When I got a new fat bike I wanted some decent pedals, and I’ve always had good luck with Race Face. However, my local bike shop was out of stock of them and suggested I give the 45NRTH Heiruspecs a try, and wow am I glad that I did.

I’ve always ridden with flats (yes, I know I need to get on the SPD train…), and so a good quality pedal is important to me. I don’t want to feel my feet sliding around the pedal. I want them planted where I put them and feel confident that my feet are not going where they’re not supposed to. Plus, I want something durable that feels solid and robust. If I’m on bumpy gravel roads (or heck, even just the commonly potholed city street) I don’t want to feel like the pedal is going to give out on me, or flex in a weird way. So how did the Heiruspecs measure up?

What do I like?

In a word, wonderful. After 300 miles of riding, these pedals met and exceeded all of my expectations. They are constructed out of 6061 aluminum, giving them strength without excess weight. The lattice pattern helps to limit the amount of material needed to maintain rigidity, and give a nice wide platform for winter boots.

There are eight aluminum pins per side that solidly grip the soles of my boots and keep me from sliding around. The pins are a little wider than what I’ve had on other pedals, but that works well with larger tread patterns. I’ve yet to have any issues finding a place for my feet to grip, and once planted, they’re not going anywhere.

One final note is that you can get replacement pins in different colors if you want to coordinate colors. That’s a nice touch that doesn’t affect the performance of the pedal, but makes you feel like you’ve bought a product that is meant to last.

What didn’t I like?

Despite having over 300 miles on the pedals, I can’t comment on the reliability of the bearings. So far they’ve been wonderful and I’ve had no issue, but it will take a lot more miles for me to be able to adequately give judgement on that. I know there are a couple reports of bearings going out, but they seem to be very rare, and not any higher percentage for any other premium-level pedal.

I could also quibble with the price. At $100 these are not disposable pedals. They are meant to be used and abused for many, many years. I’ll feel a lot better about that price if I am still rocking them 5 years from now.

Conclusion

The 45NRTH Heiruspecs are a great pedal that have performed well in a variety of conditions for me. They feel like a premium product, and so far they have performed like one. If you’re looking to upgrade your pedals to something that is a longer term investment, check these out.