Review: Spiked Grip Kings
During our visit to Rivendell, Mark spiked our pedals. I have written about the Grip Kings before and compared them to the MKS Touring Pedals. A short recap is that the G.K. pedals are overall, for me, the better pedal when comapred with the touring pedals – primarily because of the wide and long platform that provides tons of support and is almost impossible to miss when you are dabbing for the pedal on a steep hill.
My only complaint with the G.K’s were wet weather performance. They seemed a touch slick compared to the touring pedals in inclement conditions. The touring pedals performed better because of the serrated teeth on them.
I’ve been riding with spiked G.K’s for a few weeks in both wet and dry weather and the spikes are a game changer. They turn a good pedal into a great pedal. When Laura and I rolled away from Rivendell, the skies were grey and everything was wet. The second we got on the bikes and flipped the pedals to the spiked side we both let out a “whoa!”
The spikes are grippy. So much so, that whatever doubts I had for choosing platform instead of clipless are now gone. The spikes give your pedal stroke good traction all the way through the circle. The spikes also infinitely help with wet weather performance. You can stand with confidence knowning you’re not going to slip off of them.
Even Laura, who by no means is as much a gear geek as I am, has remarked on several occasions how much better the pedals are.
I didn’t install them myself, you’ll have to contact them for what size drill bit to choose etc., But if you have the Grip Kings and want to turn them into Grip Emperors (or some other terrible pun), I’d highly recommend spiking yours too!
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Shorter women be forewarned: the Grip Kings, attractive as they are, are sized for a bigger foot. I have a very wide, size 6 women’s foot and tend to wear softer-soled shoes. the grip king’s too long and I felt like the axle raised up above the platform, hitting me too close to the ball of my foot. Much to my sadness, I gave them to my bigger-footed partner who loves them. My MKS touring pedals are perfect for my little clipless foot. I use them year-round, meaning winter snow, and feel they provide good grip on my Steeger Mukluks (THE perfect winter footwear).
After seeing these on your bikes in person the Rowdykitten and I will definitely be purchasing the spikes from Rivendell and installing them for the winter rains! Thanks for the great tip!
Those pictures are fantastic! It looks like you could trap a bear in those things! I bet mountain bikers will love this mod. 
Perhaps you should send this post to http://bikehacks.com ? 
Cheers,
Logan.
I’ve been thinking about adding the spikes to my GK’s too! Things feel a little slippy in wet conditions for me also. Thanks for the article. I’ll add them to my next round of riv goodies. The have a picture (4th from the top) showing how they drilled the GK:
http://www.rivbike.com/search/run?query=spikes&commit=Search#product=14-060
I can be a klutz so I think I’ll get the rounded ones in case I manage to drive the pedal in to my shin!
– J.
The spikes appear to be the type that are screwed into running (track) shoes - either distance runner or those for a rubberized track. They can probably be picked up at sporting goods stores without much trouble. Ideally, you should use a tap and die for the threads, but I was able to twist them into the drilled holes using a little machine oil and some elbow grease. After filing the sharp tip off, they really do improve the pedal.