PEDALS, the most underrated cycling component! Contact points are extremely important on a bike. Your Saddle, handlebar and pedals make a huge difference to comfort, and efficiency and ultimately speed. This blog post will focus specifically on pedals and feature the new Look Keo Version 4 Blade pedal. Pedals are perhaps the most underrated cycling component. The cleat interface, and position effect biomechanics as well as ease of entry and disengagement. And because of inertia and rotating weight, nowhere except for the rim of a wheel, is weight more important (which is why I’ve never been a fan of power pedals). Look invented the clipless pedal in 1984, and after reading the technical and marketing data I was anxious to test the latest version of the Keo Blade pedal. This is the fourth iteration of the blade pedal design, which creatively replaces the spring (for release) with a piece of flexible carbon fiber. This saves weight and adds to an aero streamlined design. It’s important to note, that the release tension can only be changed by replacing the carbon “spring”. Look uses an 8 tension on the entry level blade pedal, 12 on the mid-level, and 16 on the high-end ceramic-ti version (cyclists who require low entry and release tension should use no higher than the 8-tension spring). Look claims their latest design is 2% more aero, lighter, has a larger stainless steel contact area and it’s more balanced design is easier to engage. There are three options…
Interestingly, Look compared their new blades to the competition in respect to power to weight. They factored in the contact surface area and the weight of the pedal and cleat. This was perhaps a creative use of statistics, but really there is no arguing about the weight and the benefit of a wide and large contact area for stability. I’m very familiar with all road pedals on the market and have spent years riding each. They all have pros and cons. About 3 years ago I switched from Speedplay Zeros to Time as the force to engage and release was wreaking havoc on my chronic Achilles tendinosis (from running). No complaints with Time, other than I feel Sram has done a poor job or marketing and innovating since they purchased Time pedals several years back. Yesterday I tested the Look Ceramic Blades and instantly felt an improvement. First, the cleat contact was more stable, very positive with no rocking. Second, I did find the pedals easier to enter with a very positive engagement. And finally, the pedal rotation was smoother, likely from the ceramic bearings, and balance of the pedal. These factors added up to smoother – faster pedaling. Big improvement! I’m switching to these pedals! My takeaway is that even with pro level pedals, we get lulled into the feel of what we have. In my case the degradation of the bearings, cleats and pedal surfaces was so subtle day to day that I didn’t even notice. You owe it to yourself to give these pedals a try! We have the new Keo Blades in stock, and I have a demo set if anyone wants to give these a try. Enjoy the ride! Greg
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Light, Fast and Lively!
Working in the bike industry for 25 years I’ve been blessed to be able to own and ride the best road bikes in the world. I wish I still had some of my favorites, a Colnago C40, and a custom steel Serotta come to mind. One characteristic that those bikes shared is a liveliness, especially sprinting and climbing out of the saddle. Something that I don’t feel in most of top shelf bikes today. They are stiff, can be light, are way more aero, but they are not lively. The new Tarmac SL8 has it! That lively and light feel! Before I get into the heart of the review, I think it’s best to explain my interpretation of comfort and liveliness. Comfort: Perfect comfort is when you become one with the bike, and it disappears under you. I feel this has a lot to do with the right bike fit and setup, and the right amount of stiffness. If the bike is too stiff it is hard to relax, and ride supple. If the bike has too much “flex” it moves in ways you must correct to control the bike. In both cases too stiff or too flexible the bike is fighting you. Liveliness: A slight flex that springs back when under a hard load. For example, when sprinting or climbing hard out of the saddle the frame flexes slightly and springs back. I find when there is the perfect balance of liveliness the slight spring or snap back helps my sprinting and climbing. Specialized has an excellent white paper that explains the factors they targeted to achieve the optimum “State of Speed” for the new SL8. Using the characteristics below, they benchmarked the SL8 against the previous Tarmac SL7, the aero Venge, and the light and comfortable Aethos.
Specialized surpassed their target bikes in all categories except for lightness and comfort where the sub-UCI weight limit Aethos was slightly better. When considering speed and the UCI weight limit, the SL8 was the clear leader. CLEAN LINES Aesthetically I love the clean lines of the Tarmac SL8. Almost minimalistic. By comparison Trek’s Madone looks downright hefty. The down tube and top tube are reasonable in size, and seat tube, seat post and seat-stays almost disappear when looking from the back. TEST RIDE I had the opportunity to test ride two levels of the Tarmac SL8. The first was a Tarmac SL8 Expert during a Specialized demo day at our shop. The second was a series of rides on our S-Works demo bike. Frankly I wasn’t blown away by the SL8 Expert level Tarmac. The frame had a lively feel, was fast handling, but the heavy Sram Rival component group and Roval 38 wheels took away from the speed and feel. I currently ride the deeper aero Roval Rapide CLX wheels, and they hold sustained high speed much better. Specialized spec says a 56cm Expert level Tarmac weighs 17.2 pounds, so that puts it around 18 pounds with pedals cages and flat kit. Not exceptional. If I compare published weight for a 58cm frame and fork (size I ride) the Expert/Pro level 10R is 4.69 ounces heavier than the S-Works 12R frame and fork. This is not really a huge difference. Most of the weight over the 15-pound S-Works is coming from the heavier components. I voiced my opinion to the Specialized demo rep, that I felt demo days are awesome, but they did this bike a disservice by picking the Expert specced bike. The Pro level would have been more representative to the audience this bike is targeted at. Fortunately, we were able to buy a 58cm S-Works demo bike. I have been able to get some quality rides on this bike and it totally changed my impression. This is hands down a pro racing bike! The S-Works version has a 12R carbon frame and fork and Specialized lists the weight at 15 pounds 1.6 oz for the 56cm with the Shimano DuraAce spec. The S-Works model is also the only spec that comes with the more aero Roval Rapide integrated bar/stem cockpit. It also comes with excellent Roval Rapide CLX II wheels. When evaluating any bike it is important to set it up to match your optimum bike fitting coordinates. In this case I had no problem matching the seat’s XY position. The bar height was good, but the bar XY reach was 10mm too short. The 58cm frame was specced with a 44/110 bar stem combo. I typically need a 120mm stem with this size bike, and most 58cm bikes come with a 120mm stem. My first impression on the S-Works, was how light and lively the bike felt. Agile and responsive, not overly stiff. During some longer group rides the bike’s speed and change of speed surprised me a few times. I had to drag the brakes not to overlap wheels until I got used to it. This was certainly related the aerodynamics of the frame, wheels, and one-piece bar/stem. I did a few flat-out sprints and the bike has that lively “snap” and was noticeably faster in my initial jump, than my current bike. Great acceleration, love it! As expected, the cockpit felt cramped with the bars being too close. This became painfully obvious on a 85 mile group ride. I also need (based on my shoulder width) and prefer a narrower bar that the stock 44’s. Narrower bars are also better in respect to aerodynamics. There is a fix, but it is quite expensive. Specialized offers 15 bar stem configurations (only 6 are not sold out) at the cost of $600. Add another $200+ for labor to remove the old bars, route the cables, bleed the brakes, and add new tape. But a bike at this price point should fit perfectly (as I explained above this is critical to comfort). So, it’s worth doing a bike fitting before purchase to determine the size and bar/stem needed for your bike. Or if you have a bike that fits great great I can take XY measurements off your current bike to see what is needed to match your new bike. Both BMC and Pinarello (with the Dogma) allow us to pick the bar/stem combo to match the rider’s fitting needs when we order a frame or even complete bike. Specialized really should do this with the S-Works bikes. CONCLUSION The Tarmac SL8 is an awesome all-around racing bike! The performance is hard to beat. The Tarmac SL8 Pro has been our go-to racing bike in the $8000 price range. And the S-Works has that magical feel offered by only the very top tier of racing bikes. Come in and test ride one today and see for yourself. We have a 54, 56, and 58 demo S-Works in stock and a 54, and 56 Pro. A pro bike fitting is included with a road bike purchase. Enjoy the ride! Greg
We are excited to announce our new Heritage Jersey celebrating our support of the local cycling community for 27 years! The retro themed jersey had our logo, Rest, Ride Repeat theme, and “97” which was the year we opened the shop.
Our history is even printed on one of the inner pockets. We partnered with Safetti to design and manufacturer this premium jersey. The fabric is light and breathable, perfect for our climate. The cut is club fit and the size runs true. There is both a men’s and woman’s fitted jersey option. We also have matching high quality bib shorts to complete the kit. You can buy these at the store, or online. They make the perfect cycling gift! Safetti Tour from Greg Pelican on Vimeo. It's been stimulating being part of the new management team at Naples Cyclery. Over the past year, we kept what worked, added fresh ideas, and changed what wasn't working. One aspect of the bike industry that is dear to my heart is bike fitting. I genuinely appreciate a bike that fits perfectly, and over the past 20 years, I have honed my bike fitting skills with thousands of bike fits. For my customers, a bike fitting has always been an integral part of a road, gravel, or tri-bike purchase. Both pre-purchase to determine the bike models, sizes, and setup that will be ideal. Then, our mechanics build the bike to match the bike fit data, followed by a final fitting when the customer picks up their bike. When I came to Naples Cyclery, I felt the fitting studio, located in a cargo container inside of Fit and Fuel, was a hidden gem. But I quickly learned in practice the space wasn't optimum. The studio was dark and claustrophobic and had the added challenge of getting bikes and customers in and out of the container. During the weekend, the container door was often totally blocked by the band. With the restaurant's renovation to Bicyclette Cookshop, I was asked to relocate the fit studio into the bike shop. I welcomed the idea. The challenge was finding a suitable space that worked with the flow of the store. I immediately thought of a space that was under-utilized in our store's prime retail square footage. When you walked in the front door, there was a boxed in area (floor to ceiling) that had slatwall for merchandise, and a storage area behind it. The crazy thing is that the storage area blocked the front windows in that half of the store. There was even a door hidden there! I imagined removing the wall and opening the space to let the light in. We would build the fit studio behind a half wall. I marked out the space needed on the floor with painter's tape to confirm the change wouldn't disrupt the store traffic flow. I initially thought of having an angled wall that got wider as it went back, but Sue hated the idea, and we settled on having a rounded wall to smooth the flow. This idea was better as it gave me even more space for the fit studio. We discussed this with contractor Gus Barragan (who is also a cyclist), and he said no problem! Gus and his team did a fantastic job converting the space! Our store now looks much bigger and has way more light. Since the change, I've been super busy with bike fittings, with many fits tied to new bike sales. It's a perfect space as it is separated enough to have privacy with the client I'm fitting, but it also allows other customers in the store to become intrigued about the process. When they ask me about bike fitting, many hardcore cyclist enthusiasts say they have never had a bike fitting and question if they are even on the right size bike. I love that bike fitting is now visible in our operation and has become a focal point. Recently, Edwin Navez, the CEO of Assos Switzerland, visited, and he complimented us on our fit studio. We share the same philosophy of the importance of bike fitting and even talked about the interrelationship between the saddle, bike short chamois thickness, and the impact on seat height. It is so true that the optimum cycling experience is not just from the bike; it's also the fit and even the clothing. Please email if you would like to schedule a bike fitting or want a free new bike consultation. Enjoy the ride! Greg Pelican |
AuthorGREG PELICAN: GM of Naples Cyclery, cyclist and multi-sport athlete. 20+ years in Bike Industry. Past Marketing Manager for FUJIFILM, KODAK and Trek Florida. Archives
January 2024
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