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The DMR Vault is one of the brand’s best-selling flat pedals, filling the premium slot in DMR’s range.

Available in many anodised colour options, the Vault offers a large concave platform.

The Vault is fully rebuildable, and has replaceable and adjustable pins.

The Vault’s 105(L)x105mm(W) (at its widest point) platform is made from extruded 6061 aluminium.

Its large surface area is 19mm deep at its front and back edges, and 11mm at the side edge, while the very centre of the pedal is only 8mm thick.

All its edges are chamfered to help with ground- or rock-strike deflection.

There are seven 6mm-long replaceable pins positioned around the pedal’s front and back edges, and four stubbier 4mm pins on the pedal’s sides.

The 6mm pins can be reversed to turn them into 4mm-long versions so owners can tune grip. Included with the pedals are two spare pins and an Allen key to remove or fit them.

The pins are replaced from the back side of the pedals, making the job easier to do if they become damaged or covered in mud.

The 4140 chromoly steel axle runs on a DU bushing and a cartridge bearing. My test pedals weighed 429g.

Thanks to their impressively concave platform, the Vaults were excellent at focusing my foot’s pressure onto the leading and trailing edge pins, which increased grip.

While the long, well-spaced pins did a lot of the work of keeping my feet in place, the platform’s shape further boosted grip and stability by cupping my feet well compared to flatter or convex pedals.

A slightly smaller platform than some rival pedals means there’s a fair amount of foot overlap over the front, rear and side of the pedal, which can cause some clawing and reduces stability.

This resulted in twisting on rougher descents, although it didn’t dramatically reduce grip. My heels tended to rotate inboard towards the cranks, resting against them.

While this didn’t reduce control or cause my feet to jump off the pedals, it did highlight the need for a slightly larger platform.

We’ve tested 13 flat pedals for mountain bikes in some of the harshest conditions on a host of terrain types – from bumpy on-the-gas sections through to flat-out rough and worn downhill tracks – to see how much grip they offer and help you find the perfect companion.

You can also find our top-rated reviews in BikeRadar’s guide to the best mountain bike pedals.

The Vault’s design is proving as timeless as DMR’s other pedals, offering great grip and stability.

While the pedal is virtually faultless in terms of weight and performance, it could be improved further if its platform size was increased to beat or match the competition’s offerings.

Alex Evans is BikeRadar's mountain bike technical editor. He started racing downhill at the tender age of 11 before going on to compete across Europe. Alex moved to Morzine in the French Alps at 19 to pursue a career as a bike bum and clocked up an enormous amount of riding. Riding those famous tracks day in, day out for eight years, he broke more bikes than he can remember. Alex then moved back to the UK and put his vast knowledge of mountain biking to good use by landing a job working for MBUK magazine as features editor. Since working for MBUK, Alex's focus has moved to bike tech. He's one of BikeRadar's lead testers, knows how to push bikes and products to the limit, and wants to search out the equipment that represents the best value for money. Alex is also a regular on the BikeRadar Youtube channel and BikeRadar podcast.

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