Last year I gave my bicycle to my sister and with it went my wide pedals, so I had to go shopping for some new ones. On Tuesday, June 19, I purchased some Easton Flatboy Platform Pedals from World of Bikes in Iowa City. The pedals make an amazing difference.

BENEFITS OF WIDE PEDALS

Wide pedals are essential for proper support while riding. Most bicycle pedals are much too small. Since most shoes don’t have hard soles, the shoe (and foot) end up bending over the front and back of the pedals. In some cases, the rider’s foot and ankle can bend to the side while pedaling, which can cause knee strain. All of this bending and torquing can result in lost effort while pedaling and could cause injury. The Easton pedals have teeth that stick out and grip the bottom of most shoes. This results in more efficient pedaling through a firm and secure pedaling motion forward, down, and pulling back. Most pedals are about 25% efficient -- allowing for pushing down only since shoes would slip when pushing forward or puling back. The Easton pedals are 75% efficient. For 100% efficiency, a pedal would need to hold the shoe secure in the upward lifting motion. However, such pedals might not allow the rider to quickly and safely dismount in an emergency or abrupt stop. So, the Easton pedals offer maximum efficiency and safety.

____________

Note: I usually try to use my own photos with this journal. However, the above photo is from the Easton website.