As is sometimes the case, the VP Blade Titanium pedal started simply as a design exercise. While it was never meant for production, consumer demand was high enough that they made it happen. The result is a handmade titanium pedal with a spidery body that is meant to flex slightly and help absorb impacts. Now in its 3rd revision, the shape has changed slightly but the result is still a sand cast titanium pedal that is finished by hand with a full titanium axle.
Weight on the Ti beauties? Find it, and the answer to metal pins in a plastic pedal after the break!
When we saw one of the earlier versions of the Ti Blades, the weight was an impressive 260g per pair. Somehow, that number has dropped again with a total 222g weight per pair! Needless to say, these are really intended for urban/commuter/treking use, but should be fairly durable thanks to their 6AL/4V titanium construction with a CNC machined Ti axle and LSL & double sealed ball bearings. Price will be somewhere around $450-500, but according to VP for the amount of hand finishing needed, it’s a bargain.
In the realm of pedals you can actually afford, VP was showing off the 539 Push In 2 Nylon BMX pedal which uses one of the systems for metal traction pins in a plastic pedal that we’ve seen.
Instead of threading the pin into the long fiber glass reinforced nylon body, the pedal is constructed with through holes for the traction pin. Each pin consists of a cylinder with a threaded cap, so the pin threads into itself and sandwiches the pedal body. The $60 pedal uses LSL and Dual sealed ball bearings for a total weight of 380g for an oversized wide platform pedal with a CNC machined Cr-Mo axle. Traction pin replacement kits will be available and include the tool needed for replacement.
Really known for their pedals in the industry, VP also has a full range of bottom brackets which they are planning to expand on. A little known fact when it comes to VP and bottom brackets, is that the company was instrumental in the creation of the ISIS standard.
Replacement bottom brackets might not be something that would typically be newsworthy, but the mechanics out there will appreciate the fact that all of VP’s BBs use phosphated steel or aluminum cups. No plastic here.
While it has nothing to do with pedals other than Terry’s proximity to VP’s Taichung factory (full tour coming soon), VP was pumping out the best coffee in Taipei courtesy of Caffe Terry. A coffee and cycling fixture in Taichung, Terry kills it behind an espresso machine and owns one of Outside Magazine’s Top 10 bars for cyclists.
