Author Topic: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?  (Read 4894 times)

Offline mal

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are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« on: October 16, 2019, 01:03:15 PM »
Well,as you can guess i got back to flatland after 18 years and i am catching up with the new geometries,as i am trying to put together a newschool bike.
So.I see everybody's using 1.5'' diameter pegs now,i stopped flatland when 1.75 was the norm and now that i am building a new bike 1.75 pegs are really hard to find. I can only find the Deco Wu pegs on 1.75 and they are really expensive!
I can find a lot of 1.5 to 1.6 plastic sleeve street pegs that i could use with some griptape,BUT.I don't like the idea of griptape a lot and i think that such thin pegs will feel uncomfortable and bring the pain to my feet!
I have pretty big feet,like size 12 (US) and i use skate shoes for riding,that have pretty thin soles.
Do you think it's a bad idea to go with 1.5'' pegs,i am good on my 1.75''s but i need some new ones and i am also open to a new geometry if that would help my riding.

So are 1.75'''s worst for tricks,balance etc?

Do thinner pegs bring more control and better feel?

Weight is not an issue as (if i finally go with) the Wu pegs are lighter that most (if not all) 1.5'' pegs out there.
Please help!
« Last Edit: October 16, 2019, 01:09:07 PM by mal »

Offline DaddyCool

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2019, 09:26:28 PM »
Hi mal, cool that you find your way back!I used 45 mm (1.75") and even 48 mm in the past. Now I have 40.6 mm (1.6") on my main bikes and like this. I have 38 mm on my "spare bikes" and the difference is not so big. But of course 45 mm to 38 mm makes a difference. I would say you need to try it. Maybe you can find some cheap street pegs to test and then sell them and buy better ones after deciding if you like that diameter.I would say the rounding of the end makes a difference in terms of foot pain.I remember when the KGB Control pegs came out and they said that you would have better control because you have your foot closer to the axle. Hm. I am not so convinced by that from my physical understanding, but after getting used to 1.6" I can say that 48 mm feels a little bit strange and I can feel a little bit what Martti/Viki described for there pegs bitd. Maybe it is more in my head...Dominik Nekolny's pegs are even thinner, so it seems to depend. I would not use less than 38 mm.

Offline mal

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2019, 01:21:05 AM »
very useful reply,thanks!
You are right about trying the slim ones first.41mm i think will be the best of both worlds!I don't see a lot of 41mm ones out there,any suggestions?

Offline Timmer74

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2019, 07:10:39 AM »
like you, I too got back into flat after a long break and had to jump in and figure out all the new school stuff (about 23 years for me!). I've tried riding a few different versions of pegs with different diameters. I really liked the Ares Uuchi pegs (1.75"/38mm). But, I found that with the "bigger" pegs I suffered from really bad achilles tendonitis. I ended up switching to the D.O.M. pegs a couple of years ago (which are around 35mm) and I no longer suffer from the tendonitis. I too have big feet (13US) and prefer riding thin soled Vans.

For what it's worth, I've never really experienced foot pain from the pegs... Then again I rode back in the 80s with those super small pegs that really hurt! But, for me, the smaller peg has never been much of an issue. Especially since I'm no longer having really bad tendonitis!

Offline mal

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2019, 12:13:16 PM »
thats an interesting case..!If you didn't have that tendonitis issue would you be more comfortable with the 1.75" ones?Or the 1.5 ones are actually more comfortable?

Offline Timmer74

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2019, 06:01:03 PM »
It's hard to say since it's been a few years since I tried the Ares Uuchi's (which reminds me that I should probably try to unload them on here to somebody that WOULD use them...). But, I do remember liking how they felt under my foot before I had the tendonitis.

For me it's more the length of the peg. Having these big (dumb) clown feet make it harder for me to pivot the bike and not get my toes tangled up in the chain stay... or at least that's my excuse for the struggle! But, the longer the peg, the more comfortable I think it feels.

I also like a rounded end. The D.O.M. pegs dont really have this (not like the Igi Microphone/Armor pegs anyway). I really think that i would like those pegs. But, the size and my tendonitis issues have kept me from trying them. My solution was to make a sort of hybrid... I got into 3d printing after seeing how Armor has nylon end caps for their pegs. I've been playing around with 'end cap' designs for the DOM pegs that sort of get me close to the Armor pegs )I tried to attach an image of my bike with my modified DOMs...).






Offline mal

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2019, 06:11:36 PM »
diys rule..!

Offline DaddyCool

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2019, 08:57:52 PM »
Hey Timmer74,your modified pegs look really interesting! How did you remove the original cap and how did you fix the new ones?

Offline Voodoo

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2019, 09:58:49 AM »





I like my pegs shorter. Like old school pegs. But I like the width of the new school ones.
I always get plastic or aluminum pegs and cut them down to 3.25". It helps me with pivoting
on the end of the peg while keeping part of my foot on the frame. If you look at my builds,
you'll notice all the pegs have been chopped down.


The FAT old school pegs seem to give you more control. At least in my opinion. The thinner they
get, the less control I seem to have. I recently got my hands on two sets of the big, fat 2" pegs.
Aluminum. I'm going to cut them down to 3.25" with a band saw and then smooth the edges. I
recall hang fives being super easy to control with them.
I don't miss old school technology one bit.
But old school style and art? We live in a world of a thousand one color decals. Old school aesthetics win a thousand times over.

Offline Timmer74

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2019, 07:28:12 AM »
@DaddyCool
I've done a few versions of these caps. At first I removed the end cap in the DOM peg (it's screwed in but has some pretty strong loctite.). I was able to get the threading to work but, I had a hard time keeping the nylon from loosening on me. I thought about gluing them in but, that would make removing the back wheel a chore and would more than likely ruin the peg caps.
My current solution is pretty much like bar ends. I actually used the set screws from some bar ends to keep them installed. This design also has the cap sitting over the original peg cap. It's slightly recessed to try and have the slight rounded end cap of the DOM peg sit inside my cap. I tried to show that in the image attached.

This is probably about my 8th or 9th attempt. So far they work pretty well! This set is probably 3 or so months old too and while getting worn down they're still doing their job!

Offline Doses

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2019, 06:28:26 PM »
I have used 2 inch diameter pegs since they came out. I am not the tallest person so 2 inch pegs really help during death trucks,walk arounds and cliffhangers .. Whatever works for you go with it.

Offline Revig

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2019, 06:56:52 PM »
@DaddyCool
I've done a few versions of these caps. At first I removed the end cap in the DOM peg (it's screwed in but has some pretty strong loctite.). I was able to get the threading to work but, I had a hard time keeping the nylon from loosening on me. I thought about gluing them in but, that would make removing the back wheel a chore and would more than likely ruin the peg caps.
My current solution is pretty much like bar ends. I actually used the set screws from some bar ends to keep them installed. This design also has the cap sitting over the original peg cap. It's slightly recessed to try and have the slight rounded end cap of the DOM peg sit inside my cap. I tried to show that in the image attached.

This is probably about my 8th or 9th attempt. So far they work pretty well! This set is probably 3 or so months old too and while getting worn down they're still doing their job!


excellent!!  :beer:

Offline DaddyCool

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2019, 10:17:17 PM »
Hi Timmer74,thank you for clarifying. Is it actually a bar end that you have put into the peg? Or did you combine one with another cap?

Offline Timmer74

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Re: are 1.5'' diameter pegs really better?
« Reply #13 on: November 05, 2019, 11:43:24 PM »
it's actually a design I made in a CAD program that I then 3d printed (in nylon). However, the current design was inspired by a bar end. The initial designs were not. I was originally trying to design a 'screw in' peg cap. While, I was able to design a cap that I could screw in, it didn't work as well as the current 'bar end' style. The biggest issue was that I couldn't keep the cap from getting loose.