HOPE F22 FLAT PEDAL
£145
SPECIFICATION Weight: 360g • Colours: Six colours • Contact: hopetech.com
It’s been a full decade since Hope launched its F20 flat pedal. Ample time, then, to iron out the problems with the old design, and come up with an improved version; the brand new F22 you see here. The old platform shape didn’t offer brilliant support, and grip was inferior to many of its leading rivals, and I wasn’t the only bike tester who felt that way – most of my peers voted with their feet for either DMR or Nukeproof when off duty. So what’s changed with the latest F22?
CNC machined in Lancashire, the new platform has been made more concave and uses a new asymmetric shape that delivers a claimed 30% more usable surface area than the F20. It’s still not massive at 105x102mm, so the platform isn’t quite as big as many leading flats. For reference, DMR’S 105x105mm Vault is 19mm tall at the front/ rear edges and 8mm in the centre, whereas the F22 is 17mm at the outer edges and 14mm in the section surrounding the axle, which represents quite a difference in terms of concavity. Instead, Hope relies on taller pins to ‘enhance concavity’ further.
These pins number 22 per pedal, with the thinner, hexagonal ones being height adjustable by placing washers between the head and the underside of the platform. Thicker, stubbier, studs are used in the ‘middle’ of the platform in line with the axle. To lower my sole and the ball of my foot, I set the outer pins at their maximum height and – as they’re not adjustable – removed the centre studs completely.
The studs thread in from the top, which normally raises alarm bells about Allen heads getting clogged up or damaged, but Hope thoughtfully adds a hex shape at the base so you can use a spanner to remove them if all else fails. It’s one of several details on the F22 that reinforces how Hope likes to make serviceable products that last the long haul.
Another nod to durability is the proven seal system, where triple stacked cartridge bearings and long inner IGUS bush are shielded from crud and moisture ingress by three different rubber seals. Together with a high strength (re-engineered) cro-mo axle, this design was very reliable on the previous generation, to the extent I’d argue that the only other pedals that last as long without getting baggy are Burgtec’s Penthouse flats.
Placement of the taller, sharper pins and the new platform shape make it immediately noticeable how much gripper these pedals are than the old Hope F20 flats. I tested them wearing both Five Ten and Ride Concept shoes and there was a very slight amount