Cleats for old pedals?

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:5DiSb.107$rK6.13
@fe02.usenetserver.com:

Quoted message said:

Just picked up a pair of Shimano PD-A550 platform "aero" pedals (those triangle-shaped jobs), and
was wondering: were these meant to be used with some kind of cleats?

Old-style platform road racing pedals with toe clips were designed to be used with slotted cleats.
The slots hooked onto the back edge of the pedal. The cleats were usually provided by shoe
companies, not pedal companies.

I assume this is the kind of pedal you have. I'm not familiar with Shimano model numbers.

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just picked up a pair of Shimano PD-A550 platform "aero" pedals (those triangle-shaped jobs), and
was wondering: were these meant to be used

with

Quoted message said:

some kind of cleats? Been searching the web for info, but can't find much out there.

Thanks,

-Jeff

Yup, they sure were designed to be used with cleats. PD-64s if I'm not mistaken.

They're rare as hen's teeth and priced to match. Try www.businesscycles.com for a ready supply. Be
ready to spend some BIG DOLLARS on these babies. If you hang out with track racers, you may be able
to come across a few pair for a little less. I'd try searching thru your older LBS's stock rooms.
They may have some and not know what they're worth.

The good news is that they fit the 3-bolt Look pattern.

Good luck ('cause you CANNOT have my pair.)

Mike

Mike S. said:

They're rare as hen's teeth and priced to match. Try www.businesscycles.com for a ready supply. Be
ready to spend some BIG DOLLARS on these babies. If you hang out with track racers, you may be
able to come across a few pair for a little less. I'd try searching thru your older LBS's stock
rooms. They may have some and not know what they're worth.

The good news is that they fit the 3-bolt Look pattern.

Good luck ('cause you CANNOT have my pair.)

Mike

I actually made some once by hand out of 6mm Aluminium

"MSeries" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike S. said:

They're rare as hen's teeth and priced to match. Try www.businesscycles.com for a ready supply.
Be ready to spend some BIG DOLLARS on these babies. If you hang out with track racers, you may
be able to come across a few pair for a little less. I'd try searching thru your older LBS's
stock rooms. They may have some and not know what they're worth.

The good news is that they fit the 3-bolt Look pattern.

Good luck ('cause you CANNOT have my pair.)

Mike

I actually made some once by hand out of 6mm Aluminium

There's an Aussie company doing the same thing, but I hear that they're going for even larger $$
than the PD-64 cleats...

Mike

"Vetera semper in laude, presentia in fastidio." - Tacitus
On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 18:43:39 -0700, "Jeff" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Just picked up a pair of Shimano PD-A550 platform "aero" pedals (those triangle-shaped jobs), and
was wondering: were these meant to be used with some kind of cleats? Been searching the web for
info, but can't find much out there.

Your pedals will work with any slotted cleat. There was an Ultegra version of your pedals that
included a special cleat (Shimano part # PD-64). The PD-64 cleat subsequently became (and remains)
quite popular among track riders.

See businesscycles.comtped shim.htmOpen ↗ for more information.

-------------------------------
John Dacey Business Cycles, Miami, Florida businesscycles.combusinesscycles.comOpen ↗ Now in our twenty-first
year. Our catalog of track equipment: eighth year online
-------------------------------

Mike S. said:

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Just picked up a pair of Shimano PD-A550 platform "aero" pedals (those triangle-shaped jobs), and
was wondering: were these meant to be used

with some kind of cleats? Been searching the web for info, but can't find much

Quoted message said:

out there.

Yup, they sure were designed to be used with cleats. PD-64s if I'm not mistaken.

They're rare as hen's teeth and priced to match. Try www.businesscycles.com for a ready supply.

Now I'm confused. I found a picture of these pedals at businesscycles.comtped shim.htmOpen ↗ .
The super-duper cleats are further down the page.

Don't these pedals work with the classic, generic slotted cleats from the pre-Look days? I had a few
pairs of the same-period same-style Shimano 600's, and they worked fine with my slotted cleats of
the era. Do the $50 cleats really work that much better, or could the O.P. save a bunch here?

Mark Janeba

"Mark Janeba" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:uHESb.150354$nt4.698072@attbi_s51...

Quoted message said:

Mike S. said:

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Just picked up a pair of Shimano PD-A550 platform "aero" pedals (those triangle-shaped jobs),
and was wondering: were these meant to be used

with some kind of cleats? Been searching the web for info, but can't

find much

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

out there.

Yup, they sure were designed to be used with cleats. PD-64s if I'm not mistaken.

They're rare as hen's teeth and priced to match. Try

www.businesscycles.com

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for a ready supply.

Now I'm confused. I found a picture of these pedals at businesscycles.comtped shim.htmOpen ↗
. The super-duper cleats are further down the page.

Don't these pedals work with the classic, generic slotted cleats from the pre-Look days? I had a
few pairs of the same-period same-style Shimano 600's, and they worked fine with my slotted cleats
of the era. Do the $50 cleats really work that much better, or could the O.P. save a bunch here?

Mark Janeba

While any old slotted cleat will work, the advantage of the PD-64s is that
1. they fit all the 3-bolt Look shoes and 2. there's a pair of little tabs at the front of the cleat
that slide under some tabs on the pedal. This makes your foot even more secure in the pedal.

If you have a pair of old shoes with the two-bolt pattern you CAN save boatloads of money by going
the old-fashioned route. If you don't have the old-fashioned shoes, guess what...

Mike

Quoted message said:

Mike S. said:

They're rare as hen's teeth and priced to match. Try www.businesscycles.com for a ready supply. Be
ready to spend some BIG DOLLARS on these babies. If you hang out with track racers, you may be
able to come across a few pair for a little less. I'd try searching thru your older LBS's stock
rooms. They may have some and not know what they're worth. The good news is that they fit the 3-
bolt Look pattern. Good luck ('cause you CANNOT have my pair.)

MSeries said:

I actually made some once by hand out of 6mm Aluminium

Cleats are readily available for traditional pedals with Look shoes:
yellowjersey.orgtocleat.htmlOpen ↗

It's the two-piece cleat with a front part that engages Shimano's proprietary cleat-under-toeclip
design that's rare.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

In article <p6nSb.31896$F15.21388@fed1read06>,

Mike S. mikeshaw2@coxDOTnet said:

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just picked up a pair of Shimano PD-A550 platform "aero" pedals (those triangle-shaped jobs), and
was wondering: were these meant to be used

with

Quoted message said:

some kind of cleats? Been searching the web for info, but can't find much out there.

Quoted message said:

Yup, they sure were designed to be used with cleats. PD-64s if I'm not mistaken.

Almost, but no - the PD-64s went with the Dura-Ace and Ultegra pedals of the time, which had
steel (or optionally alloy) toe clips, which were clamped to the pedal body with a metal
spacer. This spacer had two edges that were folded up to act like the front part of a pedal
cage, and these vertical sections extended back to engage the PD-64.

The A550, if I'm not mistaken was the 105 pedal, which had nylon toe clips that were clamped
in place with a flat metal triangle (without the folded edges). The pedal body itself also
had a recess machined into it to accomodate the thickness of the nylon. I'm pretty sure the
nylon clip interferes with where the PD-64 is supposed to engage the spacer.

-Luns