread into a finer thread hole and the pins don't stay for more than a couple rides.

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03.03.2004

I just got back from my fourth urban ride in 10 days. With each ride my rusty skills seem to come back little by little... it has been a long while since I have ridden urban, in fact this is probably the only urban riding the Atom Lab Trail Kings have seen. Last ride, I thought I detected a little play in the right pedal... well today after landing a 6ft side drop from a cement retaining wall to pavement landing (will try to get a photo of the drop for reference), I DEFINITELY noticed slop in the right pedal - it squeaked and clicked all the way home and when you grab it and apply pressure perpendicular to the spindle there is about a millimeter or so play. During the same drop session, I also lost a side pin (see photo below) - I get the feeling that the pedal bearings are not to "keen" on the excessive shear force generated along the spindle on hard impacts... will keep you all posted - but I have a feeling that it won't be long before I send the right pedal back for a rebuild :(

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03.25.2004

The trail kings have taken a few more very abusive urban rides since my last post and are hanging in there... the right pedal has not gotten worse. As I dust off my skills after a long winter layoff, and get more aggressive and go bigger, however, I am more and more aware of the right pedal slop - it is in the back of my mind and I seem to constantly check it - especially after landing a hard drop... still trying to get a photo of the drop that seemed to create the problem in the first place. I am thinking it is bearings since when you spin the pedal instead of a clean, quiet spin you get a noisy spin that kind of makes ya' cringe... I will most likely ride this pedal to failure - so I will definitely keep you posted.

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09.21.2004

The trail kings are still hanging in there... I have replaced a few more pins, but as far as bearings - no problems. I was sure they were ready to give out, especially on the right side pedal, but so far they are actually performing better than early in the summer... go figure... still love these pedals!