
EARLY REVIEW
OneUp Clip Pedal
Launched a couple of weeks ago to much curiosity and interest, OneUp's Clip Pedals arrived here for testing at about the same time. Having earned a great reputation for, well, everything they make, a OneUp Clip(less) Pedal - especially such a nice looking one, and available in eight colours - was compelling to me as well. Especially because they did a wise thing and decided to adopt the SPD (Shimano Pedaling Dynamics) cleat and interface system. First introduced in 1990 with the PD-737 pedal, it's been so good, reliable, and consistent, that the system has hardly changed in all that time - 35 years!
Shimano's pedals have evolved over that time, but not as much as every single other component on your bike, and the cleats are identical (I think - it's possible they've made some tiny refinements but visually they seem identical). I don't still have those first PD-737s that I bought back in 1991, but I'm confident that if I still did, they'd still work just fine. In the 34 years since I bought them, I've owned many sets of SPD pedals, and hardly ever had a problem (one axle-related failure common to the 2011-2013 or so time period, and one broken retention claw which happened recently). I've spent quite a bit of time on flat pedals over those years, and a short period of time on Crank Brothers clipless pedals (and quickly decided I didn't love them). However, when it's been clipless for me, it's been SPD - they feel like home.
The reason I just spent a paragraph talking about my love affair with SPD at the top of a preliminary review of OneUp's new Clip Pedal is because even OneUp acknowledged Shimano's dominance in this space in their marketing materials. Their weight, thickness and size platform were all compared to various Shimano models - and for good reason; SPD is the gold standard, no use pretending otherwise.

OneUp's new clip pedal comes in seven striking colours.

OneUp says this is the thinnest clipless pedal on the market at only 26.8mm.

Remember when SPD pedals had a window to display spring tension? I miss that feature. Good on OneUp for bringing that back.
OneUp Clip Pedal Details & Specs
Billed as a trail/enduro/DH capable pedal, OneUp's Clip platform is wide for stability and to help with entry, thin to save weight and minimize pedal strikes, has four hollow pins for added traction, adjustable tension, a stainless steel binding that OneUp claims 'eliminates unnecessary movement' for a more locked-in feel, and DH-rated spindles. Lastly - and importantly - OneUp went with an inboard igus bushing and three outboard sealed cartridge bearings. They have many years of experience making pedals that hold up well in our tough coastal conditions, that are easily serviceable, and replacement parts are reasonably priced.
Weight: 410g with pins (4 pins per side)
Thickness: 14.4mm (body), 26.8mm (binding)
Size: 80mm x 90mm (W x L)
Stance width: 57.5mm (center of clip to outside of crank face)
Float: 5° (12° release angle)
Cleats: OneUp Cleats (SPD Compatible and includes 1mm cleat spacers for shoe fit tuning)
Bearing configuration: Inboard igusTM Bushing and 3x outboard sealed cartridge bearings
Axle: Chromoly Steel with Black ED coating
Pins: Hollow M5x8mm threaded pins (self cleaning hex through hole)
Colours: Black, Red, Green, Dark Blue, Orange, Purple, Grey, Bronze (Purple and Dark Blue apparently sold out almost right away - they should be back in stock soon)

From the side, the OneUp Clip is thin, no question.

Here's a Saint by comparison. It's even chunkier when you compare them from the top. Still a great pedal, though.

Nice looking package, no plastic, small footprint. Pay attention, bike industry, this is how it's done.
So far, so good. By the numbers, these pedals hold up to OneUp's claims of competing with Shimano's Trail and DH-rated SPD pedals (XTR and XT Trail and Saint, respectively) on weight, thickness, and cost - in the latter case, OneUp's $219 CDN pedal lands squarely between Shimano XT and XTR ($175 and $270) and slightly more than Saint ($210). I pulled out the scale and the calipers and did some measuring - those results are below.
OneUp Clip Pedal vs. Shimano SPD
Spec | OneUp Clip Pedal | Shimano XTR Trail | Shimano Saint | Shimano XT Trail |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thickness incl. binding | 26.8mm | 29.7mm | 33mm | N/A |
Size (W x L) | 80mm x 95mm | 72.5mm x 97.5mm | 79.5mm x 99mm | N/A |
Weight (per pedal) | 207 grams | 198 grams | 274 grams | N/A |
Cleat Float / Release | 5º / 12º | 4º / 13º | 4º / 13º | 4º / 13º |
MSRP $ CAD | $219 | $270 | $210 | $175 |
Pedaling the OneUp Clip
In case it wasn't abundantly clear, I've only had these pedals for two weeks. In that time, I've had a chance to use them for four rides. To say this is a preliminary review is a given. However, I wanted to get something out about them while they're fresh, and then follow up after I've had time to ride them with more shoe and cleat combinations. The importance of this should soon be clear, but given that we're comparing these pedals to a 35-year gorilla, things like durability and compatibility can't be proclaimed too soon. It'll be a while before anyone can know how these will hold up to the title holder, but, again, OneUp has a very solid reputation for both good design and manufacturing practices, as well as great customer service. Let's dive in.
For rides one and two, I used Shimano MW-701 winter boots (last gen) as it's been cold enough here that I didn't want to have to cut a ride short due to wet feet. For that reason, I was using the Shimano cleats that were already installed in those boots. Initial impressions were notable: the clipped in feeling was SOLID. No play. As advertised by OneUp and unlike Shimano which does have a tiny side to side 'free play' before you hit the end of your float and either run out of play or kick out and release. And while I don't at all mind the amount of play you get with a typical SPD pedal, the locked in feeling of the OneUps was nice. Whether I preferred it or not is hard to tell - once riding I really didn't notice a difference. The first few entries and exits were clanky so I made sure to cycle the pedals about ten times on either side. This is par for the course - I normally do the same with fresh SPD pedals or cleats. Five to ten cycles handles most of the break in, after that I just dial in tension and I'm good to go. I left the OneUp Clip Pedals at the tension they came with - three clicks in from fully open (aka loose). That tension felt stiffer than roughly 3/5 of a typical XTR Trail pedal tension. I like 'em tight but not like a ski racer and I'm honestly not super fussy about spring tension - if it's tight enough to prevent accidental releases if I hit a rock at moderate pace or cheat a bit when pulling up from my feet, I'm happy, but they don't need to be so tight as to require an aggressive kick out.
The rest of rides one and two were uneventful.

Everything you get in the box: pedals, cleats, bolts and plates, shims, and a bearing service tool. 10/10.
For ride three, I invoked what had been my plan all along, which was to use Shimano and OneUp cleats in two identical pairs of shoes (Shimano GE9) so it would be a fair fight as far as shoe fit, cleat pocket, placement, etc. Weather warmed up a bit and the second pair of shoes arrived, so I installed the OneUp Cleats (without shims) and went for a ride. I should have tested them first, though, because I clicked in in the parking lot, then had to turn around to make sure my dog was following me, and when I realized he wasn't, I almost fell over when my left foot didn't release smoothly. 10 ins and outs (both feet, both sides) later, the right side was golden, but the left side was still stubbornly hanging up when I tried to kick out about 85% of the time. I pushed off, knowing I'd have to be a bit defensive on that side on tech uphill sections, but otherwise I had planned a mellow route so no biggie.
On two separate crux climb sections, I fell over. Couldn't unclip the left side after spinning out on frosty roots. Shit. Well, actually, once I couldn't unclip at all, and once I mostly unclipped but the cleat didn't entirely release from the cage. Same outcome, sliiightly different cause. "Ok", I thought, "well, you're the dummy that didn't test them before leaving for the ride, serves you right". Got home, played around with them, installed a shim on the left side only. Made no difference on ride four.

Listen, I promise the follow up to this review will feature nice photos - likely by Deniz. For now, let's just focus on dimensions here between these three main players: Shimano Saint (top left), OneUp Clip (top right), and Shimano Trail XTR pedals. Also, note how the OneUp pedal has four 'tails' between the two bolted retention plates to one for either Shimano pedal. I'm speculating one of those is interfering with OneUp cleat release (but not Shimano).
It Might Be the Cleats
The problem I was/am having is that I can feel the cleat hanging up on the retention mechanism. I can unclip but the cleat doesn't entirely come free. It's only on the left side - the right works perfectly. I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole of examining cleat dimensions and designs, chamfers and bevels (there are some subtle differences between Shimano and OneUp), installation depth and lateral position (centred - nothing there), shim on and off. The next step is to huddle with OneUp - I'd like to try another set of cleats and possibly another pedal, but I think it's the cleats. I do not know if something is outside tolerance or if something else is up. When you look at the OneUp pedal retention mechanism, there are a lot of extra claws or 'tails' that - maybe - are what is interfering with the cleat. It feels like the problem
To be clear, I also tried every combination of Shimano-->OneUp cleat/pedal interface between two pairs of Shimano-cleated shoes (Shimano MW-701 and GE9) and one pair of OneUp-cleated shoes (GE9). For reference:
Shimano cleat + OneUp Clip Pedal = Excellent entry, solid retention, excellent release.
OneUp cleat + Shimano Saint Pedal = Excellent entry, solid retention (albeit with a small amount of free play), excellent release.
OneUp cleat + OneUp Clip Pedal = Good entry, excellent* retention, excellent release (one side), poor release (other side).
*excellent retention in this case meaning none at first - rock solid - but with a bit of pedal/cleat wear, the difference is not as noticeable as that first clip in with either cleat.
A few extra notes. Shimano pedal entry is slightly smoother (both cleat types). Shimano pedal exit is smoother (both cleats). By smoother I mean there's the tiniest feeling of elasticity, but paired with the metal on metal interface, it's a nice elasticity, not a vague one (like what I get with Crank Bros pedals). The difference is subtle and partly audible.
OneUp Clip Pedal entry is solid, and maybe the difference in entry and exit feel comes down to a slightly different steel in the retention mechanism. Exit with Shimano cleats is smooth and consistent. It's when I used OneUp cleats with OneUp pedals that I started to have problems - again, on the left side only.
Performance of the OneUp Clip Pedal with Shimano cleats is 100%. They're great. The only issue is on one side with the OneUp cleat. I'm now fully invested in figuring out why.

I was tempted to go with Green or Red or Purple or Orange...but I asked for Silver because they'll look better, for longer. If in doubt, silver pedals hide scrapes and blemishes better than anodized colours.
Conclusion - For Now
When used with Shimano cleats, even early days as we are, I have zero reservations with recommending the new OneUp clip pedal. With OneUp's proprietary (stainless steel) cleat, there's something going on with my test sample, and I don't yet know what it is, but there are release concerns. I'm going to try a few things with OneUp and will report back in 2-3 weeks. If you're an early adopter of this new pedal and have an issue, I'm sure OneUp will make it right, pronto - but I'd also love to hear from you.
In all other aspects, this is a great pedal from OneUp and I'm looking forward to spending more time on them. Back soon with more.
OneUp Clip Pedal - 219 CAD / 160 USD / £143 / €156
OneUp Cleats (SPD compatible) - 18 CAD
Comments
Chad K
2 weeks, 5 days ago
I'm an early adopter of the pedal and have only tried them with shimano cleats and have some initial thoughts (coming from XT, XTR, and Saint pedals):
1) I like the close to saint sized platform without the extra weight and height. I feel like I'm getting less pedal strikes than current XT pedals on pedal strike prone trails. Saints are even worse for pedal strikes. The worst crash I had in 2024 was from smacking a saint pedal on the lateral edge so hard against a big rock that the force ejected me over the handlebars at and angle in the middle of a big rock garden hard enough to damage a chinbar on a full face and put some serious scratches on a chest protector.
2) The mechanism and shoe interface does make a lot tighter of a pedal interface with Fox Union Boa shoes than shimano XTs do. Back to back (or one per side) the one up pedals have a much less "ice skatey with shoes on" feel of the shoe on the pedal body, which I like a lot. The float feels like slightly less but it's not restrictive.
3) I found the pins made the clipping in feel a bit gummy. I actually pulled the pins out mid ride and found that was definitely an improvement. The pins aren't adjustable, which I dislike. One-up does say to remove the front pins, then the back pins, when trying to dial in feel. I took them all out, but will try the back pins only at some point.
4) the tensioning system does not feel balanced left to right. It could very well be my own body asymmetry, but I find it has a slightly different feel between the two pedals. Honestly doesn't matter as it can easily be adjusted for (a click or two more or less per spring as needed). I'm pretty sure I did the same with my XT and XTR pedals.
5) I'm not sure if it's just not be adjusted to the new pedals yet, but I find the shimano pedals easier to get into. I can stomp my foot right into an XT pedal with ease. Takes a touch more finesse with the one-ups
I'm not 100% sold on these but I'm still excited to keep dialing them in as I move them between bikes for a bit!
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Thanks for your thoughts on this, Chad.
I'm with you on Saint pedal strikes - I didn't bother getting into close ups on all the pedals as this was just meant to be a quick hit, but my Saint pins are murdered, especially the rear outboard ones. For that reason, I don't expect the pins on the OneUps to last that long either - they are wider and more prominent than the Saint pins.
That crash you had sounds nasty. But from the sounds of it, you were in for a huge crash no matter what pedal you were using, right? I may be misunderstanding 'lateral edge' but the differences I measured between total stack height of Saint vs OneUp was 6mm - or 3mm per side. Not nothing, but not the difference in my mind between huge crash and not.
I didn't play around with pin removals yet but since most of the shoe/cleat combos I tried worked well, I hadn't felt compelled yet. Lots of time yet to play around and I'll definitely do so before making a more comprehensive update.
Didn't play around closely enough with spring tension yet to notice a difference from side to side. Noted - will examine.
Shimano was smoother for me, but that was a feel thing. But yes, entry was a little easier. To be fair, though, my Shimano pedals are all much more broken in, so no matter what cleats I used, I'd expect them to be slightly easier. It'll take 5-10 more rides I think before it's fair to judge true ease of entry and exit with the OneUps.
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Chad K
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I agree, I can't imagine the one-up pins handling a long-term beating, but at least they are removeable from both directions, which is an appreciated design element.
As for that crash, absolutely think I was going to eat it no matter what based on what happened. By "lateral edge," I meant outer/outboard edge of the pedal. Took an actual chunk out of the pedal body that is essentially across from the spindle (so it was the side that hit, not a leading edge of the pedal). It was a weird crash. You're likely right that the 3mm difference would not have been the difference between a crash or not but I will happily take any extra clearance I can.
Good point on the shimano pedals being more broken in. I've logged a lot of miles on mine as well so I'm sure that has to play a role somewhere in the mix
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Gotcha. That's what I thought at first but then was like "wait, so you smashed the body under where your foot was...?" Which I've done, too, but then we're weighing body platform width (generally liked by downhillers) vs wiggly little maneuverable pedals (which is one thing I quite like about narrow clipless pedals like Shimano Trails). Anyway...sounds like a heavy one!
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Chad K
1 week ago
Just as an update, after a lot of troubleshooting, the number one thing that helped the pedals achieve a smooth release was two drops of Tri-flow lube on each of the pedal springs. Went from getting caught on release to having the pedals be equally as smooth as my shimano pedals. Talk about a massive improvement for a small change.
We shall see how long a re-lube lasts, but so far no issues on the 4 rides since (including in horrible wet, sandy conditions). A drop of lube on the pedals may be something that becomes part of the routine of lubing up the bike chain after washing.
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bullit
1 week ago
May be a solution but for me is a no go have to lube 160€ pedals,I admire the One up brand and the team behind but or me this one was a shot on the foot,sold the pedals and I’m happy again with my XT Trail again,in the process lost 80€ but I can handle
Moritz Haager
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Thank you for this review, and the attention to detail. The release is by far the most important consideration for me in a pedal. Too high a proportion of injuries and broken bike parts have come from stupid slow speed falls where I haven’t been able to get out of my pedals. I’ve also seen people busting their neck falling off low skinnies for the same reason. Here are home in Edmo I ride mostly clipped in, but when I go anywhere like the shore it’s flats for me for that reason. I love the look of these pedals and I really hope you can solve the release problems. I look forward to the follow up article.
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Ripbro
2 weeks, 3 days ago
Man, I’m still running my shimano 747 pedals (bought in around 1997ish) on my fat bike, and XT trails on my ripmo. Was looking at these one ups, but these early impression from the review and from the comment section make it sound like there is an issue.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 3 days ago
Yeah, I've still got a set of 947 I was gifted by someone who just wanted a new set around 2009, all they needed was a quick strip and rebuild and good for another 30 years. Actually just reinstalled them today and mazing how smooth they feel.
Will definitely be a wait and see thing for me with regards to these pedals, they're one thing I'm not willing to F'around with, got really lucky once in what could have been a nasty crash because of a faulty pedal that I couldn't unclip from, not taking that risk again, especially not when Shimano builds such reliable and inexpensive pedals that just last - was searching to see if any other sites etc were reporting on this issue and cam e across a 50 hour service guide for One Up pedals and was like WTF, 50 hours, really :-\
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Cr4w
2 weeks, 4 days ago
This is great news. I always loved Shimano pedals but in the last few years found I would exit them prematurely maybe due to excess body english (though I did try fresh pedals and fresh cleats to confirm it was still happening). I've been on Look X-Track Enrage Plus pedals for years and the've delivered the extra spring tension I want and have been totally reliable. Cool to see a new option in this space. I look forward to trying the Oneups next!
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Hey Cr4w, thanks for the mention of those Looks, they actually do look quite nice, although can't say as I've ever had a too soft spring tension issue with Shimano or Nukeproof that I've used, actually am normally running the tension quite soft unless the cleats are very old/worn, then maybe I crank them in. Don't see weight mentioned anywhere on the product page, ever weigh yours?
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bullit
2 weeks, 4 days ago
i´m having problems with my pedals too,Fox and Crankbrothers shoes beeing with shimano or One Up cleats and the cause is the pins,when i take the pins off the entry and release is as Shimano,but as soon as i put the pins the entry is diffcult and the release too,i never liked pins on SPD shoes,it doesn´t make sense to me,if you have to turn your heel to disengage the pins will always grab your shoe sole.When i acidentally unclip i cant ride again until i clip ,so waiting to try Shimano shoes as my last resource.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Yeah, I had similar issue with a set of NukeProof DH pedals and the pins catching, my solution since they have a good bit more was remove a few and lower the height of them, seems like maybe this could be the case with these. Have similar thoughts as to why you'd need pins on a clipless pedal :-\
[Edited to add] This was when I moved from my 8 year old Shimano Trail shoes to more flat pedalesque Ride Concepts Accomplish shoes.
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Chad K
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I agree that pins on clipless pedals only seems to add more downsides than upsides. I found in this case it made the unclipping motion feel "gummy.'
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crgcrmny
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Pins are completely removed. Try the a little weight on the pedal, and twist. A Shimano “ejects” this does not.
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bullit
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I’ve tried with the pin removed and the show loose the support of the platform,you feel al your weight ao the ball of the foot where the cleat is
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daveg2
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Thank you for posting this! I'm running these pedals on shimano ME7 shoes, I've had the exact same problem. Tried them with my old shimano cleats and they seemed fine. Installed the new oneup cleats, and both sides had issues unclipping. You can feel the mechanism 'release', but it still wants to hold on to the cleat. I don't think I've actually fallen over yet, but I've had several very-close-but-not-quite comedy falls. It's like learning to use clips again.
I dialled back the tension to the smallest marking, and still had the same issue.
I then installed the spacer on one shoe, and still had issues.
Confirmed that the pins weren't getting stuck on the tread.
I assumed it was maybe a break-in issue thing, so went for a ride and was intentionally clipping/unclipping every few minutes to speed up the break in, but this didn't seem to help. Anecdotally I found that a "fast" unclip seemed to work ok, but a more causal unclip (e.g. rolling to a stop) is where I was getting caught out.
I'm going to reinstall the old shimano cleats and ping oneup to see if they have any recommendations.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Yep, that's exactly what I'm experiencing - 'click' of the release, and then a snag, as if I could dangle the bike from one corner of the cleat if we were in the air (until just the right angle is reached and it lets go).
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Perry Schebel
2 weeks, 4 days ago
huh. i've been on these for a couple weeks & have experienced the same odd phenomenon a couple times; rotation past the release point, but shoe is still (somewhat) retained. first time it happened it felt like the cleat wasn't tight enough & was rotating in the shoe, but that wasn't the case. doesn't really bother me given how infrequently it seems to occur, but still curious. great pedals otherwise.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
That was exactly my first thought! "Damn, did I not do these up tight enough?" Followed by a quick upside down shoe visual. Nope.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
OK, too many people commenting that they're experiencing the exact same thing for this not to be either a design or manufacturing flaw - my money would be manufacturing flaw/out of tolerance on something.
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bullitman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Yeah starting to agree and wish this review was done a couple days ago. I bought a pair - on 2nd ride. First ride I tried to adjust trail side - not the smartest as small parts and they came apart. Set them up at home afterwards, took the bike for a short ride (2 km) - the R side is okayish, L side clips in but loose ASF. Never had these problems with Shimano - ride and go. Love One-up, but starting to think these are a fail. Will try a little more, but I guess I threw my $$ away.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Don't give up just yet. Based on the amount it sounds like you've so far used them, you're still in the break in period. If the L side is so loose, what happens when you add a few clicks?
Experiment a bit, then reach out to OneUp. They care, their customer service is great, I'm sure they'll want to work with you to make it right.
JT
2 weeks, 4 days ago
After re reading the article a couple three times I am wondering if maybe the left shoe is the issue. Did you try swapping the cleats from each of the GE9 left shoes? I ask as I had a pair of shoes where the last and sole of one weren't aligned perfectly so the tread interfered with the release pretty significantly. Getting in, no sweat, getting out was a good bit tougher, and that was on ATACs.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
No, I didn't, and this occurred to me last night - it is a potential variable, of course. I will exhaust everything in the pursuit of the answer, but I didn't do that yet.
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JT
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Always has to be one hyper analytical/critical person in the forums. I remember a call from a dealer back in my industry days running us through the mud about something and then it turned out that it wasn't our hardware that was being used. It sucks when there's an issue but it sucks worse when it's someone else's product creating the issue. Sucked even more since said dealer was still, somehow trying to make it our issue, facts of the matter, logic, and reason be damned. That's all to say I'm curious to see how it washes out and anyone reading should keep an open mind.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Yes, exactly. These are new pedals. Even OneUp is curious about shoe compatibility. Since they don't make their own shoes, they're somewhat at the mercy of others. Shimano makes a lot of the interface they closely design so the two work together well. You can call it marketing (and it is) but it can be marketing AND design/engineering and in their case, it's usually that latter combo, since that's how they roll.
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Chad K
2 weeks, 4 days ago
This conversation prompted me to remember that I may have seen some signs of shoe contract imbalance with my Fox Union Boa shoes. During some of my earlier rides with the pins still in, one day I stopped mid ride and took a look at the pins in the one-up pedals and noted that 4 of 4 pins on the right had some wear on the top (starting to get the silver hue from shoe contact), but on the left, only 2-3 of the pins did. If I remember correctly, it was the rear pins that showed the wear and the front outboard pins on the left still looked completely new.
I had commented about clipping out feel/effort differences above and this was likely a part of it, but the imblance did persist after taking out the pins
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Andy Eunson
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Did you swap cleats left to right? I didn’t read that you tried that. Does anyone recall the Shimano 858 death pedals? Those had their own cleat (sh55?) that had a flange at the front which if you didn’t rotate out perfectly flat could catch and get a bit stuck. Maybe something like this is happening here? Maybe an edge on the one cleat is catching something on the pedal mechanism.
I had something similar with a pair of Look XC race pedals. They would sometimes stick when twisting out. That was with ME7 shoes. With my XC7 race shoes, non issue. I couldn’t figure that one out.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Oh, I only vaguely remember those! What year(s)? My list is growing but that's a good addition. So far here's what I'll be trying during lunch:
Swap OneUp cleats to opposite sides.
Actually, swap both onto the OTHER pair of shoes as well (eliminate or isolate shoe as the problem).
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Jotegir
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Interested to hear if there's any durability concerns but perhaps you won't have them long enough/aren't hard enough on pedals. I kinda need to run shimano-like retention systems on clips for knee reasons and on the DH bike have a strong preference for the saint platform. Unfortunately a set of saints lasts about a season for me so I'd love a more durable option.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Dang Jotegir, while not super expensive, it still isn't a cheap yearly thing to have to replace. Is that because of weight or do you ride lots of super chunky tech or weight or a bit of both?
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Jotegir
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Both! But also, speed on the chunk is a factor. The tech trails we have in the interior are typically a lot more point and shoot than the shore but it also means that when you stuff up or clip a pedal the impacts are higher. Season passes at bike parks are always hard on equipment, doubly so for the interior ones (my list of stress cracked frames is long). Before enduro bikes became 36+ lbs and prior to Sun Peaks massively expanding their flow trails, if someone rolled up for a season up there on a single crown bike, you pretty much knew it wasn't going to make the season. It's a bit better now for both trail and bike quality reasons but there's no escaping the sheer punishment bikes recieve.
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Jerry Willows
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I've had Saints and XT's and for some reason the Saints are way less durable. I had to get a bearing kit every year. No issues with XT's in a few years.
Just got some OneUp's for the Slash... no rides yet but I have noticed the bigger platform right away.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
WTF, how does that even begin to make sense that the DH specific pedal, cannot take what the Trail pedals can, that's insane.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Saint bearing system is older. And remember, the people wearing them out ride a lot, and hard. I'm not making excuses, but I'm not surprised (about Jerry anyway, I don't know Jot). Edit: just saw Jotegir's failure is not bearings. The one he's encountering is not a great look for a DH-rated pedal.
Jerry Willows
2 weeks, 4 days ago
anecdotal but it's what a local bikes shop mentioned as well. Could be a sealing issue? Apparently the newer model is better
Andy Eunson
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Maybe you get more pedal strikes and that damages the bearings?
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Jerry Willows
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I always ride the same trails.... no point varying from perfection.
AndrewR
2 weeks, 3 days ago
@jotegir Have you tried the Chromag Pilot. I only use mine for fat biking but they certainly look well made, they hold when they are supposed to and release when I want them to.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
What is failing for you? One of the issues we face as testers can be that our riding/use gets spread across multiple bikes, which means our mileage is spread across drivetrains, brake pads, tires, etc. Obviously many riders/readers have multiple bikes as well but I think you get the point. As far as pedals go, I've usually got 2-3 pairs in rotation across bikes.
For the first time this fall I smashed a SPD pedal hard enough to ruin the retention mechanism - first time I'd done or seen that. I ride in rough terrain and weigh 190-195 but am generally not super hard on parts (anymore - I broke lots of stuff when I was younger).
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Jotegir
2 weeks, 4 days ago
The specific point of failure is that pin inside the retention spring doesn't seem like its drilled quite deep enough into the pedal body. It comes out (likely by impact but these are DH pedals and it doesn't happen on XT/XTR stuff with years of similar use) and that's about that for the particular side of the pedal. I've ran XT trail on DH bikes for years before saints came out but once the saint was released I couldn't go back. I didn't typically run those DXRs because there was too much plastic, it too would break - not to mention they're like 1.5 inches thick.
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turd_alert
2 weeks, 4 days ago
how is the shoe/pedal interface? been thinking about replacing saints with these, namely because i don't feel any contact between the shoe (2fo) and the pedal platform on the saints, even with pins wound all the way out etc. maybe i should just get another set of hopes instead...
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I haven't spent enough time on that yet and OneUp themselves are the first to say different shoes will be different. I have some 2FO Clips here that I'll include when I take that on. So far, honestly, didn't feel a huge difference between XTR Trails and the OneUp - haven't ridden the Saints back to back with them yet. I think I'm going to be doing a lot of pedaling over the next month with different pedals and shoes on either side.
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crgcrmny
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I’m experiencing similar, especially when rotating past 12 degrees, with a little weight on the pedal. There’s a hang. I’m used to clipping out at the CB 15 degrees. OneUp has been great to deal with thus far, however, I don’t have a solution. Tried different shoes and both OneUp cleat and an SPD I had around.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Which shoes? And you had the issue only with the OneUp cleat, but not with Shimano cleats on the OneUp pedal?
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bullit
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Fox shoes with Shimano Cleats (not new) and Crankbrothers Mallet lace with the OneUp cleat
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bullit
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Fresh news, I was using the Shimano cleats on the Fox Union, and the OU cleats on the CB Mallet Lace, change the OU cleats for the Fox Union and they work nicely,I put them a little more in the middle of the shoe instead of pulled completely back
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RNAYEL
2 weeks, 4 days ago
@Pete, have you used the Time Speciale? I have both the 8s (on my commuter) and the 12s (on my MTB), wondering how these compare?
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I haven't. Deniz has some right now, and he also tested the Chromags and is usually a SPD guy. I may try to get some to compare but it won't be right away.
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Allen Lloyd
2 weeks, 4 days ago
These intrigue me. Back east I wore Time because SPD always clogged in the clay based mud. Years later I tried eggbeaters for about a mile and actually ended a ride early because I hated them so much. I have been on flats for 10 years and would like to get back to clipping in. These look like a great option.
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hobbanero
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I got these hoping the platform would provide more support when I am panicking to get my foot back in on a tech section and failing. My experience with the pins was not good.....they really made it hard to release. I guess that is their job, after all. On OneUp's recommendation, I pulled the pins out, but the experience was very similar to my XT Trail pedals. I tried some shorter pins (5mm instead of the stock 8mm)....easy release and maybe slightly more secure than no pins while on the pedal but not yet clipped in.
I can confirm that the purple looks awesome when new, but it does show those scuffs.
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Danno
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Hi Pete,
Thanks very much for posting this. I too have had release problems and tried a combination of installing the spacers, backing off the tension, and removing the pins to no avail. I installed the cleats on a brand new pair of Crankbros shoes and initially put it down to the shoes not being compatible but now I'm not so sure as I experienced the same caught up feeling you described on both sides. I was disappointed with and thought I would wait until I get a new pair of non-Crankbros shoes before trying them again however I will now see about giving them another go with Shimano SPD cleats.
Cheers
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Blownoutrides
2 weeks, 3 days ago
Crankbrothers addict until I started snapping spindles on harsh landings (seat to nuts is no bueno). Anyone come from mallet dh’s to OneUp? Interested to hear how they compare
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Caspar Beronius Christensen
2 weeks, 2 days ago
Shimano ME700 ! Sure a 100gr is 100gr and colors are nice if Ure into that, but Ill take a tried and no fuss pedal + 100$ in my pockets any day over this. Bonus : no crying when I smash them into immoveable objects :-)
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Zero-cool
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I’m interested to find out ow these compare to DMR V-Twins (which also use SPD) and Hope Unions which are similar.
Until then we’ll stick with trusty (and indestructible) Shimano DXs in our house. Although my with does want blue pedal so watch this space, lol
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Jenkins5
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Thx for the early review. Wanted to grab these but this thread has scared me off. I'll let others figure out the small issues before throwing down my $ and stick with XT's....A rare early miss from OneUp. Guess when you get big enough things like this are bound to happen....
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Perry Schebel
2 weeks, 1 day ago
one man's opinion -
i don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the pedals (as a very long time shimano user, i prefer them - so far - to my previous 3 generations of xt's as well as saints) - just that the body to cleat interface is closer, so more sensitive to sole profile / thickness variations.
my trail shoes (shimano mw5, me5, 5-10 kestrel) are all good; no cleat spacers, no issues. my hellcats (the only shoes to hang up a bit on exit a couple times) needed a spacer to allow reasonable engagement. i can still feel the sole contact on the pedal body more so than the trail shoes (which I like; nice solid feel), but that probably contributes to the exit retention. thicker cleat spacers and/or pin tweaking might loosen up said interface, but as it is it doesn't bother me (and will likely loosen with use).
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I think this is sober thinking. Also understand why some may be hesitant until they get more info. Buying the pedals and then possibly having to add shimano cleats on top is another 30 bucks.
Update: OneUp and I are in touch and they're doing some digging. I'm planning an update to this article but we're probably 2 weeks away.
For anyone experiencing issues, reach out to OneUp, they'll work on getting you sorted out.
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AlexPerson
1 day, 23 hours ago
Got a pair. Was on XTR trails for 5 years prior, DX before that.
With Shimano cleats and crank brothers shoes, the clip in and riding experience was excellent. However, with the tension cranked to near max, I experienced the same hang up problem with release stated in the article and failed to release a few times.
With Shimano cleats and SH GE-900 shoes, the experience is perfect. No problems with release at all. The ride quality is solid, with none of the play of the XTR pedals. And no accidental release ever (which I occasionally experienced with hard pedal strikes or hard pulls with XTRs). The ride feel is better than XTRs. There's more connection with the bike. More option for higher tension. And stepping onto the pedals without time to clip in was much better than the XTR platform.
It was a good enough improvement over the XTR pedal experience, that I went back to Shimano shoes.
I have not tried with the oneup cleats yet.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Have been waiting to here/see a review of these on here, thanks for the very comprehensive initial thoughts and data, very helpful. Can't believe that with all those colours available, you chose gun metal :-p
To the issue releasing, as ChadK said, could be that there's slightly different tension left to right pedal, so maybe you need to check that out, see if maybe you need one less click on the left than right. I had an issue once with a set of think it was 540s something similar and when I found out after it caused a nasty crash I got lucky on, I found that a spring on the left pedal was actually shorter, so get engagement meant that you were actually tightening down the mechanism tighter than on the right, once I figured that out, I was golden and just didn't do as many turns as the right.
Another thought is, are you 100% symmetrical in your hips and legs or is maybe your left leg/hip maybe not as mobile as the right? in 2009 after 3 hard falls on my right side, I had this happen, so much so that I have to adjust my right cleat twisted more so it released at a shallower angle relative to the bike as I can't rotate my hip as easily/far as the left.
Thanks especially for the measurement to the centre of the clip mechanism, was wondering about that, it's something that's very important to me now after the knee break. What I can't/don't understand, is why do manufacturers not make flats and clips the same width outside of crank to centre of pedal, makes absolutely ZERO sense to me - most flats seem to be about 65mm, whereas as most clipless are around 54/55mm and personally, on flats where I can place my feet wherever, I find that I am still to the outside of them and can see about 10mm pf pedal body, so would love to see that measurement on both be more like 70-75mm or at least have that option in a longer spindle. Right now I se 20mm axle extenders which, besides being quite heavy, work just fine and have been durable for the last bit over a year I've had them.
One last suggestion, have you taken a careful look at the engagement mechanism for sharp edges and maybe taken a small diamond file to clean them and the cleats up a bit for that sort of stuff? This is something I actually will do with new cleats instead of having to wait for them to rub/break off from engageing and disengagin from the pedal.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
It's not tension causing the issues. My preamble about 34 years with SPDs might have tipped you off to the fact that I probably am not having issues due to uneven tension, but I guess that was too subtle. If you re-read what I wrote, you'll see it's a physical snag as if the cleat is actually not coming clear.
Hip symmetry is not out of the question however, again, I haven't had this issue with any other pedal/cleat/shoe combination in all that time. I am going to play around with cleat positioning further forward on that side but the reason I used identical shoes with both sets of cleats was to try to eliminate some of these variables. It's not a flexibility thing or a release angle capability.
I've looked pretty closely at everything but that doesn't mean I didn't miss something. However I do not think it's reasonable to expect a customer to have to file down their cleats or engagement mechanisms. I've always been able to get to a good level of tension and release by just riding them - break in has always been minimal.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Don't get the thing about SPD and tension thing, we all can miss stuff, especially with new stuff, that seems familiar to us, which can lead to a false sense of, well this ain't new, I got years dealing with this and then you miss something.
Yeah, read the bit about using the same shoes on both pedals, think that was a smart idea, but also did note that the One Ups have 1 degree more float, but 1 degree less release, so maybe something that shows up there.
As to having to file down the cleats/pedals, it's not necessary, but I don't like having falls while they break in and it can happen even if you try your best to only go on mellow trails or trails you know and so should not encounter anything unexpected - had a fall early on when I started MTB in soft sand on new pedals and really did in my shoulder, so not a fan of repeating that, I'll take the precaution of going over the cleat and pedals and filing off any sharp/burrs I notice.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Yeah, I'm not saying YOU shouldn't file stuff down, I mean whatever works. It's just that I've put enough ride time into these that they should be at least partially broken in, and we have to do things a little differently when testing gear than you might do it at home. Filing down cleats or mechanisms would mean I can't comment on the break in period, making it bad review methodology.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Yup, I guess coming at it from that perspective it makes total sense and the right thing to do, but noting possible work arounds isn't a bad thing either in cases where maybe someone doesn't have easy access to warranty or replacement or things just haven't been figured out yet by the manufacturer.
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Tim (aka DigitBikes/DirtBaggies)
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Is there a reason we don't have composite platformed SPD pedals? I feel like that should be a thing.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
With composite flat pedals, you're substituting molded plastic for machined metal - saving money on raw material and production cost. In the case of clipless, no reason why not, except I doubt you'd be saving as much $, except maybe for a large DH style platform...hmm, maybe you've hit on something.
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Tim (aka DigitBikes/DirtBaggies)
2 weeks, 4 days ago
The OneUp composite flats are 10% lighter and $100 cheaper than their aluminum counterpart!
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Jerry Willows
2 weeks, 4 days ago
There as some composite SPD pedals around but mostly hybrid. Composite materials, while strong, is not as impact-resistant as metal, particularly against rock strikes. Metal interfaces hold up better to repeated clipping in and out, whereas composite would wear down faster. Composite materials can flex more and prone to UV degradation. Only super weight weenies would ever consider composite spd's.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Less so weight weenies, and more cost-cutters, just like with flat pedals I would say. Weight weenies use clipless pedals without frames, aka XC-style XT(R), egg beaters, etc.
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Tim (aka DigitBikes/DirtBaggies)
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Now that you mention CB Egg-Beaters - CB Candy pedals have plastic cages, though they're more of an anti-roll-off-the-egg-beater-in-your-hard-soled-xc-shoe mechanism than an actual platform.
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Ah that's right. Forgot about those. And of course they have many versions now, although most of the new AM/Enduro ones have metal bodies.
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Tim (aka DigitBikes/DirtBaggies)
2 weeks, 4 days ago
There's a race-sized Bontrager composite SPD pedal which is a weight weenie offering, but I was thinking more along the lines of using the nylon composite material which is used for OneUp's flat pedals as the platform portion of an SPD trail pedal.
If it worked the same steel clip mechanism would be attached to the plastic, just like it is on the aluminum body shown above.
It might not work, but if I were a pedal company I'd make prototypes.
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Curveball
2 weeks ago
I have some Time composite pedals that have held up very well.
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XXX_er
2 weeks, 3 days ago
Not an engineer but if i had to guess i would say the composite wouldn't hold the metal SPD mechanism as well as a metal platform does, the mech would probably have to somehow clamped to the composite and maybe its easier/ more reliable to just make the whole thing out of metal ?
The silver is a good idea, the blingy colors look darling right now but IME with yellow Chester's picked to match the Maxxis tire lettering in a season they just looked like poo
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mrbrett
2 weeks, 3 days ago
Shimano DX 647s?
~10 years ago was the last time I had some I’d guess.
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Zero-cool
2 weeks, 1 day ago
We have 2 pairs in our house, both are ancient and still going strong.
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Andy Eunson
2 weeks, 2 days ago
These are composite. https://www.lookcycle.com/ca-en/products/pedals/mtb/cross-country/x-track-race-carbon-ti
These are the pedals I have that had the same issue as the subject pedals. With worn ME7 Shimano shoes, release was inconsistent. It felt exactly like the cleat was not tight on the shoe. Both with Shimano and the Look cleats. Got new shoes. Shimano XC7. Tried again and they worked just fine. My guess is that the older shoes had some play from a worn sole so twisting out sometimes the shoe and cleat could tip a bit and hang up. New shoes are more solidly contacting the pedal body.
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Zero-cool
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Shimano did so with their DX (and a budget pair of similar design), they claimed that the resin/plastic platform shrugged off hits better and slid over rock better. Our’s are ancient and still going strong
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