Literally overlooked by most riders, pedals are responsible for efficiently transmitting all of your power to the bike.
Time to go clipless
When is the last time you thought about your pedals? Now is as good a time as any to look for a meaningful component upgrade. Installing a new set of pedals on your road bike can make you bike not only lighter, but more efficient. This is especially true if your current pedals are not of the “clipless” variety.
Ditch the old toe clips and straps
Going clipless can seem like a scary proposition for some riders, but modern road clipless pedals from manufacturers LOOK and Time can be actually easier to use than those old toe clips and foot straps. To properly utilize those old toe clips, you need to get you foot in, and then tighten down the foot straps. To get out of these archaic contraptions, you have to reach down and loosen the foot strap. Convenient? Hardly.
A LOOK back in time
A modern road cycling shoe and pedal system works like an alpine ski binding, because it is actually a miniaturized alpine ski binding. Long before they entered the bike market, LOOK was a ski company that created releasable ski bindings way back in the 1950. By applying their know how from ski bindings, they were able to create step in, releasable, “clipless” pedals in 1984.
LOOK Keo Blade
Look has done away with the steel retention spring in the Keo Blade models, and replaced it with a carbon blade. The carbon blade drops significant weight off of each pedal and also makes entry and exit more audible and ta
ctile. Not easier to get in and out of, but it is easier to tell when you are in or out. The body of the pedal is made of carbon fiber, while the axles are available in either chromoly steel, or uber light titanium.
Time iClic
Time introduced their iClic pedals in 2010. This new pedal design also does away with a metal retention spring in favor of a carbon leaf spring. How it engages and disengages from your shoe is radically different from anything else on the market.
The Time iClic series of pedals are pre-cocked when you release from them. What this means is that they kind of “pull “ you into the pedal. These require the least amount of effort to engage of any pedal to date. There is no spring tensi
on to overcome when you are “clipping in”. The body of the pedal is made from an injection molded carbon fiber for low weight and high stiffness. Steel or titanium axles are for you to choose from.
Either of the new Time iClic or LOOK Keo Blade road pedals also have a much larger area where they contact the cleat, and support your foot. A larger contact area creates a much more stable platform from which to put power down with. You feet will feel less pressure, and you’ll be able to ride further while using less power. From a comfort and ease of use standpoint, these new pedal designs make clipless pedals a painless choice for anyone looking to upgrade their current pedals.
