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 Product Picks

Dec 24, 2013

DMR Vault Brendog pedals

DMR has long been known for their V8 and V12 platform pedals that use a traditional BMX-esque design, but the debut of the much more contemporary Vault pedals a few seasons ago might just shift the spotlight. The Vaults are assembled around a decent sized 105 x 115mm platform that measures in at 17mm thick - not the thinnest out there, but certainly nothing to shrug at either. The footbed features a slight concave shape that works to keep your kicks in place, and eleven pins per side also help in that cause. Seven of those pins thread in from the opposite side and feature a wide, supportive shoulder that should go a long ways to keeping them in place, while the remaining four are shorter studs that thread into the face but use the same wide shoulder design. The Brendog version shown here also includes a set of much more aggressive 'moto' pins that can be swapped into place in order to further improve grip. The pedal bodies rotate on a DU bushing and sealed bearing combination, with a 4140 steel axle at the center of it all. Fairclough's signature pedals are only available in the stealthy black finish pictured here, and they weigh in at a reasonable 400 grams for the set. MSRP $150 USD www.dmrbikes.com

With some of the best reliability we've ever come across, and with decent traction to boot, the Vaults are a solid platform option for anyone considering a new set of pedals.

There are loads of different platform pedal options on the market, and anyone who has spent years riding a few different models can attest to how contrasting they can be when compared to each other. These days, many manufacturers seems to be putting a lot of effort towards building the thinnest possible pedal, and we have to admit that it's something that we've put quite a bit of emphasis on here at Pinkbike as well. After all, a properly designed thin pedal can cut down on the frequency and severity of those dreaded pedal strikes, which has to be a good thing given that it has to be one of the worst ways to get taken to the ground. Trouble is, reliability often suffers as the pedal body height shrinks due to the bearings and bushings also having to shrink in size. It's for this reason that we've become such big fans of DMR's Vault pedal, and especially Fairclough's signature model that's pictured here, with their middle of the road 17mm height, burly axles, and reliable bushing and bearing combo proving to stand the test of time with nary a hint of trouble. Their height and internal specs aren't anything special, mind you, with many other pedals out there using very similar setups, but the Vaults have outlasted them all regardless of the similarities. And given that our timeframe begins at the start of last summer and runs until these words have gone live, with terrain including everything from time in the Whistler Bike Park to thousands of wet cross-country miles (they look well used in the photo above, don't they?), we feel justified in being impressed with the lack of bearing play and straight axles. The sturdy pin interface, with most of them threading in from the opposite side and featuring larger diameter shoulders for support, has also stood the test of time. In total, we've managed to knock two pins on the same corner out, both during the same incident, and they were easily replaced, as the threads in the pedal body weren't damaged, as well as a single pin that worked itself out on the trailing edge. It's all well and good that they didn't fall apart on us - that's always a great thing - but what about the traction? That's also pretty darn good, with a solid amount of grip that never left us asking for more, even in wet and muddy conditions. This was also with the standard pins installed in the stock layout, with the four stubbier pins at the center of the body and the longer pins on the leading and trailing edges. The decent sized 105 x 115mm body size certainly plays a part in this, with a good amount of support spread over more real estate than some others making for a confidence inspiring feel. They aren't the outright kings of traction, though, especially when compared to a pedal design that combines more surface area with thinner pins that can penetrate deeper into the soles of your riding shoes, but they have become some of our favourite pedals regardless. And while $150 USD isn't inexpensive by any stretch of the imagination, there are all sorts of pedal options on the market that cost more, sport less traction, and offer less reliability in the long run.

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Lizard Skin DSP grips

Given that lock-on grips are so convenient and obviously rule the roost right now, Lizard Skins' brand new DSP non-locking grips is a product that certainly mystified some riders when we first showed them a few months ago. After all, why would anyone ever run non-locking grips? Lizard Skins claims that comfort and durability set the DSP grips apart, and they make the point that many of the current ultra-thin locking grips out there are nothing more than a wispy coating of rubber over a rock hard plastic barrel, a fusion that can sometimes feel a bit unforgiving. Their DSP grips are made from two different components, with a foam base layer that works to absorb vibrations, and their grippy DuraSoft Polymer as an outer contact layer. In order to prevent the dreaded throttle grip from occurring, a sticky "feather-lite lock tape" is used, although that does mean that you'll have to cut the grips off when the time comes to swap them out. Is that such a big deal now that the large majority of our controls attach via split or hinged clamps? That's for you to decide, but Lizard Skins believes that some riders are ready to put comfort and durability ahead of convenience now that grips don't have to be removed when changing brakes or shifters. They offer the DSP grips in two different diameters - 30.3mm (tested here) and 32.3mm - and both measure in at 130mm long. Attention all weight weenies: the thinner diameter shown here weighs just 27 grams per set, and the thicker only 30 grams, and those weights include the plugs and double sided mounting tape as well. You can choose from eight different colours options, and the MSRP is $30.00 USD www.lizardskins.com

Ultra-thin and ultra-light, but not nearly as forgiving as we were hoping for, the DSPs are only for those who demand the slimmest feeling grips available.

One point to keep in mind is that the design of the these grips, which puts thinness above installation convenience, means that the DSPs are never going to be as straight forward to install or remove as a pair of lock-on grips, although it is far from being a challenging operation. Take a few minutes to clean the bar properly, then apply the double-sided tape with a bit of overhang as per the instructions, and finally give it a spray of Windex before sliding the grip in place, with it taking a bit of muscle to rotate each onto the bar. The grip will mostly dry into place within ten minutes or so, giving you more than enough time to get it in the right spot before that happens. The DSP grips feel incredibly thin once you've wrapped your hands around them, and although there are lock-on options that are very similar in thickness (ODI's TLD Signature grips measure 29.7mm, for example), the DSP grips simply feel thinner. We're putting this down to the lack of a plastic barrel underneath the grip material that lock-on options must use, thereby allowing the DuraSoft Polymer material to compress more than the rubber used by the competition. While they feel noticeably thinner, they are also noticeably harsher on the hands after a long day in the saddle, and we even had a few extra calluses after the first week of using them. Were we just not used to DSPs? Maybe, but we're often using different grips on test bikes and almost never get off them with sore hands. It's also worth noting that the ends of the DSP grips will become chewed up pretty quickly if you lose a bar plug like we did, since they are not protected by a metal collar as with many lock-on options. Removing them is quite easy, only requiring a sharp knife and some common sense to not cut too deeply and damage your carbon handlebar, but you'll obviously not be slipping them off to use on another bike - peeling them off means purchasing new grips. Foibles aside, the DSP grips are extremely light, weighing in at just 27 grams for the set, including tape and bar plugs. Compare that to 116 grams for ODI's TLD Signature grips of similar thickness and you'll begin to see that the DSP grips will likely become popular among the gram counters out there. And although their 30.3mm advertised thickness is in the same ballpark as the thinnest lock-on grips on the market, they really do feel noticeably thinner when you actually use them. Due to them not being the comfiest things out there, the DSPs might not the best option for those who spend weeks on end shredding their local lift accessed bike park, but they are certainly worth checking out if you prefer the thinnest feeling grips on the market.

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KS LEV Integra dropper seat post

KS' dropper seat post lineup includes the LEV and Supernatural series, with the both aftermarket LEV models utilizing a stationary cable placement that counts for so many points in many riders' minds. But while the standard LEV routes its actuation cable into a small extension located at the outer tube's threaded collar, the Integra makes use of internal frame routing that sees its cable feed right up into the bottom of the post. This means that you'll need a frame that works with such a setup - it's not a super familiar design yet but something that is certainly becoming more common in recent times. There are three versions of the Integra, with riders able to choose from 100, 125, and 150mm travel options, and each variation can be had in both 30.9 and 31.6mm diameters. Sorry, no 27.2mm version due to size constraints and oil displacement requirements. Internally, the Integra, as well as KS' other dropper posts, uses a hydraulic design that allows it to be adjusted infinitely within its travel - you can position it anywhere between fully dropped and full height, and an adjustable air spring (the valve is located at the top of the posts' head) acts to raise the post. Inside, you'll find a clever, one-way self adjusting bearing system that lets the post cycle up and down freely, but keeps it from rotating sideways, and the design eliminates the need for a keyway layout that is found within most other dropper posts. Not to be overlooked, KS' pint sized remote is a thumb operated unit that is mounted up against your grip, on either the left or right side, and takes up very little space on the bar. Somewhat strangely, it's not hinged or split like the very large majority of seat post remotes out there. The Integra weighs between 500 - 570 grams depending on the model, and the MSRP is $429 USD. www.kindshock.com

The LEV Integra is so close to being awesome but ends up being thwarted by its dependency on housing tension to function well.

There is a hell of a lot to like about the LEV Integra, with it ticking pretty much every box that most consumers deem as requirements of a dropper post except one (more on that later). Its internal routing, while requiring a bike that accepts an internal cable path (or enough confidence to adapt your own bike to do the same), means that there shouldn't ever be any fussing with zip-ties to keep its housing's slack from flailing about when the seat is lowered. And the internal routing also surely helps to keep dirt and grime from contaminating the cable and preventing it from moving smoothly in the long run. It isn't just the post's protected cable that moves with little effort, though, as the post itself is impossibly smooth throughout its travel, enough so that it makes other designs feel like they've been stored in your local swimming hole for a few months. Rebound speed is decently quick as well but not nearly as fast as the return action of a D.O.S.S. or Command Post BlackLite, although we admit to probably being in the minority for preferring the ultra-fast rebound and loud top-out clunk (it's clear when the seat is all the way up) of those two aforementioned options. One point where the Integra wins hands down is when talking about its 150mm of travel, 25mm more than most, but not all, of the dropper post options. That extra 25mm might not sound like much, but it was greatly appreciated once we got used to it and had to go back to a 125mm or, heaven forbid, a 100mm travel post. Our view is that you're taking a weight penalty compared to a traditional seat post, so why not make the most of it? The Integra's 150mm of drop was enough that we never once found ourselves wishing for a lower seat height, regardless of how steep the trail or how big the gap. Isn't that exactly what a dropper post should do for you? A good dropper post should also be easy to put into action so that you use it a lot and take full advantage of its benefits, and the Integra's remote allows for exactly that. Its grip-side thumb button remote is, along with the similar remote employed by the BlackLite, the absolute best out there right now - get the angle correct relative to your hand position and you'll find it very intuitive, allowing you to hit it at a moment's notice if something surprises you when riding a new trail blind. The remote isn't perfect, though, as we'd like to see it use a hinged or split clamp for convenience sake. KS might have a good reason for not doing so, but we'd far prefer to see a bit of extra material where required to make that happen. It's not all praise with the Integra, though, as our test post proved to be quite unreliable, costing us a handful of good rides when it decided that it didn't want to play nice. The issue boils down to a design that depends on housing tension as opposed to cable tension to operate, a finicky setup that proved to be worthy of a few angry trail-side moments on our part. Removing the Integra from the frame reveals that the housing terminates an a small spring loaded arm, with the cable passing through and being anchored in a stationary position on the post itself. When you push on the remote, you're actually compressing the housing towards the seat post due to the cable being held in place at both ends, which is the opposite of how other dropper posts, shifters, and cable operated brakes function. The problem arises when the post's housing changes in tension, which can happen pretty easily due to it being zip-tied to the frame after it exits the bike's housing port, which is often found low on the seat tube. A tug on the housing, maybe from something as small as a crash rotating your bars around, and the Integra is suddenly out of commission, with the seat either stuck in place or free to move up and down through its travel even though you're not pushing on the remote. And god forbid you need to change your seat hight slightly, a move that sends your properly tensioned setup out the window. Yes, we ended up sorting the issue out a few times by tinkering with the barrel adjuster at the remote and by either feeding more housing into or out of the entry port on the seat tube, and some of the blame should also fall on the frame's routing, but there were multiple times that the Integra simply refused to work after such an incident, which is unacceptable for a $429 USD seat post, as well as being a real shame given that it has a lot going for it besides this issue. Now that we've harped on about this it, there is word that KS is likely working on a revamped actuation system for the Integra that might take care of our single, albeit major, complaint. If true, the updated Integra could have the same game changing impact as their original i950r did when it was first released.