Are you ready for the next step in cycling safety? Arclight pedals are said to make you 57% more visible by drivers than standard cycling lights. They also make you “recognizable as a cyclist.” With the powerful LED light modules that insert into the pedal body, this is a sure way to keep yourself a bit safer while on your bike.
“Redshift Sports was founded in 2013 by a team of mechanical engineers who also happen to be avid cyclists. From the beginning, we’ve focused on taking a different approach to product development – drawing on our own experiences and needs to create components that make a meaningful difference to the riding experience.”
“In June 2013, we launched the Switch Aero System on Kickstarter, a crowd-funding platform that lets independent backers jump-start small businesses and projects. The response was overwhelming – people loved the idea of maximizing the versatility of their existing road bikes, and Redshift was born.”
Check out the full video review on my YouTube channel.
Though Redshift Sports has been around for a while now, the Arclight pedals Kickstarter is what led me to their existence. This innovative design, and desire for a safer commute to and from work drew me in. Now I’m excited to give you a first-hand look at these pedals.
We’ve all heard of the various Kickstarter nightmare stories, and it is good to be weary of any investment opportunities. But this wasn’t Redshift’s first Kickstarter and they have been in the cycling industry for a while. They have a good reputation, and I had no doubt that this product would make it to market.
You won’t have to worry about a Kickstarter now. These pedals are in full production and are available on the Redshift Sports website.
Unboxing
These Arclight pedals came in a small box that isn’t much bigger than the pedals. I like that it didn’t come in a huge box with excess packaging. The pedals are nice and snug in the packaging and arrived undamaged.
These Arclight pedals are relatively heavy compared to generic plastic pedals and a nicer MTB flat pedal. Below is a list of pedals to compare pedal weights and masses. But compared to other multi-functional pedals, like power meter pedals, they weight about the same.
| Flat Pedals (Pair) | g (oz) | $ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Redshift Sports Arclight | 610 (22) | 140 |
| Supacaz Smash Thermopoly | 360 (13) | 56 |
| Shimano PD-EF202 Aluminum | 512 (18) | 40 |
| Shimano GR500 Steel Aluminum | 533 (19) | 80 |
| Race Face Aeffect Aluminum | 375 (13) | 120 |
| Race Face Chester Nylon | 360 (13) | 60 |
| Bontrager Line Elite Nylon | 350 (12) | 52 |
| Generic Plastic | 292 (10) | 20 |
Installation
Installation is quite simple and is no different than installing most other pedals. All that is required is a 15 mm pedal wrench or a 6mm Allen key. You will also need some good quality bike grease too.
Obviously, you will need to remove the current pedals off your bike if there are any installed. Then, add some premium bike grease to the threads (I’m using Park Took PPL-2) of the Arclight pedals and install the pedals. Making sure you have the right side on the right and so forth.
You will want to get the pedal spindle started by hand, screw the pedal spindle onto the crank arm twisting the spindle forward towards the front wheel. Once the threads are started and you know they aren’t cross threaded, get the 15 mm open end wrench and tighten the pedals. Initially, it might feel a little difficult, but keep tightening until you get a snug fit.
Also, there is no need to overtighten. The Arclight pedals are reverse thread (reverse to the direction of pedaling) so they can’t back off while pedaling. There is no need to overdo it when tightening the pedals, it will only make it more difficult to remove the pedals later.
Pedal functionality
I’m not sure if the pedal body design was purposeful or just a result from needing to house the light module. The center portion of the body has a large flat surface area that allows for positive contact point and good power transfer.
Typically, cycling shoes have stiff soles, so pedals don’t need a lot of surface area because the sole of the shoe has little deformation and the pedaling force is transferred to the pedal.
Commuting needs are different though.
A lot of people that are commuting will either be wearing sneakers or a shoe that is formal. These types of shoes are meant for comfort and walking, and the soles aren’t very stiff. If you have pedals with small surface areas and shoes with soft soles, the power transfer isn’t as good, and it could be less comfortable for the rider because of a higher pressure on the foot.
The Arclight pedals have small spikes around the edge that provide a lot of grip. But the spikes aren’t sharp, so if your foot slides off the pedal, you won’t hurt yourself badly.
Pedal Safety
The main reason to get these pedals and the key benefit is the safety the light modules provide. The Arclight pedals will help you be seen day or night and with three light settings, there are plenty of options to optimize battery life and visibility depending on your needs.
The light settings for the Light Module are steady, Steady, Flash, and Eco Flash, with light runtimes of 3, 11, and 36 hrs respectively. Of course, runtimes will depend on weather conditions and age of battery.
How do the Light Modules stay connected to the Arclight pedals?
The Light Modules are securely connected using magnets. The magnets are quite strong and require a good pull to remove them from the pedal bodies. I’ve had no issues with the modules removing, and RedShift stated that they didn’t have a single module disconnect in all their product testing of the Arclight pedals.
The Light Module uses a high powered dual-color COB LED strip (red is ~20 lumens and white ~50 lumens). Redshift emphasizes that lumens are the most important factor for visibility with these pedals, and that the pedaling motion makes it more visible than just a fix mounted light.
The lights also provide an almost 360-degree range of lighting, thus making you more visible from the side than just a standard bicycle light.
The Light Modules can be used were cleverly designed to be used independently from the Arclight pedals as front and rear if you purchase a Multi-Mount too. If you have multiple bikes and only want to use the lights on your other bike, you can transfer the Light Module from the pedals to a Multi-Mount and you have lights on your other bike.
Or if you want more likes on your commuter, add a few Multi-Mounts and Light Module sets and be very seen. You could also add some to your helmet too (unless you get a helmet with integrated lights like this Giro Helmet).
A single Light Module will cost $30 USD, a single Multi-Mount costs $15 USD, or the whole kit is $40 USD.
The Light Module as an independent light is somewhat expensive. There are many options online for cheap light sets for $15 USD and some nicer that aren’t quite as bulky and a little lighter costing about the same.
One benefit of using these as your bike lighting is that they come on and off quite quickly and easily. So, if you are commuting and don’t want to leave your light on the bike, you will spend less time installing and removing them.
When the Light Modules are in the Arclight Pedals, the SmartSet sensor ensures the correct color light is facing in the proper direction depending on the orientation of the pedal.
Amazingly when you flip the pedal over, the lights switch colors. I’m sure this took some clever designing since the light module needs to know if it is in the right pedal or the left pedal. Then depending on which pedal it is in, pointing forward/backwards will correspond to a different color.
The light modules have auto on/off functionality. This will help extend runtimes and keep you from getting a dead battery because you forgot to turn your light off.
To initially turn on the Light Modules, you press the rubber button on the outside end of the light module. This will turn the light module on to the white steady light (assuming the light module has been off for more than 24 hrs, more on this below), then you continue to click to scroll through the other light settings then into the red-light mode.
To turn off the lights, press and hold the button until it shuts off. Pressing the button is required to turn in back on.
The Light Modules have 2 modes in the on/off functionality to help preserve the battery and makes using the light easy. Once you’ve turn on your lights and stop for a given time they will turn off.
The first mode is Standby Mode, which after 30 second of no movement they lights will shut off and enters this mode. The lights will turn back on when slight movement is sensed. This is good if you are stopped at a long light or just taking a quick break, this helps conserve your lights a bit longer.
The next mode is Sleep Mode, where after 150 seconds (2.5 min) the lights turn off and go into this mode. To turn back on heavier movement is required.
If there is no movement for over 24 hrs, the light will go into Shut Off. Once this happens, you will be required to press the buttons to turn the Light Modules back on again.
The Sleep Mode is a great feature especially if you commute two times daily. Thus, you wouldn’t have to every press the power button to turn them back on. Or if you only commute during the weekdays, you will only need to turn them back on once.
Its not that turning the Light Modules on is difficult, but there is four of them and having to turn them on daily would be cumbersome.
Last little note on the Light Modules, when you first turn on the light, you will notice a small light near the button, that only remain on for a short time. This is your battery life indicator.
Pedal durability/re-buildability
The Light Modules are designed to be “weatherproof” with a rating of IP64 (IP is ingress protection).
What does this mean?
The 6 in IP64 gives the level of protection to solid objects (dust, dirt, etc.) on a scale from 0-6. The 4 is the level of protection to water ingress on a scale of 0-8. Thus, these pedals are only rated for protection against splashing water and not water immersion.
A higher IP rating would be a little better and more reassuring, but that would probably increase the cost. With the pedals being so low they are guaranteed to get a constant spray of water if you are riding in the rain. I would recommend removing the light modules after riding in rain to make sure everything completely dries out.
I haven’t seen an exploded diagram of the pedals, but I assume there is a rubber O-ring to protect from water ingression into the pedal body. Also, I’m not sure how easy it will be to rebuild or regrease the pedals in the future. It will be interesting to see how these pedals perform in the future and see how the hold up to daily use.
Costs
The Arclight pedals cost $139 USD, but you can get 10% off on you first order plus free shipping. For flat pedals, this could seep quite expensive, but the added level of safety they provide, it is well worth it
Final Thoughts
To my knowledge, there isn’t another set of pedals like these, and I think they are quite innovative.
There really isn’t anything bad to note on the pedals, but I think with future iteration some improvements could be made. First, reducing weight, possibly by making the pedals a little thinner would improve the product. The batteries last pretty long, but longer battery life is always welcomed. Lasty, making the Light Modules IP67 rated where getting submersed wouldn’t damage them would be great.
It is possible while commuting you may have to cross a deep puddle, or it is raining extremely hard. Having a higher waterproof raining would give you one less thing to worry about while still giving you high visibility when you need it most.
So far, these Arclight pedals have been great. They make you much more visible and are comfortable to use. The pedal bearings feel smooth. If you commute day or night, I highly recommend these pedals.
SUPPORT JAYLO CYCLING
Did you find this post useful? If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. If you have any suggestions of reviews or things you would like to see in the future contact me. My reviews are thorough and often take a significant amount of time to produce. Please consider checking out my Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook accounts to show me support there. If you feel generous and have the ability, consider buying me a coffee to help support this site. If you are in the market for these items, consider using my affiliate links on this page.
2 thoughts on “Arclight Pedals by Redshift Sports Tested – Be Seen Stay Safe”
During researching the Arclight pedals, I came upon your review and I have to say yours is the best I’ve found so far, detailed and well researched. One question though: what did you think about traction? Were the little metal nubs and overall very smooth, metallic surface enough to keep your feet on the pedal at all times, also and especially during rain etc?
AB, Thank you for reading my review. I’m glad it was helpful. I will say I haven’t used the pedals in the rain, but I would expect them to provide good traction even in the rain. The little metal nubs are about 1/8 inch tall. The edges aren’t smooth and provide lots of grip. The flat surface in the middle is smooth, but with a wide platform shoe, your foot will be on the nubs. I could see flat smooth dress shoes might not have a grip, but I don’t think any pedal will provide much grip for that type of shoe.
I think if you have a soft rubbery tennis shoe, these provide a lot of grip. In muddy conditions though I don’t think they would provide a lot of grip, but I don’t think they were intended for muddy conditions. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.