Sensus Crue Flat Pedal

Sensus was founded in 2009 by Cam Zink, kicking things off with the Swayze single ply grip. Today the catalog has grown considerably to include a wide variety of grips, with a couple of signature models from Andreu Lacondeguy and Emil Johansson for extra “street cred”. The grips are all made in the USA by ODI, while most other accessories sold by the brand are made in Taiwan. Incidentally, the list of pro riders associated with/supported by Sensus is so long that it’s probably easier to find a freerider who ISN’T part of the Sensus squad already – backing up the typical “by riders for riders” claim with real action. Adding a flat pedal to the product range seems like a natural evolution for Sensus now, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to do. Keep reading to see what Cam and crüe have come up with!

Sensus Crüe Highlights

• 6061-T6 aluminum body
• Quadrilateral concave shape
• Titanium axle
• IGUS bushings
• Double ABEC bearings
• Steel pins (30 pins per pedal)
• Weight: 342 grams/pair (verified)
• MSRP: $249 USD

Initial Impressions

Sensus took their time developing the Crüe, and it shows in the final product. The machining is absolutely top-notch, with a deep finish that really brings out the intricacies of the shape. The pedal is quite thin, with an elongated, asymmetrical body that provides more real estate towards the front of the foot. Consequently, the leading edges are chamfered to allow the pedal to glance off rocks as opposed to hanging up on them.

At 117x105 millimeters, the Crüe is big – right up there with the biggest pedals featured in our flat pedal shootout. There are a whopping 15 pins per side, all placed out around the edges. The pins are of the simple grub screw variety, accessed from the top of the pedal with a 2 mm allen key. Now, there is a measurement that is more indicative of actual performance than just the platform size or the number of pins, and that’s the “Pin-To-Axle” measurement, which is the distance of the furthest pin from where the pedal axle meets the crankarm. The Crüe serves up a PTA of 113 mm, very close to the highest numbers we’ve tested, and the pedal body features a sculpted shape that offers 6 millimeters of concavity (as measured from the top of the tallest pin to the lowest point of the pedal body).

Thanks to the titanium spindle, the Crüe weighs in at a mere 342 grams for the pair, placing it easily among the very lightest options currently available. You can check out how many other pedals stack up in regards to all these measurements in our aforementioned Flat Pedal Face Off article – without getting ahead of ourselves, it looks likely that the Crüe will challenge for a top-3 position. Here are a few shots of the Crüe compared to the two pedals currently occupying the top of the podium:

The Crüe spins on a combination of IGUS bushings and ABEC-rated bearings, and as we previously alluded to, the spindle is made out of titanium. Titanium can save about 70 grams over a pair of classic chromoly spindles, while also adding significantly to the cost of the pedal. The pedal is easy to take apart for maintenance, all you need to do is remove the end cap and loosen the bolt underneath it.

On The Trail

Placing your foot on the Crüe feels very natural from the start. The generous amount of concavity and the large platform allow your foot to sink into the pedal and find a comfortable place regardless of where you like to position your foot on the pedal. The grip is great, possibly ever so slightly behind the absolutely grippiest pedals out there but not by much. We’ve tested with several different shoes so far with the same good results.

The Crüe spins free on its axles, and it feels very smooth underfoot. The 15 pins make it easy to find a position that works for you, and we’re guessing this might be one of the aspects that Sensus really worked hard on. With riders like Cam Zink and Kyle Strait testing the pedal, you know that the feel and the ability to place the foot exactly where intended were always going to be high on the list of requirements, and this translates to a pedal that’s very easy to get along with.

Big pedals tend to be more at risk of hanging up on trailside obstacles. The Crüe’s offset design and chamfered leading edge help mitigate this issue, but it’s still something to keep in mind if your trails feature narrow passages and big rocks. We’ve had a few hits during testing so far, and while the pedal has not suffered unduly, there’s no denying it still presents a fairly big target.

Things That Could Be Improved

We only have one single issue to bring up here, and that’s the price tag. At $249 USD this is the most expensive pedal we’ve tested so far. It’s also the only pedal with a titanium spindle, which as we previously mentioned adds significantly to the cost (standalone titanium spindle upgrades can easily retail for $150 USD). Aside from the exotic spindle, the rest of the pedal provides an experience that is in line with the high price tag, with great material selection and manufacturing skill on display. An upgrade for your bike that feels like an upgrade.

Long Term Durability

We’ve been testing the Crüe for a couple of months now, and there is not much to report on in the wear and tear department. The pedal still spins like when it was new, and the pedal body has held up well to rock strikes and such. IGUS bushings will eventually start to wear out a bit, but when they do, that usually translates to a little bit of axle play but not catastrophic failure. We did wonder if there was a weight limit on the titanium spindles, but once we were informed that Kyle Strait runs them, that put our mind at ease…Kyle is smooth but he also goes huge, and he’s a big boy!

What’s The Bottom Line?

The flat pedal market is awash with options, but that doesn’t mean that a company can’t come up with a great offering that will contend the best-in-class title from the outset. That’s exactly what Sensus has done with the new Crüe – it’s grippy, comfortable, and smooth underfoot, with a large platform that supports different foot placements without feeling clumsy or unwieldy. The price tag stings but you get exotic materials, low weight, and fantastic workmanship for your money. If you’re looking to treat yourself to something a bit special, these fit the bill!

More information at: www.thesensus.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 49 // Years Riding MTB: 17 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan 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