DMR Vault Flat Pedals - Test
There are three types of rider when it comes to pedals, those who use flat pedals, those who use SPD style clip-less pedals and those who use both. The clipless pedal people will say they feel insecure on flat pedals, the flat pedal people say they need freedom of movement, but with certain types of flat pedals some of those fears can be put to sleep as they are actually able to grip almost like clip-less and at the same time give freedom of movement.
A flat pedal needs a large platform, good grip, solid axles that move well and a low profile where possible. All these elements add up to give an easy to find efficient base for where to put your foot when riding. The DMR Vault pedal fufils many of these attributes.
Features
The pedal base is very wide and significantly concave, combined with some really grippy and adjustable pins, the first time a foot is placed on the pedal a very secure feeling can be felt immediately.
5.10 Impact shoes, the main shoe used with these pedals, are known for being quite wide and the coverage of the pedal is significant and almost up to the edges with a size 11 US, 10 UK, 45 EU shoe. This large stable platform, 115 mm wide and 155 mm long with a profile depth of 17mm combined with a perfectly shaped concave gives a very stable feeling. Used with 5.10 shoes the pedal is probably about as grippy as it gets with flat pedals.
The pins are adjustable with a hex key and in some positions it is recommended to remove and try different pin combinations in order to get the riders personal optimal level of grip and comfort. The pins should be checked reasonably often to make sure they are adjusted correctly.
Mounting the pedals is via a 6mm hex key. The axles are of excellent quality that despite many months of use, particularly the threads, have remained in excellent condition and showed no signs of wear despite being removed and remounted many times over.
One feature often overlooked with pedals is the durability of the colour coating, and in this case despite a lot of contact that would induce wear, the colour has stayed put very well.
Weight is always a consideration when choosing pedals for trail use and in this case the Vault which is made of 6061 aluminium does well, with the cromolly steal axle version coming in at around 430 grams.
Performance
It is well known that clipless pedals transfer power when pedalling very well and better than when using flats as power can be transferred on the upstroke as well as the downstroke, however with the Vault and a correct shoe, the efficiency in the test riders experience was very good, at no point did it feel that energy was being wasted, especially due to the wide base and grippy nature of the pedals which helped in power transfer.
Pedalling on trails then, which were aggressive in some instances with rocks and roots on a 175mm crank was great, the profile of the pedal is very thin, minimising contact with ground obstacles. If the pedals did take a hit they stood up well to the impact. The pins though do need checking as they can come loose after a few impacts, with the odd occasional lost pin.
Descending with flat pedals and assessing their performance is only possible if the rider has experience with flat pedals, in this case compared to other flat pedals that have been tried these probably have the best contact area tested to to date. Even beginners to the flat pedal style will find that their foot stays put and allows them to move the bike around with absolutely no trouble.
The main advantage of flat pedals is, particularly in the case of the DMR Vault, the wide base that gives amazing foot stability when riding hard into corners and great bike control, yet at the same time the security for the rider that they are not fixed to the bike and can instantly with out thinking remove the foot and put it down for balance or for safety etc. This safety aspect was demonstrated in a crash when the bike did not follow the rider, in a specific case the bike dropped beneath the test rider in a technical section when they were about to go over the handle bars and the rider just “jumped” off the bike. No injuries, no major crash, all because flat pedals were being used. Contrary to this though in particularly rough terrain if the bike is bouncing around in general with flat pedals it can be hard to maintain contact with the pedals at all times, in general this is due to rider skill level with flat pedals, with practice this can be overcome. However if using the DMR Vault this problem is very much reduced as the base is so wide and stable and grippy, meaning in normal conditions it is very difficult to loose contact with the pedal.
Lastly when riding down a trail it is necessary to often move the bike around, hop over trail features and in some cases jump. The Vault affords a level of grip and control in all circumstances, that in the test rider’s experience is close to that of a clip-less pedal. This marginal advantage of clip-less pedals compared to flats is negligible with the Vault.
Maintenance needed over the 6 month test period to the axles was exactly zero, with the bearings sealed incredibly well despite the dusty and at times muddy riding environment. Pins do need to be tightened fairly frequently but this can easily be carried out when doing general day to day bike servicing.
Conclusion
Flats or clip-less is and always will be a matter for each individual rider. Yes clip-less pedals are marginally better than flats for power transfer, but in our experience the extra control and stability that the DMR Vault pedal provides is a key feature that negates this in our opinion. When evaluating for trail use the DMR Vault has excellent axle durability, a great look, a reasonable weight and finally great functionality and control for all levels of rider on smooth or rough trails, this leads us to think that this is the best flat pedal on the market that we have tested to date. Any level of rider’s feet will feel completely glued to these pedals. Prices are (around €120) inline with competitors in this segment but in general the feel that a rider gets with the DMR Vault is superior and more stable than all the others tested over the last year.