Monday 28 October 2024 at 14h42
The automatic pedal has been around for 40 years, and was first used on the Tour de France in 1985 by, among others, Bernard Hinault, who won the last of his 5 Grandes Boucles with these pedals, manufactured by Look.
Things have been refined since then, but you wouldn't necessarily expect a revolution in the automatic pedal. Yet that's exactly what Ekoï has done 40 years on, with the PW8 shoe pedal combination, which offers several advantages over the classic automatic pedal.
Interview with Jean-Christophe Rattel, founder and CEO of the Ekoï brand.
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What makes the PW8 shoe-pedal combination different? - light weight, efficiency and aerodynamics
The PW8 pedal-shoe combination was developed in collaboration with Philippe Gilbert on the basis of a patent purchased 3 years ago (at the time Gilbert was still active as a rider and sponsored by Ekoï). So it took 3 years to develop a product that combines:- lightness: with its titanium axle, the pedal is, according to Jean-Christophe Rattel, the lightest pedal on the market
- efficiency: with a large contact surface, the transmission of force between the foot and the pedal is greatly optimized, both when pushing off and when pulling on the pedal; in addition, this larger contact surface provides greater stability
- aerodynamics: thanks to the proximity of the foot to the axle (only 8 mm separates the sole from the axle), the pedal/shoe combination is not only more aerodynamic, but also more efficient
At Ekoï, the PW8 shoe-pedal should become available at the start of the following season, in January/February 2025, and if the teams buy into the concept, it's quite possible we'll see it appear on the Tour de France 2025!
Interview with Jean-Christophe Rattel, CEO of Ekoï
Jean-Christophe Rattel, CEO of Ekoï, believed in the concept when he bought the patent for it 3 years ago, so he's well placed to present the product:Vond u dit artikel interessant? Laat het uw vrienden op Facebook weten door op de buttons hieronder te klikken!
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this publication is published in: Marketing | Tour de France 2025