Seemingly without a whole lot of fanfare, Shimano’s newest SPD-SL pedal is about to make its debut. By now, most people are aware that there is a carbon version of the Ultegra 6700 pedal that’s been in the works, yet there hasn’t been much press – possibly because it’s tough to beat on price when compared to Dura Ace.
It’s light, it’s wide, and it’s carbon for a whole lot less.
See how the DA stacks up after the break!
I think it’s safe to say that Shimano has taken the concept of trickle down engineering to heart. Lately it’s been the new XT kit borrowing heavily from XTR, then it was Ultegra Di2’s improved wiring setting it apart from Dura Ace Di2, and now, the Carbon Ultegra 6700-c certainly resembles it’s Dura Ace sibling.
On the weight side, there is only a surprisingly low 10 gram difference between the two for a complete pair. Some of that weight difference is likely from the bearing systems, although the 6700-c pedal now has all metal hardware for the bearings rather than plastic. The Ultegra model does lack the billet aluminum sleeve that is bonded to the pedal exterior of the Dura Ace model and the triple bearing set up, so it’s likely that the DA pedal will still spin better, for longer.
