What I have learned about PedalsI fully understand that clipless pedals are the best way to hold a foot. However, when I get on a bike, usually I am going somewhere. Being in public wearing sillyass, hard to walk in, or outrageously colored bike shoes is not worth it. Even before I raced mountain bikes, I was a fan of toe clips. I could choose from a variety of shoes depending on weather and occasion. However, that time spent, waiting for a good opportunity to flip over the pedal to put in your foot, could determine a race, back in the day; but on the street it can be legitimately dangerous. Experimenting with various designs, I discovered bmx platform pedals. The best off-the-shelf pedal design for street riding is the platform model - bmx or downhill, with long aluminum body and steel pins. You will need to find the lightweight models (Welgo MG-1, any bmx mini, or Tioga Surefoot 8 or Spyder). The models with narrow bearing spacing are one step toward lighter weight. And personally, I like to use pedal reflectors; platforms usually have mounts.
With those steel pins, I can easily power thru 75% of my stroke; surprisingly secure grip. Even while stopped with one foot down, I can pull my crank up to set my power foot high. The reality of big city stop and go, crazy pedestrian dodging, put your foot down traffic is a rider often taking a foot off a pedal. Putting it back on is instantaneous with this pedal design. No choosing top or bottom, no orientaion decision. Stomp and go.
They are unfortunately often heavy, right where I don’t want weight, but the advantage of instant ignition supercedes. Plus being able to wear my sexy shoes to a hot party, chuck taylors, boots, or even flip flops is a real performance advantage. |
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Here is some of my pedal experimentation.I had some great old school bodies and thought I should design some appropriate new tech cages. I went thru a few designs and settled on this easy to manufacture model.
I got some plate and made them. They rock! Super grippy, sharp and stable. Ultra light weight, right where I want to cut rotational weight. They may get dull or bend, so I made two sets.
What I find is that they are actually too sharp. The round flat steel pins of the heavy platform pedals allow easy foot repositioning. These customs are more difficult to slide around upon when reorienting. ================================= For experiment number two, I wanted to incorporate a small angle to the line of teeth, making the cages wider at the outside.
I also wanted to raise the line some to give a little more depth for my shoe. Unfortunately, deviating from scientific procedure, I combined the two experiments into one. One was successful, one was bad, resulting in a bad product. The depth was too much, causing an uncomfortable shape under the foot.
However the slight angle of the teeth worked out very well. That is a good design.
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