I'm 6'6" about 235lbs. I'm looking for high end road pedals to throw on my new custom Independant Fabrication frame with Campy Record Carbon groupo. They must:
Be strong, with little or no flex. My current pedals have ti spindles and flex enough to cause me foot pain. I also do not trust them any more with my weight. Be light. The lighter the better, but not at the expense of spindle strength. Have strong and adjustable lock-in kick out mechanisms. I used to race back in the days of cleats and straps (mid-late '80s), and hate weak binding mechanisms. Have adjustable float, or no float. Never had a problem with knee pain that couldn't be fixed with proper saddle/cleat adjustment.
Cost is not an issue, but under $500 would be nice.
I'm 6'6" about 235lbs. I'm looking for high end road pedals to throw on my new custom Independant Fabrication frame with Campy Record Carbon groupo. They must:
Be strong, with little or no flex. My current pedals have ti spindles and flex enough to cause me foot pain. I also do not trust them any more with my weight. Be light. The lighter the better, but not at the expense of spindle strength. Have strong and adjustable lock-in kick out mechanisms. I used to race back in the days of cleats and straps (mid-late '80s), and hate weak binding mechanisms. Have adjustable float, or no float. Never had a problem with knee pain that couldn't be fixed with proper saddle/cleat adjustment.
Cost is not an issue, but under $500 would be nice.
Any recommendations?
Greg
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I wouldn't worry about titanium breaking on you. It's a curious metal in that it's springy, but you recover the energy that you put into it. If you need something that flexes less you can always go with steel, but that will be heavier and will fail under less stress. I'd say check out the speedplay zeros, with Ti spindle. Alternatively, I know that shimano makes zero-float cleats for use with their SPD-SL pedals, so Dura-Ace is another good option.
I am about 185 lbs., and use LOOK KEO Carbon's with the chromoly spindle. They hold up quite well, and with the black and white cleat, there is no float.
I wouldn't worry about titanium breaking on you. It's a curious metal in that it's springy, but you recover the energy that you put into it. If you need something that flexes less you can always go with steel, but that will be heavier and will fail under less stress. I'd say check out the speedplay zeros, with Ti spindle. Alternatively, I know that shimano makes zero-float cleats for use with their SPD-SL pedals, so Dura-Ace is another good option.
Titanium is considerably weaker than chromoly steel. The Speedplay Zero for example has a 185lb recomended weight limit for the Ti spindle, and no limit for the stainless or chromoly versions.
Titanium is considerably weaker than chromoly steel. The Speedplay Zero for example has a 185lb recomended weight limit for the Ti spindle, and no limit for the stainless or chromoly versions.
My guess is that since the titanium spindles are designed for low weight, they may not be recommended for heavier riders. The specific strength of titanium, especially those alloys most commonly used in aerospace (such as 6Al/4Va) is higher than steel; it gets used in spacecraft because it's stronger per unit weight. But as I said before, titanium will probably flex more than stainless or chromoly, given how it behaves, so he might not want it anyhow; I merely suggested it since he wants low weight. Your suggestion of a carbon platform/steel spindle combination is a good one.
Dont go for the aerolight pedals 115 grams per pair (including cleats:eek: ). crazy stuff and definite flex there. look keo carbon chromo if you still want lightweight, shimano dura ace for pure strength.
Thanks for the responses, folks. The ti spindles on my old Sampson pedals (mid-90's) that I have now flex so much that I'm getting a very localized pain across the top of my right foot after about 1/2 hour of riding. At least that is what I'm guessing the problem is after trying different shoes, adjusting the lacing, adjusting cleat, etc. I remember that they were rated for 150lb riders, lol. I worked in bike shops for 12 years and ran across the Sampsons for really really cheap.
Anyone like Coombe pedals? They look to be what I'm looking for, but I've heard they may be out of business...
My guess is that since the titanium spindles are designed for low weight, they may not be recommended for heavier riders. The specific strength of titanium, especially those alloys most commonly used in aerospace (such as 6Al/4Va) is higher than steel; it gets used in spacecraft because it's stronger per unit weight. But as I said before, titanium will probably flex more than stainless or chromoly, given how it behaves, so he might not want it anyhow; I merely suggested it since he wants low weight. Your suggestion of a carbon platform/steel spindle combination is a good one.
Yield strength per unit mass is only higher because the density is so low. That's great for something like a tube structure where you can go to a bigger diameter to get the stresses down but still come out ahead on weight. That approach doesn't work for things like pedal spindles because the design is size restricted. You can "design" for low weight or not low weight, but it still has to screw into the same crank arm. And most manufacturers are going to use the same bearings and pedal bodies across the line. If you look at both the steel and titanium Speedplay spindles, they're shaped identically. I would recomend the carbon/chromoly Keo because it's strong and it also has a high release torque. As for Campy/Time, the Chorus Pro-Fit is pretty heavy, but the Time RXS Carbon might be a viable option. It's more or less the same weight as the Keo with a lower stack height and more float adjustability. They don't say anything about release torque.
The LOOK KEOs look really good. What's the diference btw the HM KOEs and the plain old KEOs??
Greg
They'll make your wallet about $80 lighter. HM is for High Modulus carbon fiber, which is usually a maketing rip off. Depending on how much HM carbon they actually use in the layup (about 1% is standard) it might make the pedal body marginally stiffer at the cost of a bit of impact strength.
Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL , not as light as the speedplay, but tough and well made, different cleats for fixed and floating with adjustable binding tension. Relatively easy to walk on as cleat has three ground contact points with a softer compound for grip.
Practically indestructible even after crashing and not weight limited
They'll make your wallet about $80 lighter. HM is for High Modulus carbon fiber, which is usually a maketing rip off. Depending on how much HM carbon they actually use in the layup (about 1% is standard) it might make the pedal body marginally stiffer at the cost of a bit of impact strength.
Yeah, I checked them out at a local shop (Budget in Gelndale, CA). Seesm like you're only paying for the cool carbon fiber look, no weight or strength gains.
I ended up buying the regular KEO carbon, cro-mo spindles. 115g is almost as light as my old Sampson ti's. I'll let you know how they fair after a few rides!
