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review
Pedals
System EX 365 Touring pedalsSystem EX pedals

System EX 365 Touring pedals

6
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Jan 12, 2011

0
£14.99

VERDICT:

6
10
Good for the asking price but require regular overhaul
Weight: 
371g
Contact: 
www.extrauk.co.uk
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System EX SED 365 pedals aren’t the least bit glamorous but stripped and reloaded with lashings of lovely marine grease; make serviceable pedals for everyday town hacks. Bargain basement homage to Campagnolo’s classic rattraps, their aggressively serrated cages are drilled for toe-clips and straps but conveniently entertain anything from sandals to steel toes. Urban terrorists and furious fixers will rejoice in the knowledge their low profiles are particularly sympathetic to aggressive cornering. However, tourists and retro cross riders should dig deeper and in favour of sealed bearings.

£15 doesn’t go far these days and while the polished alloy bodies and loose bearings lack finesse, annual replacement and plenty of marine grease should keep them dependable for a few seasons. Turning the axles, bearings felt alarmingly arthritic but common to others at this end of the market, will bed in after the first hundred or so miles. Curiously the axles aren’t Cro-moly but Boron, an extremely hard and comparatively lightweight steel alloy used widely within the car industry.

This should withstand phenomenal abuse without failure-perfect for the rough and tumble of utility riding and urban commuting. Storming up the climbs, turning an eighty-one inch fixed couldn’t induce any disconcerting squeaks, creaks or flex. Similarly, full pelt descending with increasingly aggressive angles of lean failed to ground a dust cap or clip a cage at the crucial moment.

Talking of cages, these are razor sharp and so every bit the proverbial double-edged sword-just the ticket for flicking up and powering away at the traffic light grand prix but excruciating on contact with the shins. Much to my surprise, the polished alloy hasn’t tarnished despite regularly mingling with the salt monster but for all their cheer, examining the internals after three weeks indicates poor weather defences so stripping and thoroughly greasing the innards is fundamental to their longevity.

Verdict

Good for the asking price but require regular overhaul

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road.cc test report

Make and model: System EX 365 Touring pedals

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

•Barrel polished aluminum body & cage

•Ball bearings

•Boron steel axle

•350g pair

•9⁄16'

More of a commuter/everyday pedal than one I'd choose for touring.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
6/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
6/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
6/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
6/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? For my hack

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, in the above context

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

System EX 365 Touring pedals
flat pedals
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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