Ergon's biomechanically designed platforms

[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.

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!).





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.