faq

Why the change from the carbon-reinforced nylon of the v1 pedal?

We experienced quality control issues from our mold tooling during follow-up production rounds, resulting in unusable parts. We made the tough decision to pivot our design to an aluminum pedal body, using nearly all of the same parts. We machine and assemble these here in Durango, making the transition as seamless as possible. We still believe in the performance benefits of our original material, and plan to reintroduce that product line when our budget allows, but are very proud of the aluminum pedals, and were able to incorporate minor improvements and bug fixes with this revised version.

Why the bearing bulge? Won’t I feel that?

While this might be an issue with smaller pedals, our platform is quite long at 120mm, features a deep 2mm concave, and is offset away from the crankarm to allow room for a large inboard bearing. Additionally, unless you ride with the ball of your foot centered on the spindle, this bearing sits within the natural curvature of your foot, and does not contact your shoe.

What’s with those weird traction pins?

Again and again, we found other pedals would lose a traction pin (or two) as the pedal body would be damaged and unable to accept a replacement when the threads would be destroyed by extraction of a mangled pin. We solved this issue with a full-length traction pin and side-loading bolt, thus eliminating those delicate threads in the pedal body, so you can have full traction for years to come.

How hard are the pins to replace?

With two directions to extract, these are the easiest to replace traction pins you can find, and in most cases are easily removed from the pedal body after unthreading the fixing bolt. In extreme circumstances, they can be punched out, pulled with pliers, or drilled out without losing the possibility of replacement.

Where are your pedals made?

The Altar is machined and assembled by hand entirely in Durango, Colorado. We are proud to be able to offer our components at a price that is competitive with the best of the other options on the market. While “Made in USA” is not a benefit in itself; what it ensures is means we have a supply chain that we know and trust, and are able to easily collaborate with, all while supporting workers in a small mountain town that deeply cares about the sport of mountain biking.

I use crank boots, are they compatible with the Altar pedals?

Yes, the Altar v2 is refined to work seamlessly with all crankarms and crank boots.

Any other questions?

Let us know below using the Contact page, we’d love to hear from you!