Platform pedals with traction pins are great for keeping your feet in place, but they can cause joint injuries by restricting your natural foot movements. The 8 Degree Pedal is made to help, as it’s the first platform pedal that’s designed to float.
If you’ve used clipless pedals, you’ll know that they float – and no, not on the water.
Even though the shoe is mechanically locked onto the pedal, it’s still free to passively pivot inward or outward a bit without releasing. This allows the foot to self-center on every pedal revolution, staying in natural alignment with the knee. As a result, there’s less strain on the knee – and on the hip and ankle – reducing the likelihood of joint injuries.
While float has long been considered important with clipless pedals, it hasn’t been much of a consideration with platform pedals, as the shoe isn’t locked onto them. However, on platforms with traction pins, the shoe does stay unyieldingly in one position as long as downward foot pressure is applied.
That’s where the 8 Degree Pedal comes in. It’s designed mainly for mountain biking and BMX, although it’s also being marketed towards commuters.
8 Degree Pedal
While the 6061-aluminum-bodied pedal may look like a regular platform from the outside, it contains a self-centering, spring-loaded mechanism on the inside. This allows it to move by up to eight degrees with the foot relative to the crank, automatically returning to a center position.
Not only is the pedal claimed to reduce joint strain, it also reportedly improves stability and control, since the need to constantly reposition the foot is also reduced.
8 Degree Pedal – X8-1 Demonstration
The 8 Degree Pedal comes with one set of medium-tension springs preinstalled, which are catered towards most riders. That said, also included are sets of lighter- and heavier-resistance springs, which users may swap in with a metric Allen wrench.
Buyers can choose between two models.
There’s the large-platform X8-2, which offers 108 x 111 mm of foot space, 12 adjustable-height pins per side, 8 degrees of float, and a weight of 554 g (19. 5 oz) per pair. It’s priced at US$240.
Riders who are looking to go smaller can go with the X8-3, which has a 100 x 100-mm platform and a weight of 537 g (18.9 oz). It also sells for $240. Both models are available in a choice of eight colors.
8 Degree Pedal
8 Degree Pedal inventor Kenneth Belknap tells us that a thinner, lighter model – the X8-4 – is currently in development.
Source: 8 Degree Pedal