For all our readers living in cooler climates there comes a time of year when the snow starts to melt away, temperatures begin to creep upwards and little bikes start riding around in our minds. As spring sets in it’s time to think about trail maintenance, goals for the season and most importantly if your bike needs any repairs or upgrades.
Thanks to Race Face I’ll have the chance to test out some new (and blue) parts on my all-mountain machine this summer. Once they’ve been thoroughly thrashed upon we’ll be posting full reviews of their new Chester platform pedals, Aeffect cranks and Love Handles grips, but for now here’s a quick peek and my one-ride impressions of each…
In recent years the bulk of BMX companies have switched to plastic or composite pedal bodies instead of aluminum or magnesium. The pedals slide better for grind tricks (which mountain bikers won’t care much about) but they’re also super light, relatively inexpensive and surprisingly durable. Race Face has jumped on board with plastic platforms, and their new Chester pedals are definitely a light weight pair hitting my scale at just 358g.
They’ve only been out for one day of riding on Vancouver’s North Shore, but I was happy with the initial feel of the Chesters. The platforms aren’t huge, but despite their narrowed rear halves I didn’t feel any lack of support under my size nine feet. The pins were nice and grippy, but I am curious to see how the multi-piece construction holds up after a few hard hits. I like the looks of the Chesters’ smooth and simple shape, and feel they would look equally at home on a trail bike, DH bike, dirt jumper, or commuter.
The Aeffect cranks are a nice looking set with stealthy matte black arms matched to their shiny anodized rings and bash guard. The crank arm logos are dark and subtle, and the rings keep it aesthetically simple with just a few small graphic touches. The cranks were a ‘cinch’ to install, once the BB is correctly spaced out the only thing you’ll have to figure out is which way one single spacer sits on the spindle.
The Aeffect cranks weighed in at 804g with 175mm arms, a 22/36t two-ring setup and Race Face’s aluminum bash guard. The bottom bracket adds 100g to the total package. On the trails the cranks spun smoothly, and (despite my chain being a bit on the short side) shifting was perfect all day. Long term we’ll see how the finish holds up and if the functional bits are up to the task of a season’s beating.
While I wouldn’t say “I love the feel of cushy love handles” in my Plenty of Fish profile, I’ll say it here on Bikerumor. Previously I have always run straight grips, but I was comfortable with the mellow bulge of the Love Handles right away. I do like a bit of cush, and these grips definitely put some softness between your palm and handlebars.
The directional Love Handles feature a two sided pattern, with a ribbed section under your palm and a knurled area for your fingers. The grips lock down on both ends, and the outer locks are a two-piece design with aluminum collars and a plastic end cap. In case you actually care how much your grips weigh, these came in at 103g. We’ll see how they hold up, but I expect to have happy hands this summer.
