You gotta love it when technology that used to be reserved for the high end goods, trickles down to the lower price points. Shimano seems to be particularly good in that regard, seemingly making last year’s Dura Ace this year’s Ultegra. Following that concept, the use of composites for their SPD-SL road pedals has made its way past Dura Ace and Ultegra all the way down to 105, with the R550 joining in on the weight savings. In terms of material, the 105 pedal gets shod in a new lightweight carbon body and the R550 steps away from metal as well with a new “resin” body. Each pedal uses the newer extra wide cleat platform for Shimano’s SM-SH1 road cleat.
How light are the new road pedals? Check out the actual weight, plus new additions to the beginner friendly Click’r pedals after the jump.
In order to make the composite bodies as durable as possible, each of the new road pedals is fitted with a stainless steel body plate across the center of the pedal. Both also include sealed cartridge bearings for the axle, though the 105 pedal gets upgraded to the metal hardware of the Ultegra carbon pedal. This means it no longer has pedal wrench flats so you have to use an allen at the end of the axle.
On the scale the 105 5700c pedal measured 138g making it 276g per pair, while the R550g was slightly more at 155g per pedal, or 310g per pair. The R550 is available in black or grey for $99.99 and the 5700c will retail for $149.99.
Originally introduced with a small line, Shimano’s Click’r system offers the benefits of a clipless pedal yet in a form that is even easier to use than an SPD pedal with the tension fully loosened. Thanks to numbers like 60% less force to clip in, 62% less to clip out, and an 8.5 degree release angle instead of 13, Click’r seems to have become a great option for anyone on the fence with clipless. Addressing the growing demand, Shimano has introduced two new options in the Click’r Line, the $79 PD-T420 and PD-MT50.
Essentially the Click’r version of the M324, PD-T420 is a dual sided pedal with a flat pedal on one side, and a clipless pedal on the other. The PD-MT50 on the other hand offers the Click’r platform to the mountain bike crowd with a dual sided clipless pedal designed for mud shedding and light traction pins on the pedal cage for additional grip on the shoes.
