iab

To quote Paris Hilton, that's hot.

daverup 

Thanks for the info!

nlerner

These Phil pedals came on some bike I bought; rode them once and then moved them on (snapped up on the CR list). I had high hopes, but they felt very fragile.

bulgie 

Who remembers, which Barelli were cup-and-cone and which were cartridge bearing? B10 model = cartridge maybe?
I'd ride the cup-cone style but not the cartridge, which has a sharp 90° angle machined into the spindle = stress riser, leading to fatigue failure.



As always, some folks report many happy miles on them without a failure, but like with Phil Wood, if you're large, strong and/or high mileage I'd stay away.

TA pedals also have a sharp 90° angle machined in, but the remaining metal is at a larger diameter than Barelli or Phil, due to the use of needle bearings in the TA. The thin needles leave more room for the axle to be at an adequate diameter.

Hi-E don't really qualify as my favorite, but I do love them for the wackiness.



Hi-E didn't invent the dropped-platform pedal of course, you probably have to go back to the 1870s for the first one. Certainly the Sanzax (roughly "without axle" in French, '50s) has the Hi-E beat by over 20 years.



Neither did Hi-E perfect the design, I think we've got to give that laurel to Shimano DynaDrive.

For durability, including crashes, it's gotta be Campy (old) Record with steel cages. Has anyone in history ever worn one out?

For simplicity and light weight, anyone know of anything to compare to these Aerolites?



FYI the red things are the shoe cleats, which you screw onto your soles at those 4 holes in the corners. The pedals themsleves look like a lipstick tube with a threaded axle sticking out.
I'm embarassed to admit, I raced on those for a year or two. A very flawed design and ultimately unsafe. Run away!

bulgie 

Yes reports of Phil axles snapping off are not common, but not unheard-of. I've heard of maybe a half-dozen reports, though I only saw one broken with my own eyes. The cartridge bearing leaves too small a diameter on the spindle, and the transition is a sharp 90° angle.

Cup-and-cone bearings have their downsides, but they're like magic for pedals due to the natural fillet radius (the bearing race), making such a smooth transition to the smaller diameter part of the axle.

Cup/cone bearings may not compete for bearing durability, but I'd much rather have a bearing wear out than have an axle snap off. I know because I've broke a couple. I still have the scars.

juvela

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sorry unable to give model name/number, nor even a datum

while they look VERY much a Maillard product they may have been badged as something other than Atom

for example, have a pair of black Maillard 700's picked up at swap meet which look straight out of the box and turn like glass but are badged as Galli


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smontanaro 

I rode Phil pedals on my Masi with no problem back in the 70s. I have a banged up pair in my pedal drawer that gets pulled out from time-to-time when I need pedals for a quick around-the-block test ride on a build. As I understand it, the two problems with Phil pedals are the extrusion (pedal strike can easily crack them and/or badly scuff them) and that the axles can bend. ISTR (but can't find anything with a quick Google search) that when MKS was asked about bent axles on their pedals they replied that it was deemed safer than a broken axle, so they chose their steel alloy to bend, not break. (Maybe MKS should come out with a model named "Willow.") I assume that is/was true for Phil CHP pedals as well, though who knows if that was intentional or serendipitous.

bulgie 

Well all pedal axles (and bike parts in general) should bend rather than snapping when overloaded, but that isn't what breaks pedal axles, it's always fatigue. I don't think any pedal ever made will snap from a one-time overload, like a crash — they'll always bend.

A brief search found me a couple reports of snapped Phil pedals including this guy, who heard it clunk onto the floor while it was just sitting in the next room, with no one aboard!
Also this guy.

Clearly though, most of them didn't break. In addition to the obvious variables like rider weight and strength, miles, maybe roughness of roads encountered, there's also manufacturing variance. Like did some have a sharper corner where the axle steps down in diameter for the cartridge bearing? Maybe they used cutters with more or less radius at the points. Abrupt changes in cross-section lead to stress-risers, but just a bit of radius on the cutting tool can make a huge difference. Once a crack starts, no matter how microscopic, total failure is inevitable if you keep riding it. But steel in practice has an endurance limit. a stress level below which fatigue cracks will never happen (with a reasonable definition of "never"). The presence or absence of that tiny fillet radius made by the cutting tool can put you just under or just over that threshold, for a dramatic difference in whether or not you're facing an "unplanned dismount".

iab

A couple Frejus-branded pedals.







And then along a similar thought, custom pedals for my custom bike (Gregario).

jdawginsc 

I haven’t ridden the Barellis yet, but just love their utilitarian look. I’m not sure which ones I have. I thought they were just very cool.

I have two Aerolite spindles. I was wondering what the heck they were!

Of the old school pedals I HAVE used, the SR Sp-11s are the best pedal for my feet in cleats. Will have to put some on one of my bikes eventually, but I usually do some SPD-SL or Look delta pedals.

Writenride 

Can we ask for more please? This is real cool!

JohnDThompson 

Zeus 2000: titanium spindle, sealed bearings, and titanium cage that is more durable than the aluminum cage used on many other pedals (including Campagnolo Super Record and Superleggero), and only slightly heavier than aluminum.

merziac

Sure,

chain_whipped

Looky kooky, fads and fades
.... with some racy Gipiemme Chrono and traditional Christophe straps / Suntour Superbe black and gold and A. Binda straps.

iab

The top one, Surefoot? I like it, what do you know about it.

The Golden Boy 

My favorite pedals are the SR SP-11.

SP-11 King1 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

SP-11 King2 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

SP-11 King3 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

(The Velcro band on the pedal stem was just there to hold the pedal upright)


I was really excited about getting a pair of the White Industries pedals- By the time I was looking for them, they were out of production- I just happened to find a set for a great deal. They're very nice, but not as comfortable as the SP-11s. IMO.

WIPedals2 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

WIPedals4 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

WIPedals5 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


Then there's the SR SP-155- Either SR stole the Specialized Touring Pedal, or the other way around- in any case, there's a very very clear "influence."

SP-155-3 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

SP-155-2 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


I do have a set of the Specialized Touring pedals- but I haven't gotten around to swapping them out.

smontanaro 

If you decide to get rid of them, let me know...

steelbikeguy

For those curious about pedals and their evolution over the time that bikes have existed, a peek at the Speedplay Museum is recommended! As I understand it, this is the collection of Richard Bryne (IIRC), the former owner of Speedplay Pedals.

I found a couple of photos on flickr of his collection:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chicken_strip/3420741292


https://www.flickr.com/photos/25671211@N02/4512934346


and a couple of specific pedals from Mr. Bryne's flickr account....

the Cinelli M-71 clipless track pedal, sometimes referred to as the "death pedal".
https://www.flickr.com/photos/speedp...7625683326281/

a pedal used by (and designed by?) Pierre Lallement, circa 1866
https://www.flickr.com/photos/speedp...7625683326281/

Brown's Aeolus Ball Bearing Pedal, circa 1877
Apparently these were the first pedals to use ball bearings instead of just a bushing.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/speedp...7625683326281/

It's worth a few minutes to peruse Mr. Bryne's other bike tech photos in his flickr account. All sorts of curiosities in there!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/speedplaypedals/

Steve in Peoria

merziac

Not much really, seem to be fairly scarce on the ground, made by SR, also says TIOGA on the end, found that a pair sold on pinkbike for $400 so they ended up on the chrome Ritchey.

JohnDThompson 

Campagnolo Triomphe is one of my favorites for a touring bike. They work equally well with slotted cleat bike shoes and shoe-soled street shoes.

Reynolds 

Great links steelbikeguy, thanks!

Writenride 

The legendary Shimano DX pedal. Always influential, and duplicated, but nothing surpassed the original.


I had these DX pedals as a replacement for ones initially stolen on my 1986 Haro Sport (Bob Haro Edition). They were the only gold components on my chrome freestyle bike.


The reflectors were easy to pop out and when I saw in “BMX Plus!” Magazine that they were listed as the best BMX pedal ever made, I had to get them.


When I got them at Johnnie’s Bike Shop in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, I had to finish all my homework to earn them, so my poor mom could buy them. They were the most beautiful pedals I’ve ever seen. Almost mythical. Made me feel like I could fly on my bike over any curb or jump. I even have the scar on my left shin to remember these pedals. Great for mountain biking too.

obrentharris 

TANK



Brent

jdawginsc 

Agreed!

Mights as well put the Assos on here...

iab

Sheffield goodness.