All-City Wallner Pro Pedals

All-City is a brand focused on quality urban parts at a reasonable price point. Their Wallner Pro pedals are meant to bring a more serious pedal with the touches of the nicer things in life down to a more reasonable price as compared to some of its pricey counterparts. Available for about $45, the Wallner Pro track pedal is a no-nonsense, sealed bearing pedal for the rider looking for a quality traditional caged pedal either for use with clips and straps or as a double-sided platform.

The difference is in the small touches. The pedal body and pedal cages form a large (for this style of pedal), concave footbed for a solid grip, and the toe-clip mounts on the cages themselves are threaded to help prevent bolts from coming loose. The windows in the pedal body are large enough to fit even the thickest laminated traditional straps. The axles allow use of both a 15 mm wrench and a 6 mm hex key—while not a detail that would stop me from buying a pedal having both proves convenient time and time again. Months of use have left the pedals no worse for wear—I expect them to last for some time given the overall quality feel and their performance up until now.

For people who prefer caged pedals or clips and straps, the Wallner Pro is a viable choice for a pedal that will last for years of daily use. It has a large enough platform that my size 12 shoes felt fine with no cramping, but people used to BMX-style platforms may find them smaller than they’d like. The Wallner Pro pedals weigh 270g per pair and are available in black, silver, white, gold or red.

Check out www.allcitycycles.com

Cane Creek 110 Headset

Headsets have always been at the very core of Cane Creek’s product line. In recent years they’ve limited their component offerings in order to focus on the things that they do best, and to improve even their highest quality
products.

Although Cane Creek owned the patent on threadless headsets, and thus commanded a licensing fee from any competing brand, the consensus has always been that the other American headset manufacturer was king of the heap. And so Cane Creek took aim and introduced their own ultra high-end 110 Headset series.

In Cane Creek’s own words, “The 110-Series represents the best a headset can be. Cane Creek’s 110 features optimal materials, the most effective seals and the best aesthetics in the market today. Cane Creek is so confident in the strength and durability of the 110-Series that we stand behind each headset with a 110-year, no-questions-asked warranty. All backed by Cane Creek’s unsurpassed customer service.”

As far as I can tell, the 110 lives up to the marketing speak. It’s made from 7075-T6 aluminum and the machining and workmanship border on fine art. The bearings feature twin seals so that each one only has to perform one job—keep grease in or keep contaminants out. They’ve also designed a compression ring that not only helps ensure precise installation, but helps spread forces out over a longer section of the fork’s steerer tube.

Of course, frugal cyclists will ask if such a high class headset is really necessary, and the answer of course would be no. I’ve been using an inexpensive Cane Creek headset on my polo bike for years, and it still works like new, despite the abuse it takes. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with appreciating nice bike parts. And it’s nice to support a product that’s machined out of US-made aluminum billet in Fletcher, NC. If you want the best for your bike, Cane Creek’s 110 series is worth checking out.

The 110 series headsets come in a variety of styles. The 110.EC34 model (tested) retails for $140.

Check out www.canecreek.com

Nite Rider