PRODUCT: HT NANO ANS01 PEDALS

BANG-FOR-BUCK PEDALS WITH PLENTY OF GRIP ALL-ROUND

As we enter the new millennium, we notice a phenomenon – that the frequency and speed of brands passing on their higher-end models' state-of-the-art technology and offered at very competitive prices in more budget models are recurring at a faster than ever pace. This is a good thing of course. But, also a sign that technology is moving ahead faster than we may be able to adapt. Let's leave the adaptation for another day and dwell on the goodness of this technology trend – we get trickled down goodness really fast! And case in point – the HT Nano ANS01. First inspection of these platforms would make many see that they have all the qualities of more expensive ones (less areas we cannot see e.g. the bearings and spindle). Who can reject such pleasant offerings.

TRICKLE DOWN THE GOODNESS!

Biking components, just like all other products that require technological input, would see their range of components/products get wider and more application-specific over time – thanks to increased know-hows, users' feedback and technology advancement as well as economies-of-scale in production. With good R & D (Research and Development), better products are developed and launched with much fanfare. And these cream-de-la-industry standards gems would soon find themselves exhausted in the ever increasing range of top-of-the-line products. And when this happens, the only way forward is to allow a technological trickle down, and share these good technological know-hows with the cheaper series in the brand's product range. And that's when things get attractive. We can get what was touted as a techno-breakthrough in the sport, hi-tech winning edges that help us destroy competitors, go faster, further, jump higher or whatever the product was meant to accomplish at a fraction of the prices of what the early adopters used to pay. This product technological life cycle continues. And repeat itself.

The HT Component's Nano ANS01 is one good example of HT Pedals trickling down their experiences from making light, strong and race-winning pedals to the more budget conscious. We check out the pedals in detail.

THE HT NANO ANS01

Let's start with some essential specifications. The pedals weigh in at 372 grams per pair and the pedal body consists of cleanly CNC-machined magnesium. The spindles are classically CNC machined chromoly. The pedal employs tri-sealed pedal bearings and comes with one DU bushing. The pedal is fairly wide, at 94 x 95 x 16mm, and is toothed with 10 pins per side. Other aspects of the pedal which are worth noting are probably the fact that the secondary surface of the pedal comes with some pretty deep ribbing, courtesy of some clever … CNC work (you guessed it!).

FIRST RIDE

The pedals are fairly thin, and comfortable to use. This became apparent almost immediately. The concaved centre isn't obvious while pedaling, but that did little to discount the comfort of use. There was never an issue of grip, what with 10 pins which seemed to be at the perfect height (for me) fresh out of the box. With that said, I was rocking a pair of FiveTen Freerider Contacts, so it might be a good part of grip attributed to the shoe over the pedal.

Out on the trail, the pedals were all business. The durable magnesium body took a fair number of pedal strikes on local granite without too much incident. In fact, it took the later part of 3 weeks for the pedals to show any sign of abuse at all. But suffice to say, the cosmetic marring did little to affect overall performance.

While the pedals seemed satisfactory in almost every department, there were a couple of minor areas which left me a little wanting. I just came off a set of Spank Spike pedals, and while it was marginally so, I could feel the difference in overall pedal size almost immediately. This shouldn't be a problem for most, but I personally like to get a little more pressure on the outside of my foot (my outside foot, as it were) whenever I rail into a berm. This was effortless on the Spikes, but I found myself grappling for pedal surface just a little on the Nanos.

In terms of weight and looks, we really have nothing to fault these pedals as their weight falls into the "light to acceptable weight category" for platform pedals. And they have such a versatile design that they would fit well into any customization project.

With all said and done, these are a really swell pair of pedals, affording plenty of grip, comfort, and pedal surface without sacrificing too much on the weight factor. That, and they're durable to boot – based on the time we have with it from Singapore to Kiara (Kuala Lumpur).

BUYING THEM

For more information on HT Nano ANS01 or other HT Pedals, check out their website or visit one of these stores listed. Or you could just drop an email to their Singapore distributor Bike31. Hang loose and ride!

HT dealers in Singapore

HT Components are distributed by Bike31

Tel: +65 6635 2132

E-mail: info@bike31.com

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