DazarGaidin

Ive burned through some pedals. I'm about 290/6'4 with big ole size 15 boats. Usually the pedal has stripped right off (threads of the pedal). It makes me real nervous when trying to climb any hills. The bikes i have bought were all pretty cheap, but i just bought what i hope is an upgrade from a walmart bike (a diamondback edgewood hybrid i got online). I couldnt afford a bike shop just yet, not that i have a way to get to the nearest one about 100 miles away

But i want to make sure that I get some nice pedals that i can really apply force on to get up some modest hills (no mountains, just long inclines for the most part). Any suggestions? I'm on a tight budget, and id rather not buy special shoes either. I'm more of an exercise/casual rider, occasional trips around town etc.

KrisPistofferson

If you don't want to have to buy special shoes (the biggest con game ever perpetrated on anyone but professional racing cyclists, IMHO) then BMX pedals are your best bet. They are all metal, have pins to keep your shoes planted on them, and are built to be super-tough. Pretty much all I use anymore.

chriszke

While I don't have big feet (mens 10.5), I've got WIDE feet.

I bought a pair of Bontranger "Big Earls". They ran about $70 at the LBS, but are all metal, wide and concave with a dozen pins to help bite into the tennis shoes I ride in.

I really like 'em.

Velo Dog

You're stripping the threads? how's that happen? I'm almost your size (lighter rignt now, but I've been there), and used to ride 4000-6000 miles a year, and I've never destroyed a pedal, certainly not by stripping the threads. Usually the pedal spindle is steel, and screws into an aluminum crank--I can see breaking the hole out of the crankarm, or stripping the threads in the aluminum, but I can't even think of a way you could hurt the pedal itself. Are you installing them right, properly torqued and everything?
If all that's good, the BMX pedals aren't a bad choice. I have a pair on my singlespeed, and once I got used to not being attached, I like them a lot.

stevel610 

I have a set of Forte Convert Platform pedals which work well. They are out of stock on the website today but will probably be in soon.

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._1085037_-1___

Sealed bearings. Grip my shows really well.

clydeosaur

I wear 14's & run the Big Earls on my MTB with good results as well. Nice big platform, sealed bearings, stainless shafts & good grip.

DazarGaidin

Dunno. It has happened twice. Cheap bike parts i guess. Its possible the threads in the arm failed, and the threads on the pedals stripped on the way out. It may not be an issue on a nicer bike but i think id just avoid the issue altogether Might help boost my mental confidence as well when climbing.

Maybe i should be looking for steel crank arms instead then? Sorry, I'm not a biking expert and cant give more details.

1nterceptor

You may also try a higher cadence, lower gears and spinning fast.
Instead of higher gears and mashing the pedals.

Neil_B

Nashbar Land Cruiser pedals with extenders on the crankarms. My cycling shoes (not clipless) are size 13, and I'm extremely knock-kneed. About 35 bucks for the pedals, and 10-15 for the extenders through my bike shop.

jboyd

I very much agree with the post above regarding the need or lack there of that a casual rider MUST have clipless. If you WANT them, that is fine, but very few NEED them.

I also agree with the BMX recommendations. I just replaced a set exactly like The Historian's, and have now upgraded to the AZONIC 420's. Lots of real estate for the foot and actually too much pin. I had to take the V-Pins out as it was too sticky.

irclean

I ride with toe clips for most of the year, but in the winter I use BMX platform pedals. They work with my winter boots and the pins keep my feet planted to the pedal. No slippage so far; they just don't seem to get gummed up with ice or slop.



BTW - don't cheap out; get a pair with sealed bearings. That will pretty much guarantee you're getting a quality pedal.

RyanML

I am almost 300# and I ride egg beater c pedals. I got them from ebay for about $57, found shoes on craigslist for $40. I ride these on my commuter. This is my second season with them and I couldn't be happier. I think that's a decent price to get into some good pedals.

garethzbarker

+1

I'm always asking myself why I installed clipless pedals on my bike instead of just using BMX pedals...

christopher v.

These are both quality BMX pedals, depending on what your budget is:

https://www.empirebmx.com/store/comer...idProduct=6586

https://www.empirebmx.com/store/comer...idProduct=6518

Just try and order them from a mailorder like the one I linked, as opposed to one that doesn't put anything back into BMX.

dscheidt

bah. Lots of "sealed" bearing pedals omit the inboard bearing, in favor of bushing. That's cheap, but it does save the maker a couple bucks, and a handful of grams, and boosts their rebuild kit sales. So does using a lousy cartridge bearing. (And, dammit, they're cartridge bearings. They're not sealed, except against airflow. Important on an electric motor. Not important on a bike. Water gets through them just as easily as regular angular contact bearings; any sealing that exists is from an external seal.

EGUNWT

MKS Lambda pedals are really nice. Available online. As with any MKS pedal, if it feels "Grindy" when you get it, you'll probably need to open them up, pull the spindle and grease them. Unfortunate, but it's a good excuse to buy tools. They also don't have spikes, but do grip shoes really well.

BMX style pedals are nice, but they also tend to be a bit wider, so if you're having cornering clearance problems these may not be the best idea.

Greg_R

Welgo BMX pedals, they are indestructible. Be sure to put a dab of marine grease on the threads before installing (any pedal).

irclean

I guess I've been told. While I don't pretend to be an engineer, and freely admit to having limited knowledge as to their manufacturing process, my sealed bearing BMX pedals just "feel" superior to the cheaper alternative that was stocked by my LBS. The proof is in the pudding; after a winter's worth of commuting and limited attention to the pedals, they spin just as freely as they did out of the box. I cannot say the same for cheaper pedals that I've used - I've had more than one pair seize up on me.

lord_athlon

Ive raced bmx for years, and the quality manufacturers use sealed cartridge bearings on anything quality. Its not like the roadbike scene. I love me some Primo SuperTenderizers.

DazarGaidin

Thanks for the suggestions! I think BMX pedals are just what i was looking for, now to shop around

HillaryRose

I've ridden with my odyssey triple traps for eight trouble-free years, in all kinds of weather, from rain to snow and everything in between.

https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Triple...8698742&sr=8-1

CliftonGK1

Sealed cartridge bearings on BMX pedals help to protect from dirt and debris, so even without an external seal, they'll stay cleaner longer.
On road pedals the assumption is that you're not rolling through miles and miles of dirt. That's why I use MTB pedals on my randonneuring bike; I ride on a lot of hardpack and gravel so I prefer a pedal better designed for the abuses of "off-road" conditions (even if I'm not hopping stumps and chugging through the mud.)

StephenH

So far as I know, bike cranks are always built where the right and left crank arms can't be interchanged (as the one on the sprocket side also connects to the sprocket). However, on a unicycle, that is not the case, and I have accidentally gotten them reversed. The effect then is that the pedal unscrews 1/2 or 2/3 of the way and then strips on out. I'm assuming that can't really happen on a bike.

On my Worksman cruiser, I've been through two or three sets of pedals. They start clicking where the bearings are wearing out. I'm currently using BMX-style pedals there.

Consider also changing how you go up hills. It's easier on your knees and on the bike if you downshift more and keep your legs moving, rather than powering your way up in a higher gear.

Clyde Power

I'm similar in size, 6'3" 290 lbs with size 16 feet. Broke the stock mtn bike pedals on my bike after approx. 1,000 miles of bike commuting last year. Replaced with MKS RMX sneaker pedal from Rivbike for $27.00. Have about 800 miles on them & they still look and work like new.

surfjimc

Just a thought about pedals that hasn't been addressed directly. The drive side pedal has right hand threads (normal, clockwise to tighten) and the left side has left hand threads (counterclockwise to tighten). It is designed that way so you are tightening them as you pedal and they don't come out. Many people don't realize the left side is left hand thread and this causes stripping problems when they put them on, or they try to put the wrong pedal on the wrong side. Most pedals are labeled on the end if the spindle if necessary, others are directional (Look pedals are directional) and can only go on one way if they are to face forward. Pedals also have a lip or ridge that buts up to the crank arm and forces you to stop when tightening. That generally makes it impossible to strip them through brute force. However, as Clydes brute force is something we often have.
But after all that, Walmart grade pedals may be off such poor quality that this happens. I have had to retap cranks for customers, but that was usually due to human error, not faulty parts. Seems like the spindle would break if it was soft enough to strip out.