Pedal Feedback Explained

What is Pedal Kickback?

Hint: It probably isn't what you think it is

The phrase “Pedal Kickback” has been floating around for a bit, and with it, speculation about whether it has an impact on ride feel.

The perception of Pedal Kickback is the sensation you get through your feet from your suspension compressing. With chainstay elongation (also known as chain growth) from suspension compression, the chain pulls on the cranks, rotating them backward and creating feedback through your feet.

But when SRAM and Ochain engineers hooked up a DAQ (Data Acquisition) system to a DH bike and repeatedly sent it down a test track, they found that Pedal Kickback isn’t really an issue. At least, not when you’re riding a trail.

DAQ data showed that riding at trail speed, pedal kickback is essentially a non-issue—once the bike is moving, the wheel’s freehub disengages and the cassette spins freely. The only time we really see pedal kickback is in slow-moving, high-compression scenarios: think huck-to-flat or dropping off a loading dock. In those moments, the freehub is engaged and the cassette can't rotate independently, so the chain yanks backwards on the cranks and creates feedback felt through your feet. To be clear, this does happen, but probably not as often as you think. (And, when it does, Ochain mitigates it.)

Ochain reduces chainslap and pedal feedback

What you’re actually feeling: Pedal FEEDback

Pedal KICKback and Pedal FEEDback sound similar, so let’s break down Pedal Feedback. We think of Pedal Feedback as all the trail noise that reverberates through your feet, which includes Pedal KICKback (among others we’ll get into below). Sometimes feedback is helpful—like getting praise from your boss for a job well done. But, like the screech from a microphone picking up its own signal, feedback can also be unhelpful. It can come in different forms from your suspension, drivetrain, or even your rider weight. We measure feedback in torque from the cranks, and we’ve established from testing that feedback becomes noticeable to riders at around 15 N·m—equivalent to hanging roughly 20 lbs. / 9 kg of weight off your rear foot of a 170mm crank.

What causes Pedal Feedback? In addition to the rare cases of Pedal KICKback above: there’s Cassette Backwards Slap and Rear Wheel Lockup. It’s important to note that pedal feedback events don’t occur in isolation. While we’ve described them individually below, these forces often happen simultaneously, overlap, or occur in quick succession during a ride. Let’s dive into these ride scenarios, and how Ochain minimizes Pedal Feedback.

Cassette Backwards Slap

Or slapback, as the kids call it, is likely what people think Pedal Kickback is.

When the bike encounters an obstacle, the rear wheel pivots up and out of the way, causing the top and bottom sections of the chain to lose tension and sag. The slack in the lower chain section comes from the derailleur cage moving forward with the momentum, while the slack in the upper section comes from the cassette rotating forward.

As the system rebounds, the cage and cassette return to their normal state, pulling the top of the chain rearward. This sudden tightening of the chain with inertia of the system yanks the cassette backward, applying torque to the crank and forcing it to rotate backward, which produces this slap. Slapback occurs frequently, even with a moderate force. You’ve likely felt this on every ride, but have grown accustomed to it.

Rear Wheel Lockup

This scenario has two key elements: rider position and what’s happening at the rear wheel. Like any good story, they’ll come together at the end.

Scene: Under hard braking on rough terrain, a rider using both front and rear brakes will often pitch forward on the bike from deceleration, shifting more weight onto the front pedal.

At the rear wheel, braking while descending can cause the wheel to lock as it skips along the ground. In this case, it’s important to note that the braking force isn’t enough to fully skid the tire continuously (we’re controlling speed, not coming to a complete stop). Instead, the wheel stops spinning while it’s off the ground, then resumes rolling when it makes contact again—as the rider continues moving forward.

What’s happening: When the rear wheel is off the ground and locked from braking, the cassette and chain lock up with it—there's no give in the drivetrain. At the same time, the rider's weight shifted forward pushes down on the pedals then creates opposing forces that transmit feedback directly through the pedals to their feet.

Think of it like jumping on a trampoline that suddenly turns to stone mid-compression: all the momentum you were carrying is abruptly redirected back through your feet. While that’s an extreme example, even at a smaller scale, the impact is measurable. Again, this is a common situation that you’ve felt in rough terrain, breaking bumps, etc., but you probably didn’t realize that’s what you were feeling.

How does Ochain’s spider damper absorb pedal feedback?

Ochain reduces pedal feedback through a two-stage system. When the chainring engages, it compresses the Ochain’s internal springs first. During the final degree of travel, elastomers take over (acting like a suspension bottom-out bumper) to smooth the transition and prevent harsh feedback.

Ochain R + S models feature the External Travel Adjust knob so you can fine-tune the amount of travel your Ochain has, on the go. When you rotate the knob, there’s a tiny cog that rotates the internal components to add or reduce the travel available, basically adjusting the starting point of where Ochain’s movement begins.

What sets Ochain apart?

There are plenty of devices out there claiming to mitigate pedal KICKback, but Ochain is the only one that addresses all forms of pedal FEEDback.

Two-stage feedback management: internal springs handle initial engagement, transitioning smoothly into elastomers at the end of travel. The effect is a very natural feel—no harsh transition as the springs bottom out.
Addresses all three sources of pedal feedback: Pedal Kickback, Cassette Backwards Slap (backslap), and Rear Wheel Lockup. Decoupling hub solutions only mitigate feedback from Pedal Kickback and Rear Wheel Lockup.
Easy installation: just a 104 BCD chainring. No hub or wheel swaps.
Tunable and serviceable.

All this to say: Ochain is something that really has to be felt to be understood. Pedal feedback is a relatively new topic, and while we've done extensive testing, we're still learning. What we do know: riding with Ochain means less distraction, less noise through your feet, and more control and confidence on the bike.

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