# Pedals: Folding vs Detachable - options?



## seadragonpisces (29 Aug 2012)

Sorry another pedal thread

Well I have sold my Dahon Jetstream and the Reach frame I was going to get for my partner I have decided to keep for myself, it’s too good to spend money on a frame and other parts for someone who won’t care too much about looking after it (totally uncoordinated) and will be just as happy with an old Raleigh shopper.

Anyway along with the endless dilemma on which parts to buy for the bike (which the LBS is helping me with since it’s doing my head in), I am now deciding on pedals. Since my bike now strictly speaking is not a folder but a Mini Velo, I am now on the wrong sub-forum, oops sorry. I would however appreciate views on folding pedals vs detachable ones.

If anyone can please recommend some top quality ones I would appreciate it. I don’t want gold-plated ones or anything :-), I mainly want good strong build and super-light and they dont need to be super-expensive, I find that high prices dont necessarily equate to a top product

Many thanks


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## jefmcg (30 Aug 2012)

To me, with a folder, wrangling removable pedals seems like dreadful pfaff, but I'm mostly folding them on trains etc. Still, having to carry two pedals and the bike seems a fuss. I guess if you want toe straps/cages/clipless then removable is the way to go.

My current pair is MKS MD-6, and I'm pretty happy with them.


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## Twanger (2 Sep 2012)

my ha'penny's worth: detachable.

I have never used them, but you can't stick toe clips on a folding pedal, and clipless, afaik, don't fold. i have non-folding pedals with toe clips on my brompton because I just hate naked peds.


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## Red Light (2 Sep 2012)

Folding, trust me. You will regret going detachable the first time you can't remember where you put them/realise you forgot to bring them.


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## ufkacbln (2 Sep 2012)

I used detachable pedals for about 2 weeks!

I bought a pair of these:






After a week the plastic collar on the axle fell off whilst riding.

Then the pedals started detaching themselves, so you would stop at lights and find yourself skating on a pedal still attached to your shoe. With no grip you would find yourself unable to support yourself and fall over. after the second time I binned them

Absolutely lethal!


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## schocca (4 Sep 2012)

Hmm, I only use detachable MKS pedals and swear by them.

The two main reasons is for the powergrips on my Promenades for the all weather commuter and Ezy Cube clipless for the fair weather days. If it's raining, I definitely want something to keep my feet on the pedals...

On the Promenades, you can leave out the collar if you use powergrips and make sure that your shoe cannot touch the sliding detach point - I've been doing this since Feb without issue.

In July, I added Ezy Cubes to my folding road bike (Dahon Expresso with 700c wheels and drops). You definitely need the collar with them, but they have been faultless over two hundred+ miles so far and I definitely cycle faster than with the Promenades. The speed difference is noticeable, although detaching from the pedal is the usual pain with central London commuting.

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Pros of MKS Cubes
- Good for long distance as they definitely work. 2mph faster than Promenades with powergrips
- Small form factor
- Able to pedal for a small distance with shoe on top of the pedal without having to clip in.

Cons:
- Slower to detach at the lights.
- Need dedicated cycle shoes
- Addition of the collar, means that detaching the pedals takes a lot longer than the Promenades

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Pros of MKS Promenades with Powergrips
- Good for short/medium distance as they are. easily 1-2mph faster than standard folding pedals without a cage
- Works well in the wet with regular shoes, so no worry s about putting feet down into a puddle or your foot slipping off the pedal.
- Lightweight
- Very easy to cycle away quickly from lights - you can cycle a long distance without feet in the clips, then flip the pedal and go faster. This is extremely useful in central London.
- With Powergrips, you don't need the collar if the grips are setup correctly. This also means it's easy to take the pedals off when putting the bike into the back of the car for example.
- A lot easier to react to issues and get feet out of the pedal cages when it all starts to go wrong.

Cons:
- Feet sit further forward than with MKS Cubes - so need to get used to the feet position when swapping pedals.
- Not as fast as the cubes on open road.

---------------------------------

One thing I'm very happy about -> ditching my old MKS folding pedals - they were pants.


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## BalkanExpress (5 Sep 2012)

If your bike doesn't fold, then I don't see any good reason for your pedals to fold 

I have MKS detachables on my mini bike and they only come off the bike when I slide it under the bed to store it.


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## seadragonpisces (29 Oct 2012)

Well I didnt get folding or detachable pedals in the end. I kept my Odyssey Twisted flat polycarbonate pedals but also treated myself to a pair of the new Hope F20 flats and they are just what I wanted, thanks for info/tips


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## TerryCol (13 Dec 2012)

seadragonpisces said:


> Sorry another pedal thread
> 
> Well I have sold my Dahon Jetstream and the Reach frame I was going to get for my partner I have decided to keep for myself, it’s too good to spend money on a frame and other parts for someone who won’t care too much about looking after it (totally uncoordinated) and will be just as happy with an old Raleigh shopper.
> 
> ...


 
For those with a Brompton and would like toeclips that fit the standard pedals, there is now an available option, see http://www.alphabetcottage.co.uk/brompton-accessories.html


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