OneUp Components Aluminum Flat Pedal

OneUp Components is a relatively young, Squamish-based company that started out making wide-range drivetrain add-ons, but their product range has expanded since then to include all kinds of clever bits and pieces, like the innovative steerer tube mounted EDC multitool for example. Working their way out from the drive train the good people at OneUp were always going to end up taking a look at pedals at some point, and that is just what they have done with the recent introduction of a pair of brand new, aluminum and composite pedals. We’ve put the former through three months of hard riding to figure out what it’s made of, and now the time has come to share our findings.

OneUp Components Aluminum Pedal Highlights

• Ultra-thin leading edge, chamfered design
• Wide platform for increased stability
• Contoured shape
• Fully sealed and serviceable design with built in bearing extractor
• 4 sealed cartridge bearings per pedal
• Platform size: 115x105mm
• Number of pins: 10 per side
• Body material: 6061-T6 aluminum
• Axle material: chromoly steel
• Height: 8.3-12mm
• Colors: black, green, grey
• Weight: 359 grams (pair, verified)
• MSRP: $125 USD

Initial Impressions

The three founders of OneUp Components are ex-Race Face engineers who were involved in designing the Race Face Atlas flat pedal, and they set out to push some of their concepts further with their own pedal. The OneUp aluminum pedal (which doesn’t have an actual name, oddly enough) is a flat, thin, and wide design that spins on bearings – a bigger one at the crank side and 3 smaller ones at the tip of the axle. In terms of the basic dimensions, it offers a wide platform which at 115mm is also among the longer ones out there. As for colors, OneUp offers two sober options in black and grey, and a less discrete, Vital-approved green number.

The OneUp pedal is among the thinner pedals we have tested, at just 8mm thick at the edges. The middle of the body is 12mm thick, to make room for the axle and bearings. Although the body shape is thus convex, the long traction pins are mounted around the edges for an overall concave feel. The pins have a custom hexagonal shape with sharp edges. The pedal body is heavily machined, with an open design that will shed mud exceptionally well.

Since the pedal body is way too thin to accommodate a full-size bearing, the inboard (crank arm side) bearing is housed in a bulge, which although tall is also narrow so as to not get in the way of your foot. As previously mentioned, 3 small bearings sit at the tip of the axle, and can be extracted simply by pulling the pedal apart. The axle is held in place by a lock ring that can be removed using a standard cassette lock ring removal tool, a nice touch. No custom or proprietary tools are needed to perform a service or even full rebuild.

On The Trail

As described in our Flat Pedal Face Off feature, we look for flat and wide pedals that offer good grip and a confidence-inspiring feeling underfoot. It was obvious from the first rides that the OneUp pedal scores highly on all counts. The wide and thin body offers great support and lots of room for those who like to move their feet around. The long, sharp pins are placed mainly around the edges which gives an overall concave feel to the pedal, with impressive grip no matter where you put your foot down. The inboard bearing bulge is narrow enough to not get in the way, unless you want to place your foot flush up against the crank arm.

The OneUp pedal’s leading edge is only slightly chamfered, but at just 8mm thick at the edges, it does not need more to deflect rocks and generally avoid hanging up on obstacles. We’ve been riding these pedals hard for three months now, and although it’s always hard to quantify this aspect, it certainly seems like we have put less scuffs and dings on these compared to some others. The thin profile also makes it near impossible to roll a pedal, which further inspires on-trail confidence.

Maintenance is an important aspect of getting the most out of your gear, and this is especially true for pedals, a component that has to literally carry you on the trail while making do with less and less real estate for things like bearings and axle assemblies. OneUp has made maintenance and rebuilding easy, with just a cassette lock ring tool and some other basic tools required to perform a full service, which is always great to see. We also like the use of bearings as opposed to bushings here, as the latter seem more prone to developing play in a shorter period of time.

So where would the OneUp place in our pedal Face Off? We will be publishing an updated version of the shootout this fall with a few more pedals now being tested, but running the numbers at this point it seems the OneUp has what it takes to challenge for a spot in the top five. Pretty good going for a first attempt at a flat pedal, well done OneUp!

Things That Could Be Improved

For how easy the maintenance procedure is, the instructions fail to mention a little rubber retainer ring that sits in the way of the dust seal that needs to be removed before you can access the lock ring. Once we figured that one out, it was much easier to remove the dust seal. Additionally, the lock ring groves are very shallow, which leaves the lock ring tool prone to slipping. To remedy this would mean making the inboard bearing bulge wider though, so we’ll stick with having to pay a little more attention to what we’re doing with the tool instead.

At $125, the OneUp is reasonably competitively priced, but we’d love to see a few spare pins in the box. Not because of the cost of replacing them, but because they are a bespoke design that won’t be readily available in just any shop when you most need one.

Long Term Durability

We’ve yet to test a pedal that doesn’t develop some degree of play or slop over time, and some do so earlier than others. After three months of hard riding, we are pleased to report excellent results with the OneUp. Whilst not completely free of side-to-side play, it is only present on one side, and to such a minute degree that we almost missed it. Pulling the pedal apart, we also found clean grease and no dirt contamination inside, although we will say that we have yet to put them through a proper mud bath to really test this aspect. The bearings are still spinning smooth with just a tiny hint of roughness on the one side. A good durability score in our books.

What’s The Bottom Line?

There’s no shortage of good flat pedal options out there, and most of the finalists in our flat pedal Face Off would do you proud on the trail. With a thin and wide design that provides plenty of grip and stability, the OneUp aluminum pedal offers great performance in a durable and easy to maintain package that looks set to make a run at the top five. The new kid on the block is a challenger!

More information at: www.oneupcomponents.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Johan Hjord and Nils Hjord