Class Of 2011 Buyers Guide: Footpegs – Dirt Rider Magazine

Power is nothing without control, and a rider’s control surfaces on a dirt bike are amazingly minimal for all the moves one can coax out of a motocross or off-road bike. Possibly the most overlooked—because they’re under foot—of these contact points are a bike’s footpegs.You may not have given much consideration to them before, but many riders opt to go aftermarket when looking for a wider platform, more grip, an arched profile, a height change or a different face angle.We gathered up the current class of footpegs and tried them one after the other to tell you about each option on the market today. We’ve picked a few Best In Class standouts, but you should seek out the traits you want and use these pages to find your perfect foot planter.

Fastway Performance Evolution 3 Footpegs

Tested with F6 (most-aggressive) cleats. A great overall grip with good side-out grip. A few testers found the peg’s rectangular shape awkward or their foot had trouble finding its footing. If you want a really big peg, this is your peg. One of the most adjustable pegs, with various cleat designs and lengths (allowing an arch or forward angle), a “down and back” adjustment, plus Fastway’s “FKMS” to adjust platform angle.

IMS Big Foot

This peg had great grip, especially side-out. One tester commented it had too much grip. Wide-peg lovers praised the big platform, others found it too wide. No problems with shifting, and the platform angle was good.

IMS Pro

This peg got a lot of positive comments for its platform shape and angle, great grip (especially side-out), foot support and the ability to roll back and forth on the peg. One tester commented it was too sharp when new.

Kite Ultra Footpegs

Good grip, with one rider wanting more side-out grip. Another rider felt they were slightly high in front. Support-lovers wished for a middle row of teeth. The rounded shape was liked, and the peg allowed good foot movement.

KTM Powerparts Adjustable Footrests

The peg earned mediocre reviews for grip, especially side-out. One tester felt the pegs were slightly high in the front and were too short. The innovative adjustability allows for several height and angle (plus or minus a claimed five degrees) options.

Moose Racing Hybrid Footpeg

Great grip and a nice platform shape with an arched feel. Our four testers were split; two appreciated the shape and easy-to-shift quality, two flat-peg lovers didn’t like it.

Moto Innovations Ankle Savers

Designed to prevent ankle hyperflexion on extreme hits but otherwise perform like a standard peg, the peg’s platform shape was praised, but the grip was only average. Some testers never felt the back section, others did when over the back of the bike. One pro tester commented it limited the amount his ankles could cushion regular hits.

MSR Soft Footpegs

Another very arched/rounded-feeling platform, like the Moose peg, that divided our testers. The grip was great, but one flat-peg lover never felt like he could find a “neutral” position to return his foot to.

MSR Standard Footpegs

The peg got some praise for its width, and the arched feeling helped with shifting, but this peg lacked grip overall and was not well-liked by our testers.

MS3 Racing Products Platform Footpegs

This peg received mixed reviews with one of the testers praising the angle, another feeling it needed to tilt down in the front. The tester who liked the angle felt the peg had excellent grip, others rated the grip from average to good.

Pivot Pegz Mark 3

The pivoting platform was not embraced by several of our testers. One commented that he could never use this peg, feeling he was “disconnected” from the bike. Others adapted but wanted more grip from the teeth. One really appreciated the concept and felt the peg was always at the perfect angle.

ProTaper 2.3 Platform Footpegs

The aluminum cleat gave very good grip with a well-angled and shaped platform. The stainless steel pattern got mixed reviews, with some riding styles finding it very grippy and others finding it lacking overall grip. This is a very adjustable peg with three aluminum cleat height options and one stainless steel cleat option.

Raptor Titanium

Very good grip but a few testers thought the peg needed to be tilted forward more as they felt they were riding on the front row. Easy to shift and one tester praised how planted he felt on the peg. Bonus points for that factory look.

Scar

The Scar felt wide with excellent grip and was easy to move around on. Some testers missed the middle row, feeling the “gap” in the peg, another noted the peg angle had him weighting the front row more than the back.

Talon

Most testers felt this peg gave good grip. One tester found it especially grippy, another found it had too wide of a feeling and good grip only in one position. The shape was well liked.

Works Connection Weld-On Pro Footpeg Wideners

Requiring a stock peg to weld onto, these extenders were well liked for adding a wider stance, keeping a nice ability to roll on the peg when moving on the bike, and a good solid platform when launching off jumps.

Stock KTM

This was our “control” peg for a performance baseline. It was considered narrow but allowed the rider to move around and shift very well. The angle was praised and the pegs had no real problems, though grip was considered average to weak.

United Distributing Leg Pegs

Not tested in this comparison. These “frame extenders” are designed to help the rider grip the bike with the back of his boots. They were DR Tested in the May 2010 issue (viewable at dirtrider.com). The company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The Testers’ “Perfect” Peg

After focusing on what their feet were feeling, we asked our testers to consider all the best traits and describe their ultimate peg.“The width of a peg and side grip are really important to me. I like a peg where I feel like I’ve got a big platform and my foot feels locked in once planted.”

-Kris Keefer

“I hang onto the bike with my ankles and not my knees so the footpeg is pretty important. Too much grip (especially laterally) keeps my ankles from sliding inward and grabbing, and too wide of a peg makes it hard for me to rock my foot for shifting, braking or locking in onto the front or back of the peg to hang on. Most stock pegs are just about right for me.”

-Jimmy Lewis

“I ride really, really light on my feet and move around on the peg a lot. I usually am not too fond of aftermarket pegs simply because I don’t like excessive width or grip, and I’m extremely sensitive to footpeg angle, usually liking something level or just barely canted forward. Also, I prefer the end of the peg to be slightly rounded and not too square in shape.”

-Chris Denison

“My ideal peg is a three-row peg that sits level and has just a little bit of arch to it. Not completely flat and not rounded, but I feel that center row of teeth gives just the right amount of roll and support. I like it wider than stock, but not too wide because then it feels awkward.”

-Chris Barrett

“My ideal peg is a wider-than-stock, two-row peg. I like the wider feel when standing and especially when jumping. I feel the two rows give me much better grip and also make it easier to move my feet around. I also found out I like a peg that sits a little higher than stock.”

-Mike Barrett