Penny-pincher Pedal Upgrade

On a recent ride I noticed my son's feet slipping off his pedals. The plastic "spikes" were worn down from years of hand-me-down use. I suppose it is time to get new pedals.

But we really like the fact that his old pedals fold up. I makes garage storage and transport much easier. So before buying new ones I thought I would try to add new "spikes". Here is my tightwad-dad fix.

tools/parts needed:
drill
aluminum rivets
rivet installation tool
pliers/Vice Grips
a cutting devise (snips, dremel or file)
metal file

Before:

After:

How it was done...
First drill a hole in the corner of the petal roughly the same diameter as the rivet body:

Then insert the rivet. I found it easiest putting it into the gun first because the holes were sorta tight:

Here is the tricky part. When you squeeze the rivet, do not pull it enough to break it off or so it pulls through the hole, just enough to deform the rivet body. Now use a pliers to push the rivet shaft out of the rivet body and back down in to the pedal (the reason for this later). I used Vise Grips with a twisting motion.

Clip or file/break off the shaft about 1/8" from the pedal surface:

Now you can file the shaft making it shorter and less jaggy. Here is how it will look before filing:

Done!

Tips:
Don't clip off the rivet shaft before pushing it down into the pedal. My first try I clipped it off and when I put my foot on it, it popped down into the pedal leaving it flush. So the next attempt I pushed it in, before clipping it off:

Also, be sure not to drill holes in the center of the pedal or you might drill into the bearings.

We have not made time to try them but I am sure they will work, at least for a while. Will post back if more "spikes" are needed.

Being somewhat new to MTB I am sure someone has done this before so sorry if I accidentally stole your idea.