Upgrading their bikes is the utmost passion of mountain bikers after hills hiking. Making your bike stunt-safe and professionally comfortable on bizarre roads require adding tools and gears; for instance, can you put pegs on a mountain bike?
Pegs are for stunt bikes, such as road bikes or BMX road racers. But don’t worry, with some successful experiments, now you can also put pegs on the mountain bike.
You need to make some changes in the gear and pieces of your MTBs before putting pegs to them to diminish the damage.
On the basis of my experience with mountain bikes and off-road cycling, I would suggest that although you can.
But you should not add pegs to your mountain bike because it can add to the cost and damage your mountain bike.
Pegs are little cylindrical rolls that get attached to the wheel rims, and many mountain bikers nowadays buy such add-ons to upgrade their biking experience.
But, as mountain bikes are of various kinds (check mountain bike types here), getting confused about whether you can put pegs on a mountain bike or not is obvious.
Here is the guide from MTB Knowledge by Trevor Humphres (yes, it’s my personal blog where I teach MT bikes and biking tricks for free) about MTB pegs.
Run down for today’s guide is, we will discuss:
- On what types of mountain bikes can you put pegs on?
- Are pegs okay to use for your safety and MTB’s health?
- What peg sizes should you select for a mountain bike?
Excited??? Let’s start with the following:
Can You Put Pegs on a Mountain Bike?
Basically, pegs are for stunt bikes, such as road bikes or BMX road racers. But don’t worry, with some successful experiments, now you can also put pegs on the mountain bike.
The mountain biking trend is booming because this recreational activity helps people lose extensive weight, stay fit, and get muscles, and that all without even trying.
You are racing your MT cycle for fun, enjoying the country rides, and cooling your eyes with sightseeing, yet you are losing pounds.
So, if you ask Can You Put Pegs on a Mountain Bike, the answer is yes. But there are limitations. Pegs can damage your MTB’s fork and frame because these are not engineered to handle pegs.
How to Put Pegs on a Mountain Bike?
Before you put pegs on a mountain bike, opt for a step that is to check bits and pieces of your MTB, such as the material of the kits, and adjusting some functions.
- The best is putting pegs on steel frames because they withstand shocks and slippery rubbing well. Aluminum and carbon cannot bear such abuse. However, such bikes have increased in weight.
- Bolts on the axles will also play a role. Quick-release skewers cannot support peg weight and friction. So, change them to resilient yet fixed bolts.
- Speed adjustments are also recommended because when using stunting add-ons to your bike, single speed will help prevent the bike rims from getting weak.
- Remove the derailleur and replace it with 36 Holes Metal Disc Rear Hub Set. I would recommend it because it is easy to assemble, lightweight, and strong.
Bike Peg Sizes
Can You Put Pegs on a Mountain Bike in a more extended size? Stunt pegs are usually available in two sizes, whether you are looking for pegs on an MTB or a BMX.
Four inches or 100mm is the standard size for pegs. These are easy to attach and get used to stunting. Being a standard size, these are available quite easily.
This size is offered for people with average height and standard feet size, which is not too bigger or shorter.
Besides this, for more giant feet and heightened riders, little longer pegs are introduced that will be around 4.4 inches or 110 mm.
The number of inches added doesn’t seem so big, but the difference these pegs will make is huge for sure. Any rider who feels longer pegs offer a better grind can use them.
You can ask the vendor about the bike peg size before ordering to save yourself from any inconvenience.
What are Pegs for on a Bike?
For tricky biking and performing stunts, a small metallic bar is attached to one axle of the bike, rear or frontal. This is a peg, and it helps stunt riders to do trickier riding.
Pegs are mainly used for grinding. Grinding is a term used in mountain biking for uphill riding. During this, rather than putting their weight on the saddle, the biker puts more pressure on the lower gears.
Can You Put Pegs on a Mountain Bike? Pegs help in grinding faster and safely yet help riders to feel at ease while doing stunt riding.
Another function of bike pegs is that it works like a footrest for someone sitting behind your bike. They will not have to hang their feet freely to bump into obstacles. Instead, they can put their feet on these small metallic roads.
If you want to expand the number of people riding this bike, put pegs on your mountain bike and give it a go—a perfect way to upgrade your bike for more people.
Mountain Bike with Pegs – Pros
Pegs are stylish add-ons for your bike. These are not must-haves, but many mountain bikers and BMX riders like having them on their bikes.
So, are there any advantages you can claim to have by putting pegs on a mountain bike? Yes! The details are as follows:
- Offer excellent help when stunting: Rider is able to stand by putting their entire weight on the pegs while riding grinding.
- It will excel riders stunting skills.
- Pegs can also be used to carry luggage and accessories.
- Pegs make bikes usable for more people at once; however, a back career is mandatory.
- Pegs help in trickier mountain biking.
Mountain Bike Pegs – Disadvantages
Unfortunately, the disadvantages of putting Pegs on a Mountain Bike outweigh the advantages.
So, although my answer to Can You Put Pegs on a Mountain Bike was positive, there are some limitations on the opposing sides of using pegs on an MTB.
- Mountain bikes are not built for pegs.
- You need many alterations in the design to make MTBs ready for pegs.
- Pegs can put extra pressure on the wheels and frame, making them weaker because mountain bike components cannot withstand extra tension.
- Pegs can damage your mountain bike’s fork.
- You will have to replace the axle to put pegs on a mountain bike, which can add to extra cost.
- Too much stress on the bike’s body
- Pegs make mountain bikes’ maneuverability in tight places hard, rather impossible.
- Bikers, Pegs, or bikes can get damaged when trying to take corner turns at high speed.
- It puts an extra strain on the drivetrain resulting in chain failure.
- Your chain will start skipping when you put pressure on the pedals.
Before moving further to query, can you put pegs on a mountain bike, click, and find all the reasons behind Why Does My Bike Chain Slip When I Pedal Hard?
- Quick-release skewers of a mountain bike are too short for the pegs.
- This can be expensive because your mountain bike will need many amendments before the operation is done.
- Stunt pegs generally cost more than regular pedals.
Pegs for MTB – Yes or No?
On the basis of my experience with mountain bikes and off-road cycling, I would suggest that although you can, but you should not add pegs to your mountain bike.
Mountain bikes are already quite expensive, and you will need a lot of bucks to buy them. Damaging any of their kits will require replacement, adding to the already more cost.
Therefore, my suggestion is to go for a 14mm BMX. 14mm BMX cycles are similar to mountain bikes. The strength, support, and thickness they provide are the same.
The parts BMX bikes are made of are everlasting and robust, physically more fit for pegs. The derailleur, frame, and wheels will not get damaged.
Bottom Line
I would conclude my discussion today about can you put pegs on a mountain bike or not with the verdict that, for the sake of the experiment, you can put pegs on MTB.
However, you will not get as brilliant a biking experience as you expect because MT cycles are not built for pegs but different speed strength derailleurs.
You will have to replace the frame, wheels, and derailleur for material and with 36 holes hub to make your downhill cycle ready for pegs. But this is costly.
The better is if you add pegs on the road bike or a 14mm BMX to enjoy stunt riding in the long run without damaging the parts and kits of your cycle.
