Long Spindle SPD
 

All, I need some longer spindle SPD pedals. My XTR pedals don’t have enough heel clearance. Is anyone aware of a high quality aftermarket brand either making spindles or entire SPD pedals?

I’m aware of SQLabs, but the quality doesn’t look so great. Pedal extenders are an option, but they generally add too much length. 16 mm minimum.

If you don't need much you could use pedal washers. It may be limited to 2mm each pedals.

I pronate and am bow legged. I have been using a product called Bicycle kneesavers since 1980. They screw into the crank ahead of the pedals. I believe they come in 20mm 25mm and 30mm.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a66c3ba171.jpg

Yep, that is a last resort option. I’d like something a little more elegant. Those won’t work with SPD pedals, by the way. They would need to have a bore through the middle to allow access to the hex head on the pedal. There are other makers that have such a design.

The SQ lab come with a 15mm "XL" offset so if you add a 2mm washer, you will get mors than your desired 16mm

https://www.sq-lab.com/en/area-of-us...edals-511.html

Right, I’m not looking for 16 mm minimum. My probably message meant to say that pedal extenders basically force you into 16 mm minimum (usually more) and that is liable to be too much. Not to mention that they are known to break.

I know the SQ Labs are out there but not big on the quality. So really looking for an aftermarket spindle. Probably doesn’t exist.

looking at xtr pedal, their q factor is 52 or 55mm
classic m520 are 51mm
garmin rally xc200 is 53mm (i have 2 mm washers so 55)
hope pedals are 55mm
crankset brother eggbeaters (not spd) are 52 for the model 1 to the 3 BUT, they do a refurb kit in either 52 or 57 mm.



interesting link :

https://bikefit.com/blogs/bikefit-bl...-and-solutions

Whoa! Very cool link! Sadly, many of those guys don't exist anymore. The best I've been able to find is Xpedo, which does 59 mm (add 2 washers for an extra 2 mm). Not sure if that'll be enough for me.

Update: I tried the SQLabs 16 mm. They solved the heel strike problem, but their release is inconsistent and almost caused two crashes. So they were pulled.

I bought the Xpedo M Force 8 with 59 mm Q factor and added two washers. That got me pretty close to the point with no heel strike. I moved the cleat another 2 mm and I was good to go. Still doesn’t have the release quality of XTR but better than SQLabs.

So a friend of mine and I are going to do a run of +8 mm XTR spindles. I’ll have to do quantity to get the price reasonable. I’ll sell on eBay most likely to recoup the cost.

What does this mean?

I am (potentially) interested.

Sorry to hear the SQLabs pedals suck. Most of their stuff is high quality (with a price tag that matches). I don't think I have ever found a pedal that is as good as XTR.

Hey there. It means the spindles will be 8 mm longer than the stock XTR spindles (which have a Q factor of 55 mm). So you’ll be able to remove your stock spindles (the solid metal shaft around which the pedal rotates) from your XTR pedals and replace them with identical spindles 8 mm longer. Much more elegant than a pedal extender and much safer.

Making new pedal spindles... those need to be very high quality in terms of steel and heat treat, surface finish on shaft (and does the spindle consitute the loose-ball inner bearing races, or are they cartridge bearings?) as this is a high-fatigue application.

Longer spindles or spacers increases bending stress of spindle and crank, and increases torsional stress of the crank arms. And, things may feel more flexy when hammering the pedals.

Umm... for myself, when I upgraded my crank and wanted a smaller chainring BCD than 130mm, I really had to look to find a "road" crank with low Q-factor, the vast majority were mountain cranks with the arms going further outboard at the pedals; You can't find a high Q-factor crank? Because going further out with the arms is better structurally, the arms are designed to take the load.

A longer bottom bracket spindle would also be sound, that spindle is way larger and stronger than the pedal spindle.

Where are they coming from? Shimano only makes two sizes, from my knowledge.

I am making them, along with a friend who is an MS mechanical engineer that has spent his career designing and building high speed turbines. I have no concerns about the strength or material properties. People make long spindle versions of pedals all the time. It’s just that Shimano doesn’t. Speedplay, for example.

A longer spindle on the BB introduces chain line issues.

BB: Oh, yes, you're right of course.

High speed turbines! Well, yes, it sounds like he would have the expertise to engineer something for reversing loads in fatigue. Watch him score some small pieces of inconel or maraging steel from the scrap bin and make the spindles out of it. :)