Ergon's biomechanically designed platforms

[sundial]

Platform lovers, rejoice! Ergon (http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/interbike2010-pc2) has created a new platform pedal, the PC2, that uses a 6 degree angled platform that aligns the foot, hip and knee--all on a 3M non-skid surface. The pedal has a slightly concave surfact so that it gently cups your foot and you'll find that sweet spot each time you roll. You'll be able to wear any shoe without the special anatomically correct cycling insoles AND ride to your heart's content without sore knees or your shoe losing traction. :) No more biting the back of your calves or shins with those pesky pins and pointy parts on some of the platforms. And talk about reflectors--big honkin' reflectors are integrated for you safety minded folks. And did I mention that these pedals have a maintenance free polymer bearing? Yeah.

Ergon recommends these pedals for touring, commuting, and general riding.

I ordered a pair and I'm counting the days until they arrive. I'm gonna give them a real workout on the rolling gravel roads so stay tuned for a product review.

[goride]

Oooo. I've seen some ads/articles about these pedals and will be very interested in your reviews. Especially interested in how connected you feel when the pedals and your shows are wet, and how well the grippy surface holds up.

[Velocivixen]

I saw some in real life today. They look interesting.

[wackyjacky1]

I'm intrigued! I will anxiously await your review. :cool:

[wackyjacky1]

sundial, did you ever get your Ergon pedals? I am *this* close to pulling the trigger and ordering a set, but I'd be keen to hear your thoughts first. :)

[Grits]

Sundial, I am getting ready to make the switch from SPDs to platform and am very interested in these pedals. I think I have it narrowed down to these or the MKS GK Lambdas. I like the idea of the grippy surface material vs spikes.
Any feedback on them?

[wackyjacky1]

They had 'em on Amazon for $49, which is about $20 cheaper than I've seen them anywhere else, so I went ahead and placed an order. Should be here on Monday. I'll post back when I've had a chance to give them a tryout.

[Sky King]

looking forward to hearing what people think as I have been wanted to put them in our store too!

[Grits]

Rats, the $49 deal on Amazon seems to be over. :( I have gotten the ok to start some easy, short rides again now that I am six weeks post fracture, so need to go ahead and get some platform pedals since clipless are out. Think I'll order some Ergons from REI. Shipping is free, and I'll get my member rewards so will get a rewards check to spend later.

[wackyjacky1]

Rats, the $49 deal on Amazon seems to be over. :(
I almost think that price was some kind of error that I just got lucky and stumbled onto. $69 and up seems to be the pretty consistent price, and has been since I started looking hard at them back in July.

Thought they were gonna get delivered yesterday, but it looks like today is the day.

[slw]

Any update on this pedal? I'm very curious...

[Grits]

I went on a 16 mile greenway ride today using my Ergon pedals for the first time. I can only compare them to cheap platforms and SPD clipless pedals.

They do grip. I wore plain Nike sneakers/trainers, and there was no movement, sliding of my foot. To reposition it, I had to release almost all pressure on it. I did not have to physically lift my foot up off the pedal, but I was not pushing down on it at all.

I found them comfortable. I was worried with the contoured design that there would only be one "right" position, but that wasn't the case. I was able to shift my feet around and still be comfortable. (I was just experimenting, but with my foot injured, I wanted to be sure that if one position bothered it, I could try another position, and I could).

I am pleased with them, after a limited trial. The next test will be when I get on the road at higher speeds, but I don't see anyone's foot slipping off these pedals. I also found that I don't miss the "improved efficiency" of clipless pedals. I really don't think I was utilizing the upward pulling capability of those, anyway.

[Artista]

Thanks for the review, Grits. I think that I'm going to switch to platforms for mtb'ing. I've been curious about these pedals. Do you think that they're study enough for cross country style riding? I'm not terribly hard on my mtb pedals.

[Grits]

Yes Artista. They are very sturdy!

[slw]

Thanks for the review Grits! I may have to check these out myself.

[wackyjacky1]

Have had them on my bike for several weeks now, so they've been put through their paces pretty thoroughly.

At first, though they seem so big and chunky, the outside edge of my foot felt like it was hanging over the side. Then I realized it was the shoes I was wearing -- they were Merrell hikers, and the soles flare out quite a bit, so my feet weren't snugged-up to the inside of the pedals like they would be in other shoes. My running shoes, and all other shoes I've tried, fit perfectly on the pedals, and that "hanging off" feeling isn't an issue.

As far as everything else goes, they are great. No slipping whatsoever. When I come to a stop, one foot goes down on the ground, and when I raise the other foot, the pedal grips my shoe enough to raise up with it, as if I were clipped in.

Being a commuter, I love the super-sized (and very bright) reflectors.

Customer service is also excellent. Due to a severe brain cramp on my part, I managed to strip the hex-key slot of the end caps that on the outside of the pedals (don't ask me how :o :rolleyes: ). I emailed the company about this little problem, and voila, yesterday a replacement set of end caps arrived in the mail, at no charge.

These pedals get two thumbs up from me.

[shootingstar]

What are they like going up hills?

[Grits]

I have now gone on an 18 mile and a 24 mile ride on the road with them. I still like them and plan to continue using them.

A couple of things I have noticed:

With clipless, less thought is required. If you find yourself in a gear that is too easy and your feet are spinning, no problem, the clips keep you in. Not so with these. I think it goes back to that link someone posted that you can get into some bad habits with clipless pedals. Even in this situation, my feet did not fly off the pedals, but I had to think about keeping them planted.

The other thing I think is probably peculiar to me because of my foot injury. My left (uninjured foot) automatically goes to the correct position and stays there with no thought on my part. I find myself repositioning the right, injured foot sometimes during the ride. I think it is because I am still favoring that foot and not putting full, even pressure where I should be.

As far as hills go, I had no problem except as related to the above - being in too low a gear a time or two going down hill and my feet spinning. I still don't miss the pulling up action on the clipless. I'm realizing that I must not have done it.

The ride I was on today was at a 15.5 pace and these pedals were fine.

[wackyjacky1]

Yeah, hills have been no problem, whether spinning or climbing out of the saddle.

I have to say that, try as I might, I am not a crazy-good spinner; don't know what my cadence is, but it's not super high. Therefore, no problem whatsoever with "outspinning" the pedals. :o

Conversely for me, the pedals have helped with the awkward position my right foot tends to naturally fall into (had a bizarre bicycle-related toe injury a couple years ago, and things have not been right with that foot ever since). Because of this injury, I seem to always swing the heel of my right foot in towards the crankarm; with these pedals, my foot doesn't slip into that position, and the result for me is a much more comfortable pedal stroke.

Have never ridden clipless, so I can't make any comparisons there (although I used to use toe cages, and don't miss them at all since switching to platforms).

[Catrin]

Interesting reviews, has anyone tried this mountain biking yet?

[Grits]

I stay on pavement :)

[goldfinch]

I use my hybrid bike as a utility bike and I ride a variety of surfaces, including gravel, dirt, ratty pavement and chipseal. I was looking for replacement flat road pedals because the pedals that came with the bike are too slippery. I have been using bmx pedals with Powergrips and liked them a lot but I needed something for riding around the state park where I volunteer. I get on and off a lot and often am wearing hiking boots, which were awkward in the powergrips. Plus, Crocs are about impossible in the Powergrips.

So, I thought that I would try the Ergon pedal. From the Ergon site:

Ergon introduces the first flat pedal (or Contour Pedal as we call it) to provide an ergonomic and positive connection between bike and user. The first pedal designed with biomechanics and correct foot position in mind. Advantages are increased power transfer, more control and fewer hot spots and knee complaints. The Ergon PC2 is the first non SPD-type pedal constructed with the ergonomic biomechanical demands of the user as a priority.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/pc2

As others of you said, the Ergon has a 3M designed surface which is a bit grippy. It comes in two sizes, small and large. Small is pretty big, for shoes up to size 42. Though pretty big, the pedals are surprisingly light weight. They were easy to put on, going on with a number 8 Allen wrench.

Here are pictures of the pedals on my bike and for an idea of the size, next to my hand (my hand is small, but man, these are big pedals!).

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B1wF_nZUHw0/TxDGIKRDi1I/AAAAAAAAaYQ/0b4jd5m5ZSE/s640/121.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a1vuPLMRtEY/TxDGAHTssJI/AAAAAAAAaYI/AZUB_ZRh8EQ/s640/125.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rD8Jzlz-Kd8/TxDGE-Il8MI/AAAAAAAAaYM/dyRst3Poks8/s640/120.JPG

I rode about 20 miles on them today, about 10 miles in tennis shoes, 5 miles in hiking boots, and 5 miles in Crocs, as a test for all the shoes. The pedals were comfortable and my foot easily finds the right place on the pedal. They were especially nice with the hiking boots, which is what I wanted. No slipping on the grippy surface but then again, in is a dry day They seem to spin well enough without my feet flying all over the place. No hot spots, but then again I wasn't on them with the same shoes for that long of a ride.

I do like the major reflectors in the pedals.

I think they are a step up from standard flat pedals and good for just about any footwear. But, it isn't like suddenly I am a better biker or faster or anything. I'll be interested in trying them more miles and trying them when it is wet.

[wackyjacky1]

Update: I had these pedals on my bike for a few months, but have gone back to my BMX platforms. I really liked them initially -- the reflectors are awesome, and with the right shoes they do position your feet really well -- but I found that my work shoes (Merrell hiking shoes or Super Birki clogs) didn't sit well on them, and the other shoes I like to wear (regular old Keen sandals, not commuters) were also too wide in the toe box for them. That foot-guide ridge on the inside edge of the pedals interferes with any boxy or wide-soled shoe. So that was a real bummer. The appeal of platform pedals is that you don't have to wear special shoes to hop on and ride, and these pedals, as enormous as they are, don't seem to accomodate most of the shoes I like to ride in -- and I actually have pretty narrow feet.

Also one of the pedals developed a bit of play in the spindle, which resulted in an annoying tick-tick-tick sound as I pedaled. My bike did get knocked over on that side and possibly that's what caused it, but I would have expected such pricey pedals to better withstand a relatively minor impact like that.

So it's back to my low-budget BMX pedals. Not sure what to do with the Ergons...they may end up in the Free Gear section. :)

[goldfinch]

My update: I am thinking of going back to my BMX pedals with powergrips. I miss the powergrips. Oddly, my feet don't seem to want to sit right along the foot guide ridge. My left foot does, but my right foot sits about an inch to the right of the ridge. Bad riding form on my part? My own personal body mechanics? The good thing about the pedals is that they did work for riding in Crocs and hiking boots, which won't work with the powergrips. So, no matter what it is a trade-off for me.

[Grits]

Oddly, my feet don't seem to want to sit right along the foot guide ridge. My left foot does, but my right foot sits about an inch to the right of the ridge. .

That is strange. My right foot doesn't stay planted in the correct position either. I am blaming it on the fact that it was broken last fall, but I do find myself shifting it during the ride.

I am still using the Ergons for riding on the road and have done rides up to 76 miles, although most fall in the 25-45 range. They aren't perfect, but I don't think any other platform pedal would do any better and probably wouldn't offer the foot support these do. I've made the investment in these and don't want to go back to clipless, at least not now, so I'm sticking with them. I am wearing a pair of Diesel slip on athletic shoes with a rubbery sole, and they are working well. My average speed is in the 15.5 - 16.5 range. I don't see using these on rides much faster than that.

I just got some Keen Whisper sandals-on sale at Dicks plus $10 off coupon :)
I am hoping they will work with the Ergons. I would love to wear them riding this summer.

[Artista]

I tried the Ergon pedals on my road bike and wasn't a fan. They didn't make it any easier to get my feet in a good position. The "grippy" surface only made it difficult to rotate my feet if I didn't get them placed correctly to begin with. The surface didn't hold my feet against the pedals when riding over bumps or during rough shifts. Fortunately, I got the Ergons at REI so it was easy to get my money back.

I went back to old fashioned platforms with toe clips. The platforms are cheaper than the Ergons and do a better job of holding my feet in place. I don't cinch the toe straps down. The straps are just loose enough to get my feet in and out of the pedals.

[jyyanks]

I'd like to try these pedals but $70 is pricey. If someone is willing to part with theirs, please PM me your price. Thanks.