Are all folding pedals a bit... bendy? I have recently acquired a folding bike.  One of the most irritating things is the folding pedals, as pictured:

Pedal in folded position


Pedal in deployed position, ready to ride


Close up of pedal latch - this image shows the sliding latch in the middle of the platform that holds it in place.  To fold, you insert finger into hole and slide the middle section outboard.  This pulls two tabs from a slot in the silver metal part, and the pedal platform is free to rotate up/down


When pedalling normally, it feels "okay"  but when exerting some force on a climb I can feel the pedals bend under the load.   It gets much worse when out of the saddle.

If I were to estimate, it might be a 10 degree deflection of the pedal body from the pedal axle center line.

To minimise the effect, I've made a conscious effort to put the ball of the foot on the silver metal part, which feels much more solid than the rest of the pedal.

So my main question: Is this normal for folding pedals or should I be exploring for folding pedals that are more solid?

Or do I simply fit normal pedals?  This may interfere with the folding function on the left crank, and will leave the right one poking out more as a shin-collector.   On the plus side, clipless.
Yes, I've used a variety of folding pedals on my Dahon and Brompton and they're all a bit flexy. I've had plastic ones snap in half on me (and yes, that can be very painful/dangerous). The best ones I've had were all-metal ones in which the axle and folding pedal were both metal. But even those aren't as strong as fixed pedals -- and none of the folding designs are designed for putting all your body weight on (by standing to pedal).  This is the MKS FD-7, perhaps the solidest of the folding pedal designs, but also quite heavy:



Instead, the best pedals sold for folding bikes are the removable axle pedals made by MKS and others. Rather than the pedal folding, the pedal axle disengages from the crank with a quick release. This removes the folding component  and so this type is stronger and more rigid. The other advantage is that you can also get clipless as well as regular pedals. But even with this design, the pedal will still remain the weakest link in your power chain. The removable axle thins where it enters the crank (which means that the bearings are also smaller) and that the pedal retention system while improved and generally bulletproof is not foolproof (they keep making better fools).



Here is their regular style Ezy pedal:



The ideal design would involve cranks that had a custom pedal quick release built into them  but that would mean you wouldn't be able to use standard pedals anymore and would be locked into that manufacturer, which makes me wonder why Shimano hasn't done this. :)