DEITY SUPERVILLAIN Flat Pedal

Deity’s TMAC pedal has been around for quite a few years by now, and in that time it has become widely recognized as one of the leading options on the market. Case in point, it has been holding down a podium position in our long-standing flat pedal face off ever since it was first published in 2016. Building on the legacy of such a successful product is always a daunting task, but that didn’t deter Deity from looking for ways to make it even better. The result is called the Supervillain, and it hits the shelves today (along with the Flat Trak, the thinnest pedal that Deity has ever made). We’ve had the Supervillain out on the trails for about a month, keep reading for our first impressions!

Deity Supervillain Highlights

• Non-offset, symmetrical pedal profile
• 113x105mm pedal body
• 14mm in center at the thinnest
• Featuring a deep 2.5mm concave profile
• 14 dual access loc-tite pins per side
• Extruded and machined from 6061 T6 aluminum
• Detail chamfering throughout
• Featuring a satin finish and a deep color luster
• Lasered graphics
• Includes an extra set of pedal pins
• Featuring DEITY’s load distribution system to prevent bearing blowout
• Full anodized color range available: Black, Red, Purple, Blue, Orange, Silver and Bronze
• Weight: 415 grams (verified)
• MSRP: $169.99

Initial Impressions

The TMAC heritage is clear to see from the very first glance at the new Supervillain. The large, symmetrical platform is very close to the shape and the dimensions of the TMAC, just a couple of millimeters longer front-to-rear. The Supervillain keeps the same deep concavity that makes the TMAC such a standout performer, and the pin placement is very close too. The 4 pins grouped towards the outer edge of the TMAC have been moved around on the Supervillain, placing a pair of those pins more towards the center of the pedal. You get a full set of replacement pins in the box - all the more remarkable when you also realize that the price of the Supervillain has gone DOWN compared to the TMAC.

Deity also looked for ways to make the Supervillain a bit lighter, with smoother edges to help it glide over obstacles more easily. On the scales, there’s only about 20 grams in it, but that's enough to see it improve its score against the Weight criteria in our face off and thus make a move up the leaderboard...

As for the fabrication, the Supervillain features a deep and rich satin-like finish that not only looks good but also makes the pedal surface a little less slippery (not a paramount concern with so many pins on grip duty, but it can nevertheless make a difference in areas where the shoe might contact the pedal body itself). The axle system is brought over from the TMAC, with its 3 bearings and one bushing per side it has proven itself to be both robust and reliable over the years. The pins are of the classic grub screw type, and can be accessed from either side to give you the best chance of being able to remove them if they should end up mangled or snapped.

Deity also launched the Flat Trak pedal today. This is their thinnest pedal to date, which foregoes some concavity in favor of a slimmer profile, but otherwise inherits many of the same traits and shapes as the Supervillain. We’ve not had the time to test it properly yet, so stay tuned for our impressions at a later date.

On The Trail

We felt at home on the Supervillain from the very first ride, which was of course to be expected given how well we’ve always gotten along with the TMAC. Riding the two pedals back-to-back, you’d be hard-pressed to pick out any major differences, but the extra size of the Supervillain front-to-back provides even more room for your foot with the same locked-in feel as the TMAC. The small inner bearing bulge sits well under the plane of the pins, so you’re free to place your foot wherever you prefer on the large platform.

In terms of grip, the Supervillain delivers in spades. The pin placement is highly functional, and this pedal will save your bacon even if your foot should come down in the wrong position. It’s easy to find a spot that feels natural, regardless of how you place your foot, they’ll support you whether you have the pedal in the middle of the foot or more towards the front. The new outer pin placement is certainly as good as the TMAC, and we suspect it might be slightly more efficient in wet conditions (although we’ve yet to test that aspect). At any rate, the grip is top notch.

Another important aspect of pedal performance is durability and longevity. We’ve been running TMACs on some of our bikes ever since they were first introduced in 2015, with excellent results. The very first iteration had some issues with the axle coming loose, but that was remedied a long time ago and we have nothing untoward to report after years of use and abuse. We fully expect to see the same kind of results with the new Supervillain, which will translate to many happy miles ahead.

What’s The Bottom Line?

“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken” is always true, and Deity will keep making the TMAC for the foreseeable future in case you were worried that it might disappear. However, there’s always room for improvement if you look hard enough, and that is exactly what Deity has done with the new Supervillain. It’s a bit lighter, slightly bigger, and overall more streamlined than the TMAC, while delivering the same faultless grip as its predecessor, which makes it a formidable competitor in the flat pedal market and certainly one that we can heartily recommend for most any kind of riding. And yes, it has just taken over the top spot in our Flat Pedal Face Off too!

More information at: www.deitycomponents.com.

About The Reviewers

Johan Hjord - Age: 51 // Years Riding MTB: 19 // 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.

Nils Hjord – Age: 20 // Years Riding MTB: 12 // Height: 5’9” (1m80) // Weight: 176-pounds (80-kg)

Always committed to having fun on his bike, Nils likes to keep his wheels in the air almost as much as on the ground. Although he enjoys going fast and is no stranger to burping his tires off the rim, he has dedicated most of his riding time to mastering manuals and making his tabletops flatter – but that doesn’t mean he can’t put the hurt on his wheels through a high-speed rockgarden too, when needed. Good thing his dad is a full-time Vital staffer with access to lots of bike parts that need testing!

Photos by Johan Hjord and Tal Rozow