DMR’s V-Twin clipless pedal might be a bit heavy and fairly pricey, but the big platform design offers loads of tuneable support and grip, while the floating mechanism makes clipping in a doddle, even under pressure. If you’re a serious downhill or enduro rider and want the support and feel of a flat pedal with the benefits of a clipless setup, it’s one of the best.
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At the heart of the V-Twin pedal is a floating pedal mechanism ‘borrowed’ from Shimano’s legendary but now ageing line of DX clipless pedals. The basic design has a tough outer cage that offers plenty of support to the sole of your shoe paired with a clipless mechanism that can rotate around the axle, within the platform. It’s sprung so that the forward stud of the cleat can quickly engage with the pedal as you push down and it’s a neat system that I found really easy to get into, even when trying to recover after panicky foot-out moments on descents.
The system is Shimano SPD compatible and the cleats work interchangeably, with 5º of float from a mechanism that’s designed to stay working in sloppy UK conditions – something it did very well. The release tension is adjustable from very light to pretty damn firm
Where the V-Twin improves on Shimano’s designs of old is in the fact that the platform is highly tunable, using a system of shims and studs to allow you to tailor the support and traction to your taste. As well as the flat studs pictured here, you also get a set of more aggressive pins that protrude from the platform and shims of different thickness, so you can get everything just so, depending on the exact sole shape of your shoe.
I found the more aggressive studs to be overkill, but it was easy enough to get different shoes working well with the pedal by switching shims around. I tend to prefer flat pedals for any form of gravity riding but I really found the feel of these pedals to get very easy to get on with, especially the ease of clipping in and the float that your foot to rotate a bit, giving it a very natural feel.
These pedals have had a soggy six months or so but the bearings are still nice and smooth, as is the floating mechanism. At £10, a rebuild kit is very reasonably priced too, which does offset the fairly high asking price. Even by the standards of full-platform clipless pedals, 560g isn’t very light, but they have put up with an absolute beating, which is probably more of interest to anyone looking at these than a few grammes saved here and there.
If you’re after a set of supportive platform SPD pedals for aggressive riding or just want some more support for normal use, the V-Twins should definitely be on your shopping list. They’re supportive, tuneable, work really well and there’s an endless rainbow of colours for you to choose from too.
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