Stuff We Use - Chromag Dagga Pedals | Onward MTB
The trusty Chromag Dagga. Love em.
Welcome to the first post on stuff we use at Onward MTB Coaching.
As a MTB coach, my gear gets used. A lot. Over the years I have used a huge amount of gear from different brands and have put them through their paces. Some have triumphed, some have been been average, and many have failed. This blog series aims to give you an insight into the stuff we rate and trust to use in our daily work as mountain bike coaches in Queenstown. While we do get some support from brands, the majority of our gear is purchased through stores, just like any other customer. In the cases where we have pricing privileges, we’ll make it clear. Ultimately though, we choose everything we use.
So, first up, my trusty set of Chromag Dagga pedals. I got these in Whistler 2019 from their factory store in Function Junction. I was so hyped when I came out with them - everything about these pedals screams that they mean business. The pins on them are extremely aggressive and I do recall the first rides being somewhat apprehensive using pedals that look like they should belong in a torture museum. I shouldn’t have feared though, the large concaved platform and pins combine to give some incredible grip (especially with decent shoes, but that’s another post).
I find these to have an abstract similarity to sharp knives - despite being perceived as ‘more scary’, a sharp knife is a safe knife. I see this formidable formation of mega-pins as sharp knives - yep, they are ‘more scary’ at first, but they quickly earn your trust. I just don’t need to think about them - they do their job underneath me without any fuss.
After 5 years of solid riding, these haven’t missed a beat. I’ve regularly re-greased them and given them new axles/seals once. The rest of the time has been smooth spinning and no play or slop in the bearings. Mint.
Battered. These have seen their fair share of dirt, rocks and concrete.
Why I like them:
Stupidly good at providing a secure, trustworthy connection to my shoes.
Simple to service. This is a common trait I look for in all my equipment. If it needs fancy tools, is complex to service or relies on difficult to source service parts - I’m not interested.
Reliable - no failures over what must be about 1200+ laps of Skyline, 200+ laps of Whistler and all the riding in between.
Flats are easiest to demonstrate good technique in mountain bike coaching. They are also more convenient in moving on/off the bike to film clients etc.
