Thinnest Profile Flat Mountain Bike Pedal

The Deity Black Kat is a pedal that is all about compromise. It is not the lightest, nor is it the grippiest, although it is the thinnest. If you are looking for a high-end aluminum mountain bike flat pedal that offers the grip needed for trail and enduro riding but is also great in the BMX track, then the Deity Black Kat might be right up your alley.

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See Our Best Flat Mountain Bike Pedal Review!

Grip

The Black Kat Deity features 20 pins per pedal (10 per side). These are all removable via a 2.5mm allen key and are tucked safely out of the way on the back side of the pedal. While they don’t get individual indents for protection like the pins of the Race Face Atlas, they are still fairly well protected.

While these are not the grippiest pedals on our list, the 10 grub screws per side do offer very reliable footing. Rather than relying on a concave pedal design, like the ultra grippy Race Face Atlas, the Deity Bladerunner is actually a convex pedal. It uses 6 longer pins on the front and rear edges of the pedal and four shorter pins in the middle to create a convex shape.

How much of a pro or con this really is depends on you and your riding style. As someone who converted to flat mountain bike pedals from a clipless setup, I want the most locked in feeling possible. On the other hand, some people prefer being able to more easily adjust their foot. If that is the case, then the Bladerunner strikes a balance between providing grip without making it difficult to readjust that is not found on the grippier Race Face Atlas. This could also be a pro if you plan to use these on a dirt jumper or frequently shredding jump lines on your mountain bike, as getting your feet back to a dialed in position is easier than with an ultra grippy pedal.

Platform

The Deity Bladerunner lives up to its name. It is the thinnest pedal in our review, with a profile that measures just 11mm at the edges and 14 at the axle. This makes the pedal perfect for those looking to get the lowest possible center of gravity, or to minimize pedal strikes on a new breed of trail and enduro bikes that are longer and lower than ever before.

The platform itself measures 100mm X 103mm. This is smaller than our favorite platform, the Race Face Atlas, but still a middle of the pack size. It should be plenty large enough for riders with all but the very largest feet, and it is still plenty of pedal to find in a pinch.

As we mentioned above, the Deity Bladerunner uses a convex shape. This is because the axle, bearings, and bushings, could not be squeezed into anything as thin as the 11mm edges of the Bladerunner.

The extra long pins on the front and back edges of the Bladerunner, combined with the fact that there is no excess surface area for mud to stick to make the Bladerunner a very solid choice for winter and bad weather riding.

Weight

While perhaps not as light as its ultra thin and refined nature would suggest, the Deity Bladerunner weighs in at a very respectable 380g.

Durability and Servicing

As we mentioned, the allen heads of the Deity Bladerunner’s pins are well protected, if not as well as some. It is also a pedal that has been around and has proven its ability to be bounced off of rocks and keep spinning freely.

The Bladerunner comes with extra pins, which is nice because anyone who has used flats for any length of time knows that you will invariably destroy one or two at some point.

The Deity Bladerunner is also a very easy pedal to service. The rebuild kits can even be installed without removing the pedal from your crank, although we imagine that it would be an awkward process.

The Bottom Line

Most manufacturers of flat mountain bike pedals tend to see grip as the be all end all of a pedal’s purpose, and frankly, we tend to agree. If this is the case then the Deity Bladerunner falls behind some of the other pedals in our review, particularly the Race Face Atlas.  On the other hand, riders who spend as much time on flowy jump trails as gnarly enduro trails will appreciate the ease with which their feet can be repositioned on the Bladerunner.

If this sounds like you, or if you value an ultra-thin pedal profile, then the Deity Bladerunner is an excellent all-around choice.

Finally, its price of $142.99 puts it right in line with other high end flat mountain bike pedals.

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