Tested: Deity TMAC Pedals
Vital ReviewReview by Fred Robinson // Photos by @luca_cometti_photo
Tyler McCaul and the team at Deity Components have been cooking up something special. Having first spotted these pedals at the 2015 Sea Otter Classic and later seeing them pop up on various Deity-supported athletes' bikes, to say we were eager to get our hands on a set of them would be quite the understatement. With almost three years in development, Deity cut no corners when it came to creating a pedal both Tyler McCaul and they, themselves, were completely satisfied with. Deity even went as far as making a second mold after they weren't 100% happy with the first design. It's clear all parties involved invested quite a bit when it came to creating what they're calling "your dream pedal!" So, did they accomplish what they set out to do? It's time to put the rubber to the road, or in this case, rubber to the pedal... or should we say pedal to the metal... forget it. We tested the hell out of these things, so read on to see how they did.
Deity TMAC Pedal Features
- The Tyler McCaul Signature Pedal
- Extruded and machined from Deity molds and 6061 T6 aluminum
- The largest Deity pedal to date
- 110mm x 105mm footprint
- Super concave, 2.5mm deep pedal profile per side
- 14mm thin at the center
- Symmetrical pedal profile
- Dual sided pins with pre-applied Loctite
- Includes extra set of back up pins
- Load distribution system to prevent bearing blowout
- Multi micro-sealed bearings and Deity DU bushing internals
- Heat-treated Cr-Mo Spindle that is compatible with a standard 15mm wrench or 8mm allen
- Available in five high-polished ano colors and also white powdercoat
- 409 grams
- MSRP: $168.99 (USD)
Initial Impressions
Big, concave, sexy. Who doesn't love a great looking pedal? And aesthetically, Deity pretty much checked all the boxes in that department. The graphics complement the shape and machining of the pedals well while the anodized finish makes the pedals stand out nicely without looking overly obnoxious or absurd. We also appreciate their no-gimmick approach to the TMAC as it looks like Deity hasn't tried to reinvent the flat pedal, just simply refine it.
Looks aside, Deity and TMac got aggressive in regards to the "geometry" of the new signature pedal. At a 110x105mm-footprint, this is the largest Deity pedal they have ever produced. And at a 2.5mm drop from the pedal profile to center, these are the most concave pedals we've seen.
It's worth noting that with the TMAC pedal, Deity didn't follow the current trend of "thinner is better" in relation to the overall thickness of the pedal body. The pedals measures out to 16.5mm on both the leading and trailing edges, with a center thickness of 14mm. That's a substantial increase when compared to their Bladerunner pedal, which is just 11mm thick. The TMAC's are not exactly the lightest pedal on the market, either. But at a reasonable 409 gram claimed weight, if the performance, feel and durability of the pedal is as good as Deity says it is, an extra 50 or so grams is something we can swallow.
One of the most intriguing features on the new TMAC pedal is Deity's departure from the standard offset pedal design we're all so used to. The new pedal uses a symmetrical pedal shape, claiming that the offset standard came about due to the brick-like qualities of pedals produced in the late 90's and early 2000's. Back then, in the dark ages of pedal tech, having such thick pedals required a ramped edge in order to rotate the pedal properly under the foot if the user tried placing their feet on them while they were pointed straight up and down. Now, with thinner pedals, that's no longer necessary and using a symmetrical design allows for more foot purchase, specifically on the trailing end of the pedal, which in-turn, should result in fewer slipped pedals. Deity details the shape of the new TMAC pedal in their official press release, which is definitely worth a read.
On The Trail
So, how does all that stuff we wrote about above translate to the real world? Awesomely. We were actually quite taken aback with how good the TMAC's felt under our feet. Having ridden some of the thinnest pedals available, our initial concerns with the thickness of the TMAC's quickly faded away. And, despite the preconceptions that 16.5mm-thickness number gave us, the pedal really does ride like a thin pedal in terms of how much your foot wants to roll fore and aft, likely due to their extremely concave shape. We're all familiar with the "rides like you're 'in' the bike vs. 'on' the bike" sensation. Well, we experienced a similar feeling when we first hopped on the TMAC's, which was a balanced and not on-top-of-the-rotational-axis feeling. That translated to a stable and intuitive connection with the pedals, something very important for a component that handles pretty much half of the human interface points on a DH bike.
Another concern we had with the pedal's thickness and width was unexpected pedal strikes; specifically the ones that stop you dead in your tracks before you have a chance to react. Thankfully, that hasn't happened. While obviously we can't claim that will never happen, what we can say is we rode the TMAC's on both a low-slung DH bike (13.4"//340mm bottom bracket) and a taller DH bike (14.375"//365mm BB) and we didn't feel like we were clipping pedals any more than we would have been had we been running a thinner set.
Now, the question of did we ever slip a pedal? Simply put, no. And, despite what you might have noticed in the action photos, that little bit of blood on our tester's left shin is from him being dummy and slamming his leg into the pedal as he pushed the bike up the trail. So, on that note, mind those pins. While they do an excellent job of keeping your foot in place while your foot is on the pedal, they take no prisoners should they contact your skin.
Another plus we've picked up on since riding the TMAC pedals is that due to both their size and shape, should we awkwardly or hastily put our foot on the pedal (like after dabbing a foot in the middle of a rock section or unexpectedly losing traction in a corner), there was still available grip to get us through whatever situation we were in, and we were able to ride out. Once things calmed down, we could re-position our foot and continue on our way without having to completely come off the pedal.
Long Term Durability
With only two months aboard the TMAC pedals, we have no major or minor concerns in the durability department. As mentioned earlier, we haven't made too much contact with rocks and other hard things with these pedals, despite using them at a couple bike parks and our local trails. If a problem does occur sometime down the line, we'll update this section, but as of now, nothing to report… not even a bent pin. Should something go awry, Deity has made available rebuild kids and the TMAC's are fully serviceable without the need to remove the pedals from your bike. In the event of a broken, bent or otherwise damaged pin, Deity includes a second set of pins with the purchase. Every pin can be removed from either side of the pedal. A problem that we've seen with some pedals, even right out of the box, is slight play between the axle and pedal-body interface. We're happy to report this issue has been non-existent with both pairs of TMAC pedals we've ridden. (Our original set, the one we performed the majority of this test on, were lost in travel. We're still sad.)
Things That Could Be Improved
We wish we didn't have to fill out this part of the test, because quite honestly, these pedals are stellar. But, there are two glaring things that if we don't bring up, surely someone will. Pricing - At $168.99 (USD), the TMAC pedals are pretty close to the top-end of the "regular" pedal market, and by "regular" pedal market, we mean there are no exotic materials like titanium or extra-light editions. While we don't think this is an unreasonable amount to ask for a excellent-performing and seemingly long-lasting pedal, we have to mention it. It's also fair to bring up the pedal's weight. At a claimed 409 grams, it wouldn't be difficult to find a pedal upwards of 50 grams lighter at a similar price. But, we'd argue that small weight penalty is worth it when it comes to feel with the TMACs.
What's The Bottom Line?
Deity and Tyler McCaul did their homework when it came to designing the TMAC signature pedal. As we mentioned in the opening of this article, they didn't reinvent the pedal, they simply refined it, and did so in a big way. The result: a well-thought-out pedal with outstanding grip and, you guessed it, that feel. These are hands down the best flats we've planted our feet on - truly unique, yet surprisingly familiar - and that's what a good pedal comes down to, right? It's all about the feel and the TMAC's nailed it.
For more information, visit deitycomponents.com.
