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Chromag Dagga Pedal Review

Summary: A durable and grippy pedal offering from Chromag that comes with a high price tag and weight, but with few other downsides.

Thoughts:

Pedals for me have been a real problem over the years due mainly to our terrain, being very flatfooted, and having a wider stance on the bike than most pedals can accommodate. The result being that I can usually find pedals that work in one way, but fail catastrophically in other ways or just don't work.

The Dagga has been the first pedal for me that fits everything I need: wide q-factor, large platform, aggressive pins, and durable design that has held up to well over a year of riding.


















I originally came to these pedals after running the Pedaling Innovations Catalyst pedals for about a year. The idea of positioning your pedal more towards the center of your foot seemed beneficial for me, but the Catalyst Q-factor was just too narrow. I found myself constantly fighting my natural foot position with them, which left half my foot hanging off the pedal, leading to my search for other options.

While the Dagga doesn't have the full length of the Catalyst, it does have enough width and length to support a variety of riding positions including the axle centered position that I've come to prefer. To be clear, you don't absolutely have to do it that way, but I think that is also part of the draw here as well: you can position your foot many different ways.

These pedals also have a wider q-factor than any other pedal I've tried, which is great for folks like me with a wider pedaling stance.

After installing the Daggas, I found I preferred them to almost every other pedal I've tried on the market. They are stiff and lack any flex that would cause discomfort, the grip is absolutely wonderful, and they've largely been maintenance free for me. It also helps that all my dealings with Chromag customer service have been amazing over the years.

While they are on the heavier side, I think the weight penalty of heavier pedals is worth it for the confidence you get from the multitude of pedaling positions you can use and overall grip provided by the pedals. Even while climbing, I find these pedals do not suffer from grip issues when I'm up and off the saddle, where some other options tend to lose grip and spin out of contact at times. Provided you aren't using a brick for shoes or your position is way off, these pedals will grip and hold on.

That said, they aren't without some subtle issues. The biggest is the lack of a tapered face along the leading edge.











While the face isn't as square and doesn't hang up as bad as some others (like the Deity TMac), it is isn't as tapered as options like the ANVL Tilt. The result is that you may find these get hung up a bit on rocks or roots if you strike along the leading edge. It's not a deal killer, many aggressive pedal options on the market have this issue also, but I would like to see these angled a little better to deflect rock strikes rather than hang up.

The only other issue is the price, ~$190 is pretty high for a pedal. That said, I think it's worthwhile considering the quality and durability, but I know it will turn some off to them.

Durability:

After running these pedals on both my big bike and steel HT, the Daggas continue to go strong with no bent axles, blown bearings, gouged pedal bodies, or wrecked pin threads, all issues I've had with other pedals.

I've come to the conclusion over the last few years that pedals with axles that do not extend through the entire body of the pedal will ultimately fail prematurely. I won't name others here, but several pedals are designed with axles that extend halfway through the pedal body and terminate on a set of laughably small bearings. In every case, these have failed prematurely and catastrophically, requiring replacement of the entire pedal. Unfortunately, many of the wider pedal options on the market do this for some bizarre reason, however the Dagga does not and I think this is a big part of the reason they've been so durable for me.











In the image above, you can see where the outermost cap covers the end of the axle and allows access to the outermost bearing. You'll see this on similar pedals, like the ANVIL Tilt, which I similarly had 0 durability issues with. Similar to the Tilt, the axle for the pedal crosses through the entire pedal body rather than terminating halfway through. I believe this reduces flex, allows use of larger bearings, and prevents damage to the bearings due to only half the axle supporting the weight of the rider.

These were clearly built with durability in mind and the end result is they are one of the most durable pedals I've used.

Who would I recommend this to?

If you aren't a weight weenie and are ok shelling out $30-$60 more for something that will last you, I'd suggest these to everyone. They are the best flat pedals I've used, the large platform provides plenty of foot placement options, and the durability has been great for me.

I could see where people with smaller feet might want to choose something with a smaller profile, like the ANVL Tiltv3. I can't speak from personal experience to that, but you should consider your foot and shoe size when evaluating pedals. If these are too big for you, then the ANVL Tiltv3 is another great option I liked in the past.

Comparisons:

vs ANVL Tilt v3 - I really liked the Tilts and they are designed somewhat similarly, albeit with a smaller platform. The Tilts have a tapered face, which reduces hangup from rock strikes, and is similarly durable. For people with smaller feet, the Tilt might be a better option, however riders with large feet are probably better off with the Dagga.


vs. Deity TMac - I ran these for a while and feel the Dagga is superior in every way, however the main issue I took with these was the weak axle design that is prone to bending. The TMacs are similarly expensive, but did not hold up as well for me and when I tried to warranty the bent axles after a year or so, they tried to charge me to replace the subtly bent axle. I've never had this issue with any other pedals, but I know several others who had TMac pedals and ran into the same problem repeatedly. The TMacs are also a bit more square on the leading edge, which causes them to hang up more. I would say the grip and profile are similar. Given the similarity in price, I would take the Dagga every time.


vs OneUp Aluminum - These are a cheaper option and I like the profile of them, but they had some major durability issues for me. I also feel like they are marginally too narrow, but as a lighter/thinner option, if durability isn't a major issue for you with pedals, they would be worth considering. That said, mine failed pretty dramatically due to the previously mentioned axle/bearing layout. For my wife, who is much lighter, these were no issue, but for heavier or more aggressive riders, the Dagga will be more durable.


Pros:

  • Excellent grip

  • Large platform that provides numerous foot position options

  • Wide q-factor

  • No noticeable flex

  • Durable bushing/bearing and axle layout

  • Easily accessible pins

  • Spin smoothly

  • I know this is subjective, but I like the appearance of them and the color options

Cons:

  • Expensive

  • Heavy - This may not matter to you, but durability and size come at a cost

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