Top

Time Tested Thursday – fyxation Mesa Pedal

fyxation mesa pedalFor my fat-biking pedal needs I am a platform guy all the way. I ride my Northpaw fat-bike year round and have found that the freedom from clips makes me happy. Lots of other folks ride platforms in the winter even if they are clipless fans in the warmer months. Snow riding can mean frequent dismounts and pushing your bike!

For most of the last couple of years my go-to platform pedal was the sealed-bearing Aluminum Eastern Team Edition with a sweet dual-concave design that really grips your feet. I did (and still do) really like the Eastern pedal but a couple of things about it made me consider switching for fat-bike use:

  • They are heavy. Not that I am worried about weight much on a fat-bike but the mass means that there is a lots of momentum in the crank arm to spin around and really whack your shin.
  • The removable pins grip well but are really sharp, again with the shin whacking.
  • They are aluminum and that, plus the considerable mass, makes for a cold foot in the winter.

So, this summer I switched over to a pair of black, fyxation Mesa pedals and have not looked back.

Several things about the Mesa persuaded me to give them a try:

  • The WIDE High impact nylon platform looked to be just the thing for my foot wear of choice, both winter and summer. The pedals work great with my Duffs, are perfect with my Keen beach-riding sandals and work equally well with my Keen Winterport and Summit County boots that will see a bunch more use this winter.
  • The sealed bearings and the cro-moly spindle were no-brainers. I’d already had great results with the Easterns and the fyxations are continuing the trend. We ride in a lot of sand and water as well as snow.
  • The insulating qualities of the high-impact nylon are the ticket for winter riding as the metal platforms tend to be COLD on the soles of my boots. In recent 20-degree Fairenheit rides of over 2-1/2 hours on beach and trails so far, so good with the Mesas. Warm feet!
  • The THIN profile adds a bit of pedal clearance over the fatter Easterns.
  • They are light at 317 grams.

Down sides? That super-thin profile makes fitting some strap systems a no-go, however, regular toe clips do work and fyxation make another pedal called the Gates that is easier to fit straps to and, in fact, has its own Velcro strap system available.

For those of you not familiar with fyxation, the company was founded with a simple goal in mind. To bring urban riders pioneering components made from the best materials at a fair price. They focus on design, durability and style.

At an MSRP of $47.95 the Mesas are an affordable upgrade and come in Black, White and Red.

FWIW, fyxation did give us a pair of pedals to test although I’ve been using them since well before that time. The current set of Red Mesas is winging their way to Alaska for Josh to give them the uber-cold test. More when we get back that report.

,

6 Responses to Time Tested Thursday – fyxation Mesa Pedal

  1. Brian December 15, 2011 at 3:24 pm #

    My white mesa’s just came in the mail on Monday. Been tearing it up on my Pugs since then and loving the pedals! I’ve been a clipless-only guy for quite a few years, and this has totally changed my thinking, at least for snow/fatbiking. And the sealed bearings give me peace of mind with our Wisconsin winters and the beach riding I’m planning on for the coming year. Keep up the excellent products Fyxation, and keep up the great reviews Fat-Bike.com!

  2. tony b December 16, 2011 at 9:30 am #

    lol now maybe you won’t fall and get your feet wet too Brian!

  3. Brian December 18, 2011 at 2:53 pm #

    Most definitely! Surprised I didn’t get frostbite that night. 🙂

  4. Mike Jura January 28, 2012 at 11:21 am #

    I got a set for my Muk…..I love them. Especially with the new Keen Summit County boots I got. They look sweet and your feet stick well. Ride on.

Leave a Reply to Mike Jura Click here to cancel reply.