DEITY TMAC Pedal
| Where To Buy | |||
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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $179.99
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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $179.99
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Review 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.
About The Reviewer
Tyler McCaul and Deity have been up to something crafty and are finally releasing the fruits of their labor. Check out the TMAC signature pedal with zero offset design. Interesting. -gordo
Press Release
The crew at Deity are proud to announce the official launch of the Tyler McCaul signature TMAC pedal! The largest Deity pedal to date that features one of the deepest concave profiles industry wide, the Deity TMAC pedal has been a labor of love for the rider owned company who have spent nearly 3 years perfecting what they confidently call “Your Dream Pedal”!
On a warpath, the crew at Deity have not been letting up this year! With numerous new product releases, the construction of their new Global headquarters, expanding their pro roster of riders, and more, the launch of the TMAC pedals has been one of the most anticipated Deity products since initial images leaked out at Sea Otter of this year. A true “signature” product, the TMAC was born from the collaboration between Deity and industry icon Tyler McCaul.
Known for his impeccable whips, beautiful style, epic lines at events like Rampage, and his ability to tie it all together with speed, the development of the TMAC pedal was patiently crafted with the goal to create the best pedal your foot will ever touch and to address issues and requests top tier riders have had for years. From slipped pedals and the lack of true concave profiles, the Deity TMAC pedals were born not only from the work of Deity and Tyler McCaul, but also the input from riders like Cameron Zink.
“The TMAC pedal has been quite a while in the making actually. The initial mold we created did not have the ideal profile and after a year of testing the first prototypes, Tyler liked the pedal, but we wanted him to love it. So, we scrapped the first prototype and started from scratch with a new mold that broke away from the standard profiles and body shapes that are common to this industry.” Eric Davies (Deity, Owner)
Deity started studying past rider footage from not only their riders, but also other riders in this industry. Their goal was to examine every possible pedal slip and missed pedal that they could. It was clear that the lack of back support on the pedal was reducing the purchase a foot could have and these millimeters were the difference between having your foot on the pedal and having it slip off after a trick or dabbed foot on a downhill run. A symmetrical pedal shape is not new, but with the heyday of thick pedals in the 90’s and early 2000’s, offset pedal profiles became the standard because of the foots need to engage onto the pedal quicker due to the incredibly thick profile pedals used to have. It may be hard to remember for some, but these pedals looked like bricks and were so high off the spindle.
Those days are long long gone and thinner profiled pedals benefit a lot less from being offset as the engagement is much quicker due to being closer to the spindle and the fact that the outer trailing edges are not as thick anymore.
“We were initially worried about the effect a symmetrical pedal at a 90 degree right angle would have when the foot tried to stomp down and engage back on the platform. Would the foot shift forward or backward more? Would there be a delay on the engagement? To test this we made a weight driven machine that would apply downward force on the pedal when placed on a 90 degree plain. We could then measure the time it took for the foot to land flat and securely on the pedal and also, where the foot ended up being in relation to the axle when it rotated horizontally. We could then move the foot location forward or backwards to then test stability when the foot is not in the ideal position. The results were as we thought they would be. The added surface area behind the spindle allowed the concave profile to really shine. The foot confidently had space to connect to the pedal without worry of lack of foot support or needing to be in the perfect location.” Eric Davies (Deity, Owner)
Overthought? Maybe, but Deity does not have any room to make mistakes, to release inferior product, to expect their riders to risk themselves on something they do not think is the best in the business, or to let their customers be the testers. The reason they mention the above process is not to kill you with technical mumbo jumbo, but to show just one small example of the time Deity took to invest their energy as a team into the product development with this pedal. It is easy to say that a pedal is just a pedal, but to feel the difference…you really need to ride a set of the TMACs.
“Why has no one ever made a zero offset pedal?! More surface area, full concave and still thin. Your foot can be anywhere and still have full grip. T Mac and Deity made the greatest pedal ever!” Cameron Zink
“I will be honest, I have never ridden a pedal that feels as good as the TMAC. In fact, everyone who has ridden a set states the same thing whether they ride for us or not. You can feel the love we all put into the project and the functionality of the pedal is a dream for the foot. It has been a group effort and the people involved in the process are not only ourselves and Tyler, but also Cameron Zink, Greg Watts, and countless other key riders.” Eric Davies (Deity, Owner)
"When Eric approached me a few years ago about helping him a design a signature pedal, I was excited because I knew that Deity isn't like most companies out there. They weren't just going to stamp my name onto a current pedal design that they already had, paint it with shiny colors, and call it my "signature" pedal. I knew that this meant I would legitimately be able to design my dream pedal. I knew exactly what I wanted too. I wanted a big platform with a deep concave, that holds my feet in place with its shape, rather than with huge pins that pierce into my shoe. A pedal that prevented me from slipping a foot, but at the same time allowed me to reposition a foot quickly in between jumps or rock sections if needed without having to completely lift it up and re-set it.
Since this whole phase of companies trying to make the thinnest pedals possible, I haven't been able to find a pedal that actually feels like it cups to the natural shape of my foot. We tried a couple different things over the last couple years, and learned a lot from everything that we tried, but ultimately what we found was that we had to open up a new mold to give the actual platform itself a concave shape, rather than just trying to achieve this with unnecessarily long pins on the outside edges like some other companies do.
The fact that Eric was willing to do this and open a new mold for my pedal meant a lot to me, cause being that Deity is a rider-owned company, I knew that this additional cost was coming straight out of their pocket. They've never been one to cut corners though, and I think that this pedal is testament to that.
After countless tweaks, changes, and lots of patience from Deity, I'm incredibly proud of this pedal, and I can't wait for people to get their feet on it!!! It's my dream pedal, and I hope it's yours too..." Tyler McCaul
With the largest platform size in the Deity line up, the TMAC pedal features 110mm x 105mm of functional surface area that allow the deep concave profile to feel comfortable underfoot. Featuring 14 pins per side so you can customize your pin locations and set up, the TMAC pedals feature Deity’s new load distribution system that prevents bearing blowouts from side impacts and they even come in a wide range of colors for those clamoring to match up their bike kit.
“Concave pedals may not be for everyone and that is the reason we released the Bladerunner pedals earlier this year. Our goal with the two new designs was to cover both broad spectrums. From super thin to a pedal that boasts the most concave profile in the pedal shape in this industry, there are options for everyone in our line up and if one type of pedal does not suit you or if you are looking for a different price point…we probably have an option that will accommodate your needs. From $50 pedals all of the way to the TMAC, our range has quite the depth.” Sadie Davies (Deity, Co-Owner)
Featuring dual sided wider pins that come pre-applied with Loctite, removing a damaged pin is now easier than ever with the TMAC pedal as you can access the pin from the top or, if it has been damaged, simply back out the mirroring pin on the opposite side and unthread the pin from the backside with an allen key. Each pair even comes with a set of back up pins with pre-applied Loctite for you to keep in your tool box.
There are many flat pedals on the market, some that are convex, some that are concave, but the depth in the TMAC concave profile is rare. Unlike many pedals that simulate this feeling with pin profiles or a subtle concave profile to the body, the pedal shape is the key to a true concave profile and the Deity TMAC pedal boasts a full 2.5mm of concave depth in the machining of the forged pedal body. Able to execute this profile due to the large size of the TMAC pedals, the pedal cradles your foot and sinks the pins into your sole for superior traction that does not hinder you from being able to make micro adjustments to your foot position during a ride.
“I got to ride on some of the updated prototype TMAC pedals back in June. As I am getting older I have noticed a lot of pressure on my Achilles tendon on both of my ankles when riding my DH bike. With these pedals I noticed the platform of the pedal is bigger than others I have; therefore, I'm able to move my foot more forward on the pedal and still be comfortable in my riding position, taking the pressure off my Achilles tendon. So stoked on the pedals. Thanks Tyler and Eric for designing such an awesome pedal!” Mike Redding (Fox Head Marketing Director and Punk Rocker)
CNC machined from Deity’s own forged extrusion, the TMAC goes through a laborious machining process that ends up creating a product that is a work of art. With each pedal hand polished to a mirror shine, the TMAC pedals are an example of the level of work Deity has become known to produce.
“Tyler has been incredible to work with on this project. We take our signature line seriously and it is our way of incorporating our riders into what we are designing, so they can have a voice, experience the product design process, and create a product based around their experiences. Tyler never settles for anything and we love that about him. It made the development of his pedal take time, but we knew that we would do anything to make the pedal perfect and our end goal was to blow him away. Tyler would lend a set of pedals to riders for 24 hours, note their feedback, and get as many impressions as possible from Deity to non-Deity athletes. He was active in the process and we thank him for that.” Eric Davies (Deity, Owner)
TMAC Pedal Specs:
- 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 for added foot support and stability
- 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 5 high polished ano colors and also white powdercoat
- 409 grams
- MSRP of $168.99 USD
“It has been an evolution for us and it is not easy to operate our company via the philosophies and business model that we have. We are patient as a brand, we do not bow to anyone in this industry, we do not have any investors, and we are probably the most underrated component company in this industry. We do not beg for OEM spec, we actually have relationships with our riders, we do not worry about quarterly numbers, we still uphold the values we founded this company on in 2004, and our product line continues to epitomize detail and quality with a customer service reputation that is tough to beat. We have huge plans for the next two years and we expect to make our fans proud of what we have cooking here! This is just the start of our signature line and you can expect to see some projects come to fruition with the likes of Brendan Fairclough and Neko Mullaly as well. Exciting times indeed and we are stoked to have everyone along for the ride!” Eric Davies (Deity, Owner)
Stay tuned later this week for the release of Deity’s latest edit by Clay Porter that features Tyler McCaul destroying berms on board his new pedals. Make sure to also follow Deity on their Instagram Page and Facebook Page to find out how you can win an autographed set of Deity TMAC pedals with the winner being announced on Halloween!
4 comments
Post a reply to: Deity Launches the Tyler McCaul Signature TMAC Pedals
2 member reviews
Tmac gets paid
Great colors
Rebuildable
Great pin profiles
Super concave
I gave mine to my little brother to say thanks for watching my house for a week. I’ll be ordering a new pair.
Before I handed them over I had zero complaints. Bled almost every ride. Stay super planter in the pedals. Have complete faith they’ll be where they’re supposed to be when you look for them because they have a little resistance in the bearing.
So far my brother is loving them. Between the two of us they’ve got hundreds of miles with zero issues. Some serious rock strikes. Etc.
These have to be the best flats on the planet and the price is reasonable.
0 comments
Post a reply to: Best flat pedal
Expensive but worth the money. all my bikes are equipped with tmacs now. I wasn’t a big believer until I tried them and I’ll never use any other pedal again
0 comments
Post a reply to: Best pedal I’ve ever used
Specifications
110mm x 105mm footprint
Super concave 2.5mm deep pedal profile per side
14mm thin at the center
Symmetrical pedal profile for added foot support and stability
Includes extra set of back up pins
Load distribution system to prevent bearing blowout
| Where To Buy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $179.99
|
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|
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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $179.99
|
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|
|
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5 comments
Post a reply to: Tested: Deity TMAC Pedals