Outlier’s Void pedal is yet another on the market that goes about things a little differently. With a unique look comes interesting performance that’ll please those who like deep concave pedals, shed loads of traction, and surprisingly good support. However, sealing leaves quite a lot to be desired as the pedal is void of seals, and they don’t come cheap.
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Outlier Void pedals – Technical details
Although the Void is as minimalist as it gets when it comes to flat pedals, Outlier takes full advantage of its unique spindle design. Rather than using an axle that runs throughout the width of the pedal, the Void’s is much smaller, running only through the innermost edge. That small spindle then rotates around a pair of oil-filled 7902 cartridge bearings that are pressed into the pedal body and separated by a small spacer.
That pedal body is machined from 7074 aluminium and features 18 pins altogether, with nine per side. Those are M4 screws with tapered heads, and when installed, they measure 5.71mm, says Outlier. Handily, the brand throws four extra pins in the box. The pedal body itself measures 115mm in length and 115mm in width, however, five millimetres of that width is taken up by the lump that houses the bearings.
As there’s no axle running through the whole of the pedal, Outlier has managed to make the Void incredibly thin. 9.85mm, in fact, which should mean that there’s plenty of pedal clearance to avoid rock strikes and such.
The brand recommends these pedals for upwards of UK 7 and EU 40 foot sizes, and take note, they’re designed to accommodate up to 110kg in total rider weight.
As for the weight of the pedal, Outlier states 229g for a single pedal, whereas I’ve weighed one pedal to be 227g.
Outlier Void pedals – Performance
Although the Void looks mighty different to anything else on the market, and departs from the usual flat pedal design, really, the ride feel is nothing too far from the norm. But that interesting semi-platformless design does make for an excellent pedal.
Installing the Void is a slightly different affair from usual. The threaded bolt isn’t fixed to the platform, and the internal spacer can get in the way when pushing it through, but other than that, it’s a case of winding the bolt in place, and you’re good to go.
Such large bearings are not common on pedals, certainly not oil-filled bearings, and the result is a ridiculously smooth rotation from the box. There’s incredibly little friction within those bearings, which will likely save some watts, as with only a light tap, the pedal will spin for days, seemingly.
Outlier’s bearing configuration does come with one key caveat, however. It only relies on the bearings’ own seals. Other than those, there are none. While this helps reduce the friction of the pedal, it’s not taken all that long for dirt to ingress, and for them to get rather gritty. So what was once a super smooth and quietly spinning pedal is now a little noisy.
The Void has seen its fair share of wet and dry rides, and mostly dry, to be honest, but I expect the grit to get worse as the weather turns. Better sealing would likely harm the pedal’s overall lack of friction, but it would certainly help on the longevity front, as would going for regular ol’ marine grease-filled options. However, 7902 bearings are fairly easy to come by, unless you’re looking for the oil-filled kind. Outlier does offer a service kit, but it’ll set you back $69 CAD, which is about £40, give or take, so it’s not cheap, with many rebuild kits for other pedals costing half that.
That said, a quick clean under the caps that sandwich the bearings does do something to quieten things down, but the pedals aren’t spinning quite as lusciously as they did when fresh out of the box. And that’s only after a few months of riding.
Bearings aside, the Void is a great pedal, but to address the elephant in the room, I’m yet to get my foot caught in it. If that were to come close to happening, my foot would nudge the pedal into the correct riding position before chaos were to ensue. I would have to do something incredibly wrong to get a foot stuck.
The way the pedal feels isn’t too dissimilar from Race Face’s Turbine pedal, which is cut with a deep 3mm concave. However, as there’s no real platform underfoot, the concave is as deep as a shoe’s flex allows. As such, the pedal’s feel rides very much on the shoe it’s being paired with. I tested it with the Five Ten Freerider Pro Boa, Ride Concepts Hellion, and Fox Union Canvas Mid, all of which vary in their stiffness a bit. The former shoe is more compliant, while the latter is perhaps the stiffest.
With the Freerider Pro, the shoe sank into the pedal considerably more, making its void feel a lot more apparent, whereas with the Union Canvas Mid, it didn’t feel any different from regular pedals. If you’re one to experiment with shoe choice, this offers a hint of adaptability to achieve the feel that you want. Granted, trying a pedal with a variety of different shoes isn’t exactly an affordable thing to do.
But with whatever shoe I’ve chosen, the grip that the Void offers is plentiful. The big old gap in the pedal’s body helps the shoe conform and bend a bit more, which then makes the pins sink deep into the shoe’s sole. Because of that, it provides an incredibly secure hold, even through seriously choppy terrain.
And despite there being a vast hole in the centre of the pedal, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the support it offers. It’s a large pedal which mates well with my EU44, UK 9.5 size feet, so its provided a solid platform, for lack of a better term. However, the pedal’s feel can be very personal. With flexier shoes, the fore and aft edges can feel rather proud. For some, this hooking sensation can bring better communication and contact with the pedal; however, I preferred a stiffer soled shoe, which made the pedal feel more consistent throughout its effective area. Either way, grip is abundant, and its overall size brings decent support.
Outlier Void pedals – Verdict
The Void comes with an asking price of around £223, including shipping, so it’s not a cheap pedal, but it does bring something rather unique in its shape and fast-spinning bearings. Whether that’s enough to compete with the likes of the £150 Wave Pedals from OneUp Components, well, I can’t say it is. Admittedly, the Wave Pedals aren’t as blingy, but they produce a similar level of grip with good support, and the wave profile delivers an incredibly natural feel and impressive comfort.
They do, however, bring the heat to the aforementioned Race Face Turbine pedals. At £170. These use a deep concave design with a large platform, and they’re better sealed so they’ll last longer before feeling gritty. They’re more ‘normal’ compared to the hair-brained blinginess of the Void, but they’re more consistent in performance owing to better sealing. However, their pins are mega long, which can impact pedal feel.
Outlier’s unique approach to pedal design is one that has paid off. The brand has delivered a pedal that offers exceptional grip and support while offering a pedal feel that you won’t find anywhere else. There’s a level of tunability to that feel, too, depending on whether you’re up for experimenting with different shoes. My only real concern is the sealing, or lack thereof, which has quickly made the pedal grittier in action than traditional designs, and they’re rather pricy.
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