FUNN Python V2 Pedals – REVIEW
Pedals are one of the three main contact points from the body to the bike and provide a crucial part of how you engage and maneuver the bike on the trails. Over the years flat pedals have gotten larger and thinner and FUNN pedals are no exception to this trend with their latest offering, the FUNN Python V2 pedals.
Pedals can be a very personal choice and the brand and model that work for you tend to be the ones you stick with for years but that doesn’t necessarily mean there are others out there equally as good or better. The Python V2 is the latest flat pedal from FUNN and if looks alone are anything to go by, it’s an impressive-looking piece of kit.
Funn MTB components have been a major brand in the mountain biking scene since 1997 and have been kitting out big names on the scene worldwide. FUNN has always had a “fun” appeal to its brand with colourful anodized designs with its machined and forged aluminum components, pedals, handlebars, and stems, and the new Python pedal bears all the hallmarks of their branding flair.
FUNN Python V2 – Features
Although marketed as a new pedal, the python has undergone some revisions to get it to where it is today. This new version has a slimmer and stronger profile with a larger platform area and robust axle.
The Python V2 has an ultra-thin profile with a wide platform, boasting a foot placement area of 103mm wide by 110mm in length with the thinnest part of the pedal measuring only 10.5mm in height. This has been designed to offer a stable foot placement with precise control and trail feedback.
The pedals have been forged from the formidable AL6061 alloy for superior strength and weight ratio, weighing only 375g per pair (70g lighter than the PNW Loam pedal). The grip is provided with 11 removable pins per side and comes in two pin sizes, a standard (4mm height) as well as a taller (5.9mm) pin length for an insanity grip.
The Python V2 pedal features a hardened steel axle with a long bushing, and two cartridge bearings on each end. This is all threaded together and forms the core of the pedal providing strength and protection against foul weather. This system (which is similar to the Shimano pedal setup) allows for ease of self-servicing when required.
If colour is your thing then you have seven mouth-watering anodized colours to choose from: Black / Red / Blue / Grey / Green / Orange / Turquoise.
Photo credit: ©Sam Clarke
FUNN Python – Specifications
- Ultra-thin and lightweight AL6061 forged pedal body
- Cartridge bearing with full-length bushing axle system
- 11 removable pins on each side
- Optional long pins for enhanced grip (Sold separately)
- Platform size: W103mm x L110mm x H10.5mm
- 375g per pair
- Colour Options: Black / Red / Blue / Grey / Green / Orange / Turquoise
On The Trails
The Python V2 was tested on an e-bike for several months with +100kms of fast single-track and we also placed them on an analog bike for shuttle days at Thredbo Park. Getting to grips was as easy as slipping on a pair of old slippers. Everything felt just right and they quickly faded out of mind, which was tricky seeing as we were trying to review them.
Although not the largest platform out there, the size of the platform felt ample (tester is wearing a size 11 shoe), and foot placement was quick and easy. The platform felt good underfoot and we were able to re-position easily enough. The thin body allowed us to feel the nuances of the trail and apply pressure with an improved level of sensitivity than a thicker body would.
For such a thin pedal, the stiffness was excellent and gave us plenty of confidence on the biggest of drops. Initially tested with Ride Concepts powerline shoe but switched to Crank Brothers which has a harder sole. Pedal tests are as much about the shoe used as the grip of the pedal pins. This provided varying degrees of results.
It’s worth noting that although the thickness is marketed as 10.5mm, that is only the measurement at the edge of the pedal cage. It measures a little thicker in the centre area, around 15-16mm. The shorter pins, in our view, are not quite long enough. This is important if you are looking for a pedal with more concavity. However, you can achieve more concavity if you swap out the outer pins with the taller ones.
We requested the longer pins from FUNN to confirm if it would give us more grip on the faster, rowdier runs. The longer pins certainly confirmed that for us. They made for some very fast downhill laps with a ton of confidence that we were locked in. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the harder sole of the Crank Brothers shoes felt a little less locked in than we would have liked whereas the softer sole of the RC felt more at home on the longer pins. This just reinforced our thoughts on the importance of pedal and shoe combinations.
The FUNN Python offers an ultra-thin and lightweight AL6061 forged pedal body for sensitivity and strength.
As a side note on pin length, as an e-bike general trail pedal, they’re awesome with the standard shorter pin. The lower speeds mean that you aren’t bouncing around on the pedal as much and have slightly less outright grip in exchange for the ability to shuffle a misplaced foot around. But if you’re planning on some DH runs or race events, go with the longer pins.
The bearings in the Python offer a nice amount of spin to them- not crazy fast, just the right amount. They have been through some awful weather and plenty of bike washing and rolling as smooth as when we got them out of the box. Pedal spin speed is a personal thing for every rider, we tend to like a slightly more damped spin for gravity-based riding. Hyper fast spinning pedals can feel like we’re going to slip a pedal.
Over the testing period, these pedals have been bashed into more things than they deserve, both while pedaling on the e-bike in rocky areas, and poor pedal placement on gravity runs. We feel bad, given how ‘pretty’ they looked when first out of the box.
Although they now bear the scars of battle, they are running flawlessly. The only casualty was one outer pin. It’s hard to say whether this one wasn’t tight enough from the factory, or was ripped out. The threads were fairly clean which made screwing in a replacement pin simple. The benefits of a metal pedal versus composite.
In our opinion, a pedal needs to do a few key things – provide a platform to allow for confident foot stability and bike maneuverability, be robust enough to keep working through a hard season of riding in all weather conditions, allow the user the ability to perform simple maintenance, and to look good, (especially when using it to complement other components on the bike). The FUNN Python pedal ticks all of these boxes for us.
The FUNN Python is a great-looking pedal. Be warned, heads will turn.
Conclusions
The FUNN Python V2 is a beautifully engineered piece of kit with mouth-watering anodized colours, be warned though, heads will turn. But it’s not just looks alone that will impress you. The Python offers an ultra-thin platform with two pin lengths to dial in your preferred feel and concavity levels. The thin platform provides excellent control and trail feedback to help push your riding experience to the limits.
If you’re looking for a wide platform to comfortably support you in those big drops and landings, the lightweight AL6061 forged pedal will do just that. The FUNN Python pedal soon fades out of your thoughts as you focus on the important things, like the trails ahead. In our view, this is what a good pedal should always do. All in all, a great pedal from the FUNN team that bears all the hallmarks of their long and distinguished presence in the mountain bike industry.
Price / Where to buy
- FUNN Python V2 flat pedal: $199.95AUD
- Available online or ask your local bike shop.
- Imported by KWT Imports.
