Pedals – Hermit's Woodshed

The Bike Hermit has a pair of MKS Unique pedals purchased in 1972 for the then princely sum of $25.00. The Mikashima Industrial Company, LTD in Japan has been making pedals since 1946 and is obviously doing something right. What follows is an overview of two of the dozens of pedal models the company offers today, the Sylvan Touring and the RMX Sneaker pedals.

The MKS Sylvan Touring pedal is on the left, the MKS RMX Sneaker pedal is on the right

mks touring and sneaker pedals — The MKS Sylvan Touring pedal in front of the MKS RMX Sneaker pedal.

The RMX pedals weigh just under 400 grams for the pair. Same as the Sylvan Touring pedals. Both pedal models use a cone and loose ball bearing system so they are user serviceable. The Touring model has a larger diameter axle and larger ball bearings which may make it more durable than the RMX pedal.

end view of pedals with dustcaps removed — Removing the dust caps reveals the larger axle and bearings of the Touring model on the top.

Aside from the apparent difference in size and shape, there are some functional aspects to consider as well. The RMX Sneaker pedal, because of the way the cages are made, will not accept any sort of toe clips or straps, but the Sylvan Touring model will. Either traditional toeclips with straps or the Power Grip system will work.

power grip strap kit — The Power Grip strap kit comes with all the pieces needed to bolt them onto a set of pedals.

power grip strap adapter bolted onto a pedal — Pedals with flat sides to the cage and two bolt holes will accept the angled adapter plate which comes with the Power Grip Strap kit.

Some people prefer to not be attached to the pedal in any way, and they are entitled to their wrong headed opinions. (just kidding) For those people either the RMX or the Touring pedals will work. For those who want a little bit of added security and who, like the Bike Hermit, are not coordinated enough to keep their feet on the pedals in all conditions, the Sylvan Touring model with toeclips or Power grip straps would be a good choice. Based on past experience, either set of pedals should give years of dependable performance.

I am quite content riding “Sky”, my Rivendell Bleriot .

In fact my Voodoo, set up with a front shock for more aggressive trail riding is gathering dust in the garage because I have so much fun tooling around on Sky. I also have my fair share of shoes and love nothing more than being fashionable while pedaling efficiently when running errands or meeting friends for dinner and drinks. On the other hand, I like to wear my Shimano bike shoes with clipless pedals for longer rides, weekend rides and touring. What I hate is changing pedals. After breaking my finger, a helmet and giving myself a black eye riding my son’s bike (so I could wear shoes that matched my outfit) the Bike Hermit gave me a set of Shimano A530 Clipless SPD/Platform Road Pedals. One side is platform, the other works with my SPD clipless cleat on my bike shoe.

Shimano A530 dual bike pedal — Problem solved with a SPD/platform pedal

Now it doesn’t matter what shoe I am wearing, I can ride Sky pretty much anywhere at anytime. The other nice feature on longer rides has been the ability to opt out of my clipless, flip the pedal over and still get a nice grip on my biking shoe. As I have been battling a tendon issue having the interchangeable option has been terrific. If we are bike camping or bike touring, at the end of the day, I can easily slip off my bike shoes and wear my sandals if we chose to go exploring once we have set up camp.

Shimano a530 with a street shoe — Great grip with my tennis shoe on the platform side

SPD side Shimana A530 — flip it over and my SPD cleat clips right in.