Outlier's Pendulum is the strangest flat pedal we've seen
It's a single-sided, self-righting flat pedal offset from the axle.
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Flat pedals are flat pedals, right? They follow a tried-and-tested design that's lasted the test of time– a dual-sided platform with a bunch of pins. As designs progress, they've got thinner and larger but, Canadian brand, Outlier has lived up to its name by turning the pedal concept on its head with its Pendulum pedal.
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Just looking at the pedal from the top down, you can see that the Pendulum doesn't quite follow the conventional flat-pedal design – its platform is hollow. But don't let that fool you into thinking they'll be bendy because the pedal bodies are CNC machined from 7075 aluminium in Calgary, Canada. And although there's not a lot of space because, inside, there are two bearings. Outlier then claims a pedal weight of 207g.
2024 outlier pendulum pair.jpg, by Liam Mercer
But what makes the Pendulum stand out is its platform sits 12mm below the pedal's axle. Assuming that other flat pedals have the outer faces of their platforms 5mm above the axle, Outlier says that these pedals drop a rider's centre of mass by 17mm.
The result, is better stability and control, according to the brand. It also says that the pedal's pendulum effect helps keep a rider's heels down, which is important under braking and when riding technical terrain. And although the Pendulum pedals are single sides, they're naturally self-righting.
However, the brand takes full advantage of the pedal's single-sidedness as it's 7mm thick (or thin, should I say) at the outer edge while being shaped to slide over trail obstacles, rather than get hung up on them.
2024 outlier pendulum .jpg, by Liam Mercer
Touching back on that almost axleless design, Outlier claims that it helps the foot flex in and around the pedal which means plenty of grip.
With nine pins per pedal, they measure 120mm long and 115mm wide including the axle. The Outlier Pendulum pedals can be picked up for 299 CAD and are available in black and raw colours.
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