Named after the classic sci-fi film, the Bladerunner is a new flat pedal from Deity with an extruded and machined aluminium body.

It features a 103x100mm platform that’s 11mm thick at the leading and trailing edges. There are 10 Allen bolt pins per side and these are threaded in from below. You can’t adjust the height, but if you bend or break one, they’re relatively easy to remove. A spare pack is also included with the pedals for this purpose.

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The Bladerunner features a cro-mo axle, which runs on two micro-sealed cartridge bearings and an in-house DU bushing. I’ve not experienced any play or bearing wear with either pedal.

Deity makes a big deal about its concave pin profile, which means the six perimeter pins are 3mm taller than the four in the centre. The idea is this difference creates a small amount of concavity or curvature, which matches the shape of your foot; it’s called the ball of your foot for a reason!

Unfortunately, most flat shoes have either soft rubber or a treaded sole, which means the pins dig deep and negate this effect. The Bladerunner body is also taller in the centre, I measured it at 14mm, so it’s bordering on being convex. The net effect is that I found it difficult to centre my foot naturally over the axle and slid around too much when descending, even running all the pins.

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For trail use, the Bladerunner is durable, low-profile and features a large platform, but I’d rather see Deity offer a proper concave design, rather than relying on the pins to do the job, simply because they don’t work with some shoes.