Review: HT Components AEO2 Pedals

MoreDirt member James Sawyer has recently had some HT Components AEO2 Pedals fitted to his DH bike for testing. Read on to check out his thoughts and views.

Contact points with the bike are critical in downhill; they provide control and power but also are where the force transfers from bike to rider.

Choice of pedals (like grips) is surprisingly personal but, unlike grips, understanding which is best for you is somewhat of a minefield. With the advent of much lower bottom brackets, thinner pedals are in vogue and with the advent of decent grippy soles, pedal pins and concave shapes are relevant features to consider.

For DH, weight should be a secondary consideration to function and strength but is this is still a factor important to a lot of riders. Finding all of this in a pimp looking setup isn't as easy as you might think and there are many overpriced and underperforming pedals currently on the market which disappoint.

HT components currently don't have a UK distributor so you have to order from their facebook page (a new experience for me) as they direct sell from Taiwan. Their pedals first came to our notice through the sponsorship of Aaron Gwin. Outside of their own website, however, there are few useful reviews or commentary. HT offers quite a range of pedals with their lightest, the MEO1T coming in at a crazily light 234g and containing a titanium axle. The pedals on test here were the AEO2 which are still a competition busting weight of 305g for a pair (have a look at other pedals to compare how light this is).

They arrived sharply and very smartly packed in a nice looking box. Straight out the box what was immediately noticeable was the very thin profile. This was critical for me for running a DH bike with such a low bottom bracket to avoid pedal strikes. Visually these pedals are very nice looking and the red finish was excellent.

Out on the bike, the pedals have performed perfectly. With a pair of old five tens, the grip was perfect; not so grippy that you couldn't move your foot, but grippy enough for stability on rough ground and in the air. A real bonus to the design is the ability to adjust the friction in order to control the spin of the pedals. Having the friction set heavy meant that the pedal was always there where you wanted it when your foot reconnected. I have a feeling that there will be less tattooed shin in future due to this feature. The profile of the platform is pretty much spot on; some riders may prefer a more concave platform which would be impossible on a pedal with so little thickness but the height of the pins means that you don't feel the axle through the show and it doesn't affect grip. The platform is large enough and the pedal sheds mud really well.

All in all an excellent performing pedal, one that looks different (in a good way) and is currently not very common on the trails. A solid all round performer for both DH and Enduro...

For more information visit http://www.ht-components.com/