PNW Pedals

Spindle Standards, Platform Width, and Crank Compatibility

Both PNW pedal models run a standard 9/16" thread spindle, which fits virtually every modern adult mountain bike crank on the market. There's nothing exotic here - you're not hunting down a specific tool or worrying about compatibility. Fit them and forget it, mostly.

That said, there's one thing worth flagging before you start wrenching. The Loam's wide platform sits close to the crank arm, and if your cranks have thick rubber crank boots - common on carbon SRAM or RaceFace units - you may find the pedal body fouls the boot slightly. A pedal washer solves it neatly, but it's the kind of thing that catches people out in the car park on ride day. Worth checking before you leave the house.

On the biomechanics side, the broader platform stance of both models pushes your foot slightly further from the centreline of the bike compared to a narrower pedal. For most riders this is a positive - it gives a more stable, planted feel and makes weight distribution through corners more intuitive. Riders with particularly narrow hips or those coming from a cross-country background may need a short adjustment period, but the platform width quickly earns its place on rowdy descents where foot retention is everything.

Loam vs Range - What You're Actually Choosing Between

The honest answer is that the choice comes down to material and margin, not performance philosophy. Both pedals share the same pin count, the same bearing architecture, and the same concave platform geometry. Where they diverge is construction.

The PNW Loam is forged and CNC-machined from 6061 aluminum. Forging aligns the grain structure of the alloy, which means the finished pedal is denser and more impact-resistant than a cast equivalent. The CNC machining step then refines the profile to a tighter tolerance - you get a thinner, stiffer platform with a tactile surface texture that works well under rubber-soled shoes. This is the pedal you'd choose if longevity and feel are the priority, and you're happy paying for it.

The PNW Range uses glass-fiber reinforced nylon composite. That's not a budget compromise so much as a different engineering call. Composite pedals flex slightly under impact rather than transmitting the full force - useful when you're clipping rocks on a chunky Peak District line. They're also naturally resistant to corrosion in a way alloy never quite is. You do lose a touch of the Loam's precision feel underfoot, and composite platforms tend to wear their pin threads faster over years of use, but for a rider who wants solid grip without spending at the top of the market, the Range is a genuinely strong option.

Both models run 22 replaceable steel pins per pedal - that's 11 per side - with under-mount threading so the pin heads don't snag on rocks or debris. The pin pattern covers the platform well and can be customised by pulling individual pins if you find the grip too aggressive for your shoe sole. Comparable platforms from DMR and Burgtec take a similar approach, though PNW's under-mount design is a cleaner execution on paper.

Need to replace bent pins or refresh your bearings after a heavy season? Head over to our dedicated PNW Pedal Spares page for full rebuild kits and replacement hardware.

If you're building out the contact points on your bike, PNW's own grips and handlebars pair well with either pedal - the brand's design language is consistent across the cockpit.

Surviving a UK Winter: Bearings, Mud, and Maintenance

Here's where the bearing spec actually matters. PNW uses a dual-bearing arrangement: inboard roller bearings paired with outboard sealed cartridge bearings. The roller bearings handle the primary load and spin smoothly under pressure; the sealed cartridge bearing at the outer end takes the lateral forces and keeps water and grit out of the spindle assembly. It's a more robust setup than a single-bearing design, and it's a meaningful spec choice for anyone riding through the kind of wet, gritty conditions that turn cheaper pedals into grinding paste within a season.

The Peak District is particularly brutal in this regard - trail grit mixed with standing water creates a fine slurry that works into any gap you give it. The sealed cartridge bearing at the outboard end is the first line of defence, and PNW's implementation is tight enough that it doesn't need frequent intervention. That said, a rinse after muddy rides and an occasional check of the bearing play costs nothing and adds months to the service interval.

The open platform design on both models helps with mud clearance. Winter slop doesn't pack into the platform the way it does on a pedal with a more enclosed body - it sheds as you pedal, which keeps grip consistent through a long descent rather than degrading as the mud builds up. Worth thinking about if your regular rides involve anything like the kind of wet clay you find on the Surrey Hills in January.

On installation: always apply anti-seize compound or waterproof grease to the 9/16" threads before fitting. It sounds basic, but it's the difference between a five-minute job and a seized spindle six months later. Torque to the manufacturer's specification - around 35Nm is typical - and you won't get the creaking under load that plagues undertightened pedals on rough ground. Left pedal has a left-hand thread; it's marked on the axle, but it catches people out more often than it should.

If you're after a different flavour of flat pedal - perhaps something with a higher pin count or a thinner-profile body - Hope and Deity are worth a look as alternatives. And if you're running a PNW dropper post already, the dropper post range pairs neatly with these pedals for a consistent spec across the bike's key components.