Born out of California some 20+ years ago, Kore have come a long way since the heady days of the 90’s where stems as long as your arm were the norm and lary colours where the fashion. Well, those days might be long gone for the Cali company steeped in mountain bike history, but they are back and back with a bang. It’s not just stems these days either. Kore have an entire range of components from wheels to grips and everything in between, but in this review we’ll be looking at the Torsion SX V2 platform pedals.

Words: Nathan Carvell | Photos: Olly Forster

Taking stock of the market and identifying the desires of today’s riders is exactly what Kore have done here producing top quality components that will fit any bike in need of a subtle bit of ‘pimping’. The new Torsion SX V2 pedals are no exception, following the modern and proven formula of low profile, large platform pedals, Kore’s aggressive offering is right on the money for the modern market and here’s how we got on…

The 6061 aluminium construction is very solid and stiff, ideal for the more vertically minded rider, and having ridden these on various bikes on various terrains they have held up extremely well just simply taking it all in stride. The concave shape that houses the 48 chunky replaceable pins keeps your foot firmly in place whether your combined with a 5.10 or similar sticky soled shoe and whilst it’s nothing that will set the world alight, it’s a proven design none the less.

Spinning around a Cr-Mo axle on sealed bearings, the rotation has remained smooth through the recent manky winter and will last for several more winters indeed. Even if they start to get a bit gritty they are fully serviceable…

Out on the Trail

Moving from my old trusty no-frills Kona pedals that I loved, I was a little apprehensive because I just really got on with them and knew where and how they gripped in a variety of conditions. First ride and the Kore’s were top, sharing a similar feel to my previous pedals. But comparisons aside, these are good pedals, and why wouldn’t they be? They pins are placed where they need to be, the shape is bang on for more aggressive riding and the grip isn’t insane causing any OCD foot positioning issues and although they’re not going to win any prizes on ‘Britain’s Next Top Super Skinny Factor’, they aren’t going to break on collision with the trail below and the knowledge in that the bearings and bushes are a good size to last is ideal, especially with recent UK conditions.

Aggressive enough to offer support that doesn’t hinder your riding, but possibly more suited to trail and enduro than downhill?

The design of the Torsion SX V2’s body is one that works great in the slop of the UK winter, not only offering a excellent support through the concave design, but allowing any excess mud build up to the easily shed.

Conclusion

What I like most about the Torsion SX V2’s is their simplicity, both aesthetically and mechanically and yes you might ask ‘c’mon they’re just pedals right?!’ But they are an all important contact point on a bike and one not scrimp on… Would you want an over complicated solution to something that need not be? These are true ‘fit and forget’ product and they will fit in seamlessly with any build lacking the loud graphics and colours found elsewhere… The anodized black finish and subtle graphics are tough and show no signs of wearing off, which is a personal bonus for me when it comes to Kore – the subtlety of the graphics is just enough to make the product interesting and not ill fitting – give me nice type and sleek looking products any day!

Coming in at around £65, they might be a little pricey for a humble pedal but it’ll be money will spent when you’re still smashing the trails with both feet on and what’s that worth? You can’t put a price on a great day in the hills, that’s for sure! Kore are distributed in the UK by Decade-Europe, but for more on the V2’s and the 2013 range from Kore, hit up the logo below. Happy trails, Nathan.

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