# Flats for kids



## martinizer (May 2, 2011)

I, er I mean Santa is getting my 8 year old an Orbea MX 24 trail for Xmas. It comes with standard plastic flat pedals but i’m thinking my daughter would be better off with some real flat pedals with metal pins. Does anyone have any recommendation on smaller, kid-sized flats? 

Thanks


----------



## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

I did some digging just this last week on this. Wellgo KC001 are a good option that is like 30$. AEST also makes a dope kid sized pedal but they are closer to 100$.


----------



## Gangly1 (Jul 5, 2016)

You can get the Aest "butterfly" pedals for $40 on eBay. They have metal pins, but they are not quite as sharp as a lot of the other pins. My four year old has been using them for a while with no issues. Definitely are some cheaper options out there, though. There was a pretty big thread on this a while ago that you might be able to find.


----------



## SactoGeoff (Aug 11, 2017)

Here are some other ideas. Can't go wrong with the lightweight AEST or the KC001.
Grom Patrol | Mega Pedals for Mini Feet


----------



## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

I like to use composite flats for kids, less damage to the calf and shins. I usually go with DMR V6, they're relatively light at 330g and cheap at 20 bucks. Those with some propers shoes and there is plenty of grip.


----------



## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

SactoGeoff said:


> Here are some other ideas. Can't go wrong with the lightweight AEST or the KC001.
> Grom Patrol | Mega Pedals for Mini Feet


Wow those Chromag Radars sound pretty sweet! Sounds like they are really durable too and have a bunch of pin customization. Good article there.


----------



## oren_hershco (Mar 11, 2006)

thesmokingman said:


> I like to use composite flats for kids, less damage to the calf and shins.


+1

Metal-pinned pedals hurt a lot. Let them choose it when they're 14. For kids, the simple plastic pedals work best.


----------



## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Gangly1 said:


> You can get the Aest "butterfly" pedals for $40 on eBay. They have metal pins, but they are not quite as sharp as a lot of the other pins. My four year old has been using them for a while with no issues. Definitely are some cheaper options out there, though. There was a pretty big thread on this a while ago that you might be able to find.


These are fantastic value for Ti pedals... quite honestly I spent a day picking them up and each time was WOW.(you know what the scale says but ) ... the pins are aluminium and do wear but I actually rounded them off with a file first when my 6yr old started using them...

These are great for up to say a UK 2 (US 3) or perhaps a size bigger (so bigger end of kids shoes)

On his trail bike where e are more grip and less weight conscious we have DMR V12's

I've since replaced the pedals


----------



## SactoGeoff (Aug 11, 2017)

Someone above mentioned shoes. My girls were riding with sneakers and they were pretty bad. I bought them some Vans and it made a big difference. Even with crappy plastic pedals. The absolute best kids flat pedal shoes are the Five Ten Freeriders. The soles are super soft and grippy. So you might consider some shoes in the near future as well.


----------



## JCKID58 (Nov 20, 2017)

I started replacing the cheap OEM pedals on my sons bike when he was still on a 16" Specialized. He has been riding real off road trails since he was 5. He is pretty strong for an 8 yr. old and pushes hard on the pedals and even new the stock pedals are not grippy enough, especially when wet. He had several hard hits on the top tube when his feet slipped off. We use wellgo pedals, not sure off the top of my head which ones. I ground the sharp edges off the pins though and use knee/shin guards. If the kids are on paved trails or even smooth dirt paths I think the plastic ones work fine. For rocks, roots and climbs they are dangerous, especially as the get stronger and push all the way around on the pedals. He also has a Orbea MX 24 trail, a really great bike. The crank is typically too long though. We grabbed a 140 Trailcraft crank, much better.


----------



## martinizer (May 2, 2011)

Thanks for all of the great suggestions on flats. I ordered a set of DMR V6’s to start with.

JC I agree on the MX24 cranks. I’m going to pull the cranks off her spesh kids bike (135mm) and use those until she grows into the longer cranks.


----------



## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

SactoGeoff said:


> Someone above mentioned shoes. My girls were riding with sneakers and they were pretty bad. I bought them some Vans and it made a big difference. Even with crappy plastic pedals. The absolute best kids flat pedal shoes are the Five Ten Freeriders. The soles are super soft and grippy. So you might consider some shoes in the near future as well.


This! The Five Ten Freeriders are great for kids. I got my son some. Vans work fairly well, but not as good as the Five Tens.


----------



## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Five tens just are .... (except for drying them)

As someone else said though it depends where/what they ride.
We use the AEST on his XC bike... with or without five tens....
On his Enduro/DH we use DMR V12's with Five tens which gives awesome grip.



> JC I agree on the MX24 cranks. I'm going to pull the cranks off her spesh kids bike (135mm) and use those until she grows into the longer cranks.


Makes a HUGE difference not only to being able to pedal seated comfortably but grip... if their feet are being lifted off the pedals due to crank length



> For rocks, roots and climbs they are dangerous


Pedal pins hurt but its hardly a major injury... 
In the first case even non pinned pedals hurt... and your much less likely to slip off with a good shoe/pedal

But most importantly a few scratches is just a bit of pain - it will mend ... and though we as parents hate to see that it's way better than a broken limb or similar that happens because they slip off the pedals.


----------



## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

I threw Race Face Chester’s on my daughters BMX bike. It works with her size 13 foot. 

Actually they look huge, will probably go clips for her within a year


----------



## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

oren_hershco said:


> +1
> 
> Metal-pinned pedals hurt a lot. Let them choose it when they're 14. For kids, the simple plastic pedals work best.


+2 - Gnarly wounds go hand in hand with young kids and pinned flats. Shredded shins and calves are common, a local youth folded it up and wound up with a significant laceration to the inside of his thigh. Soccer shin guards are great tool for the first trail rides on chunkier terrain, and protect shin from the inevitable shin bash.


----------



## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

I think for kids that are really pushing the limits and riding hard, the legit pinned pedals with some Van's shoes are a must have. We couple that with full soccer leg guards that have not only shin protection but wrap around ankle and calf protection. Storelli makes them and they are awesome. As often as we have a wrecked shin, we also see a bike landing on the inside of his leg.

Keep the kids feet in the pedals is so important, especially if they are getting airborn.

Fwiw if they are just trail/neighborhood riding with some minor features...no pins all the way.


----------



## gtsum2 (Jun 28, 2017)

Got my 10 year old some Chester’s for Christmas for his trek marlin 7 hardtail. He rides all the local trails with me and the stock pedals just aren’t good


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## melchionda (Sep 25, 2012)

I find that most platform pedals are too big, however I did find these Gub Pedals out of China. They have really good bearings, come in vairous colors and more importantly they are the right size for a kids foot.

One of my boys is riding clipless, but for my younger son the Gub pedals are working out really well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GUB-Bike-P...hash=item41d30b43dc:m:mYCVVAuJGz_nvjnz3klLjJw


----------



## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

svinyard said:


> We couple that with full soccer leg guards that have not only shin protection but wrap around ankle and calf protection.


Nice. Also, you can use adult elbows for kiddo knees. My 13yr old uses adult medium Alpinestars Paragon elbows for his knees. They are long and have enough coverage to cover most of his shins, calfs, and of course knees. He switches to those with flats depending on terrain. Regarding the Paragon elbows, I've compared them to adult knees and they are exactly the same.


----------



## Feldybikes (Feb 17, 2004)

Instead of Wellgo KC001, I went with KC008.









They come in a buncha colors (which is always nice for getting kids excited) and they don't look goofy (which is good for parent's with intermittent OCD). Also super light. (Low 200g, I think?)

They do have metal pins, but the pins are rounded rather than spikes or the sharp ends of screws, as in the case with Chesters, I believe. Deciding on how aggressive of a pin to go with is a non-trivial decision: the sharper the pins, the less likely it is for a pedal slip to occur, but when it happens, it does more damage. A less sharp pedal is going to slip more often, but will hurt less when it does. Of course, this assumes the only damage sustained from the slip is pedal-shin contact vs. a related crash. In any case, I thought the Wellgos were a decent compromise.

We had previously tried DMR V6s, but they have a couple of problems.

They're too big for kids' feet. The spacing between the pins is such that the pins don't all line up on a kid shoe at the same time. Also, being bigger than necessary just means less clearance.
The nylon "pins" (more like stubs) wear out pretty quickly as the pedals get bashed on rocks. Depending on where you live, YMMV.

A possible criticism of the KC008s is that they're possibly too small, but we've not run into that being an issue (yet).

I think we've been using them well over a year, and we've had no problems with durability. And, as implied by rubbing the pins off the DMR pedals, they've seen more than their fair share of rock strikes.

IIRC, I got them pretty cheap off of eBay. Like $20 shipped or something. I see one listing that cheap right now and several around $30. When I looked previously, I did not find a domestic US source.


----------



## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Feldybikes said:


> They do have metal pins, but the pins are rounded rather than spikes or the sharp ends of screws, as in the case with Chesters, I believe. Deciding on how aggressive of a pin to go with is a non-trivial decision: the sharper the pins, the less likely it is for a pedal slip to occur, but when it happens, it does more damage. A less sharp pedal is going to slip more often, but will hurt less when it does. Of course, this assumes the only damage sustained from the slip is pedal-shin contact vs. a related crash. In any case, I thought the Wellgos were a decent compromise.


The best thing about proper pins is you can swap them out for more aggressive ones later.



> We had previously tried DMR V6s, but they have a couple of problems.
> 
> They're too big for kids' feet. The spacing between the pins is such that the pins don't all line up on a kid shoe at the same time. Also, being bigger than necessary just means less clearance.


Annoyingly the DMR pedals get bigger and bigger each new release... 
Jnr has some V12's on his trail/enduro bike..which are older models and smaller platform than the newer ones.

They are beaten to death at least externally but I don't war to replace with the newer model as they are just bigger again.


----------



## CeUnit (Jul 9, 2014)

Feldybikes said:


> Instead of Wellgo KC001, I went with KC008.


+1 for KC008's. Cheap. Super light.

I have 3 pairs across my kids' bikes and they work great for my 4 and 6 yo who ride a lot of mtn bike trails. I was reluctant at first, but plastic pedals sucked for what we ride. After 2 years of KC008's for my 6yo, no pedal slap issues during the rides where we didn't bother with shin/knee pads. Maybe they're just lucky for now 

But yeah, I'd say they're too small for an 8yo (like the OP's kid).


----------



## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

what is the largest shoe size is a KC008 will work with? My 7 year old son wears size 13 right now, but could be size 1 or 2 in a few months.


----------

