[Tested] Gamut Podium Pedals

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Gamut USA is a rider owned, component manufacturer best known for their chain guides. In the last several years they have moved on and upward from chain guides, to handlebars, stems, and pedals. Several months ago we received the Podium pedal, Gamut’s new flat pedal. The pedal is based on the original, highly coveted Point One Podium pedal but with some nice, needed upgrades. They increased the durability and strength while maintaining the same thin profile which was so revolutionary when Point One first released the Podium.

Specs

Weight – 298g
Platform – 100mm x 100mm
Pins – Custom Hollow Silver Alloy
Bearings – 4 sealed Cartidge per pedal
Body – Forged aluminum machine finished
Axle – Chromoly steel

Price – $169.99

On the Trail

Technical details aside, the most important part about a flat pedal is its feel. As one of the contact points on the bike, it’s important to have a pedal that works for you. Having ridden many pedals in the past we’re excited to say this pedal felt great from the get go. No need for several, awkward rides to get used to them, just straight on to the trails and ready to shred.

Before we go too much further in to the ride quality, we need to mention the pedals looks : sleek modern lines with a thin profile, perfect for any flat pedal racer and right at home on the DH bike, trail bike, or hardtail pump track machine. And they come in the perfect color, black.

We got on the Podiums right at the end of winter in Santa Cruz which allowed us to ride them in the full range of conditions, from rain and mud, to dry and dusty and we have to say, they performed excellently and without complaint. They’ve held up to everything we’ve thrown at them and still feel as good as the day we got them. They offer a nice size platform with lengthy pins making a nice stable position for your feet, giving you confidence to charge the rough sections without the worry of slipping a pedal. One of our favorite parts of the pedal is the nice concave feel they have. The Podiums have 8-10mm of concave which we found to be just right, not too flat like some other pedals we’ve tried in the past.

A concern for any flat pedal rider is getting stuck in an awkward foot position while descending. When this did happen we were able to re-position without trouble but the pedal also gave the confidence to maintain our foot position if the section was too rough to risk moving our feet around. We loved the thin profile of the Podiums when riding them on the trail bike; this allowed for great clearance while pedaling over rocks and roots and allowed us to not worry about clipping a pedal on the climbs.  Additionally, from being freakishly thin you effectively have a longer crank length, thus providing more power while increasing clearance on the other side.  Win win.

After months of riding it was tough to find a complaint about the pedals but while the pins are a nice length and offered ample grip, the hollowness of the them did cause some bending when they snagged on rocks. While not a major issue for us, you may want to consider the stainless steel pins if you live in rocky terrain. Gamut also make pins in a variety of colors, which is always a nice feature for any rider looking to customize their bike.

Conclusion

Gamut has always been known for their clean design and aesthetic, producing light weight and functional products which the Podium pedal falls right in line with. We enjoyed the versatility of the pedal which is perfect for the all around rider who wants a pedal they can ride on their DH, DJ, or trail bike. We are also very impressed with the weight considering they feature a tough steel axle and aluminum body.  Most brands have to utilize a titanium axle and/or a magnesium body to get their pedals as light as these.  Factor in their amazing traction and on trail feel and you’ve got a clear winner.  Although the Gamut Podium pedals were sent to us as a test part we won’t be trading them out on our bike anytime soon.

www.gamutusa.com