The UK-made Pembree D2A flat is machined from a high-grade aluminium and features a 100x110mm platform with 10 stainless steel pins per side. These are slightly thicker than most here but thread into, rather than through, the platform, so if you bend the head of one they’re slightly easier to remove. The pedal gets a stainless-steel axle with 8mm hex for fitting and runs on an inner Igus bushing and two SKF sealed outer bearings. It’s offered in five anodised colours and comes with an impressive five-year warranty.

Read more: Best mountain bike flat pedals for 2021 – metal and plastic

Although the pedal is totally flat, Pembree has attempted to create a bit of concavity by only placing pins around the perimeter of the platform. This is not as effective as a pedal where the concavity is machined into the platform, like Nukeproof or HT, because the pins often sink into the sole of your shoe, but with a harder shoe we could definitely feel the shape to the D2A. The downside of that is the thicker pins don’t bite as deep, and the D2A tends to feel a little less secure when you are pedalling across roots or rolling into a really steep section.

We’d like to see Pembree produce a sharper pin, but the good news is it does use a standard thread size, so you can run pins from rival brands if you want. We actually swapped the stock pins for some DMR Moto X pins for part of this test and they really increased the traction.

Normally with a pedal of this quality and finishing there’s a price tag to match, but not this time. The Pembree D2A is excellent value, and when you factor in the build quality and five-year warranty, this pedal is going to last at least the life of your bike. Pembree just needs to offer an alternative pin profile to put the icing on the cake.