Chromag’s new Synth plastic flat pedal is based on the company’s machined Scareb, but it also shares a similar DNA to the Contact we tested a few years ago and judged to be one of the best mountain bike flat pedals we’d tested. This includes the large platform and medium/low stack height.

Chromag claims the platform is 110x105mm but it does run quite close to the crank arm, so this pedal doesn’t feel as roomy as, say, a Nukeproof Horizon. It is however, about the same thickness; at its lowest point I measured the Synth at 15mm. It also has a slight amount of concavity, which really helps keep your foot centred.

Grip is provided by 12 steel pins per side, and these are the nut and bolt style you get with most injection moulded pedals. With only plastic to thread into you can’t have a traditional design and there’s no height adjustment either. Chromag does, however, sell longer pins for the Synth for about £11, so you can just replace the shorter ones to add a bit more grip at the front, and maybe lose that central rearward pin, AKA the shin destroyer.

Grip with the stock pins is not bad, but like most nylon platforms I’ve tested, I can feel the plastic surface. It just feels a little bit more slippery compared to aluminium, especially in the wet. However, a lot depends on the flat shoes you’re running; it’s stable wearing a Five Ten Freerider, but with something slightly harder – like a Bontrager Flatline or Crankbrothers Stamp – I just didn’t feel as engaged.

To keep the pedal close to the crank arm there are no pedal flats, just an 8mm hex on the back. The pedal runs a solid steel axle and a bushing/cartridge bearing assembly. Like most Chromag pedals, this is pretty smooth out of the box and is also totally rebuildable, so once the bearings are worn you don’t have to bin the whole thing. Chromag also sells replacement cages for the Synth, so again, if you crack one on a rock it’s not terminal.

Although the Chromag Synth has a large platform and a good amount of concavity, the grip and feel are a step back from the highly-rated Burgtec Composite MK4. It’s also not as good value, especially when you see the MK4 online for £36.

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