Professional Tweaks, Tips & Reviews By "AJ" Picarello
I hope you find my Tweaks and Tips section helpful. If there is something you want to know about, send me an email and I will try to add that to one of my upcoming articles.
I’ve owned almost every high end pedal on the market and none have as much traction as the Syncros “Mental” Pedals. No wonder Syncros names these pedals the Mental. The studs are vicious! They can certainly tear you apart. As it says all over their web site, wear shin protection!
[More
Syncros offers 5 styles of the Mental. I’ve been riding the “Mental Alloy” (503g’s). I chose the Alloy because they’re black anodized, have the most aggressive studs and are 300 grams lighter than the “Mental Stainless”. The “Mental Titanium” pedal is identical to the Stainless, but weighs 675g’s. The “Mental Magnesium” pedals have the same casting as the Alloy’s, and are painted white. The studs are slightly shorter to help prevent damage to the pedal bodies. They weigh 80 grams less then the Alloy’s. Magnesium is a highly corrosive metal. If the metal becomes exposed from a scratch, it will oxidize (rust) almost instantly. Last is the “Mental CroMoly” with non replaceable melded pins, designed for street/pedal grinds.
The Stainless Mental, Ti and CroMoly pedals have the same castings (slightly larger platform compared to the Alloy and Mag). What is of interest is their unique grease port system. Simply remove a center stud with a 6mm socket and insert grease. The more grease, the slower the pedal turns. The Alloy and Mag can be greased by removing the end cap (just as simple as removing a pedals stud).
The Alloy pedals studs are much stronger than the aluminum that they thread into. The studs can tear out of the pedals easily and will require some attention. I tore two out on the first day, (riding DH) completely destroying the pedals thread. I drilled and tapped the thread to work with a larger diameter pedal stud from Crupi. This one negative is not enough a reason to not buy these pedals. The Alloy and Mag are designed for racers (DH and BMX) that are accustom to routine maintenance. Buy the Stainless Mental’s if you prefer a bomb proof pedal.
The Mental pedal platforms are slightly concave and plenty wide. The traction they offer is outstanding. Bearing and spindle quality is top notch and the seals seem to ward off the elements. The Mental is very high end pedal that will remain on my bike for a long time. Syncros have left the competition in the dust. These studs are the best ever developed for DH platforms! Buy Syncros pedals if you ride in wet conditions or are simply tired of your foot slipping off your pedals.
![:]](http://www.downcycles.com/blogs/img/smilies/icon_cheeze.gif){kind=icon}
RSS 0.92
RSS 2.0
0.3