pedal invention idea....

[JohnRedcoRn]

......(i should sort a patent really)

on last fridays ride out with the chaps, I had a wobbly moment with the clipless negotiating a tight bend in a poorly maintained footpath around some fields.

The thought occured to me ; has no one thought of MAGNETIC PEDALS ?

i get the advantages of clipless after starting out on ordinary pedals and slipping all over the place. And i've never had a 'clipless mishap'.

I just thought this might be the best of both worlds - a magnet just strong enough to hold the feet but easy enough to step off as needed. Surely modern light alloys and suchlike would make such a contraption feasible ? I laughed out loud at myself at the thought but then i wondered if its not such a bad idea ?

 

[Radius]

Quite a few people with no knowledge or clipless have asked me if they are magnetic, but I think it would actually be harder to get out of them if they were strong enough to hold your feet when pounding up and down like clipless are, and there'd be the chance of 'sticking' to something else undesirable at random which could be very dangerous!
Plus, your feet would still slip sideways cos the magnet only holds in one direction

 

[summerdays]

Just imagine stopping on a man hole cover!!! Or getting caught on a car!

 

[JohnRedcoRn]

Hmmmmmmmmm. Yes you could imagine ending up with a ball of various metal debris attatched to your feet by the end of a trip.

I dare say James Dyson has already considered the silent hoover and either its unworkable or he's keeping it quiet until its ready. Now that would be one of the most useful things anyone could invent. No more noisy hoover spoiling your enjoyment of the TV. (although she'd still walk in front of it even with a silent hoover - can you invent an invisible boiler suit for housewives mr. dyson?)

Looks like I'll not be giving up the day job in a hurry....

 

[mickle]

It's been done.

 

[JohnRedcoRn]

what has...magnetic pedals, silent hoover or invisible ladies boiler suit?

 

[ianrauk]

remember seeing in cycling + a good few months back a small article about magnetic pedals/cleats

 

[Mr Pig]

I've never understood why Power Grips are not more popular. They work really well and you can use them with any shoes, I've used them for years.

 

[ianrauk]

Have a cycling buddy who swears by these

I've never understood why Power Grips are not more popular. They work really well and you can use them with any shoes, I've used them for years.

 

[JohnRedcoRn]

power grips? tell me more about how they work. I might need to try something else as i'm getting quite intense pain in the balls of my feet lately after about an hour on the bike..i think it may be a circulation problem. tried loosening the shoes but it stsarted up again

 

[MacB]

John, I may have a set going cheap(half price), I got the standard size but my big feet, coupled with bulky shoes, meant that they're not big enough. PM me if you're interested.....Al

 

[adscrim]

the silent hoover.........he's keeping it quiet until its ready.

 

[bonj2]

Magnetic pedals would be an absolutely abominable deathtrap. If you are pulling up going up a hill, you want to be sure that you can't get your foot out of the pedal simply by pulling up. with a magnet, this would always be possible. Also, the weight of the magnet you would have to have in order to have it strong enough would give them a weight rating that would make them very unappealing to most cyclists.

 

[JohnRedcoRn]

THATS POSSIBLY THE FUNNIEST / WORST pun i ever unintentionaly made since I said "vennison ; its not something you can eat too often as its deer"

 

[Mr Pig]

power grips? tell me more about how they work.

What you have is a stiff webbing strap mounted diagonally over the pedal. You put your foot in at an angle and when you straighten up your foot the strap pulls tight. You can adjust the strap so that it's as tight or loose as you like.

Advantages:
You can use any shoes, even boots in the winter.
You can stand on the strap to ride 'unclipped'.
Much cheaper than clipless pedals and shoes.
Very strong and secure.
You can move your foot back and forth slightly to vary tightness depending on whether you want comfort or to press on.

Disadvantages.
Easy to over-tighten webbing lock bolt and thread it, a firm nip is all you need. If you do strip the bolt just fit another one.
Requires pedals with reflector mounting holes as that's where Power Grips attach.
Not cool ;0)

I've used these for many years and I can't imagine why I'd want to use anything else. If ordering take care not to get the X-large ones as they're for large boots and will not fit regular shoes.