Help me to make a pedal choice

[Hawkwood]

This thread is an excellent opportunity to plug Coombe Millennium II pedals. Yes, my favorite pedal maker is back in business! These pedals offer stable foot retention, excellent durability, great pedaling ergonomics and a low weight to boot. I had virtually no maintenance in the 4-5 years I rode my Pro Pedals (old version).

I ride the Time Xpressos, but have always hankered after the Coombe pedals. They look a little pricy, but very tempting all the same.

[BdaGhisallo]

The Coombes look like they offer no fore aft adjustability - am I right?

[Matey]

I've been using 105's for the last year or so with no problems but am currently upgrading the rest of the bike to Ultegra 6870; will I notice any improvement upgrading my pedals to Ultegra or even DA?

[spud]

I'm not certain about this, but the spindle on the Ultegra/DA may be shorter than on 105.

[eric]

I've had something like 70k miles on various 7810 and 9000 pedals (same axle and bearings, different body material). I've had one that developed a slight amount of play and needed to be adjusted. I opened it up to check the bearings. They were fine but I cleaned and regreased them anyhow.

They're not the easiest pedals to clip into (I'd use something else if I was a crit racer) but they're one of the most reliable systems on a bike.

[Matey]

Is there any advantage to the shorter axel other than a further reduction in weight?

[dwaharvey]

@BdaGhisalo: Yes you're right that there is no adjustability in the cleat, but you have a choice of three hole locations when you buy the cleats. So it's a question of measuring your existing setup and determining where the pedal axle lies relative to the rear pair of bolt holes, and then ordering the cleat that duplicates it.

I must admit that I share mythical's excitement about these pedals. I've been riding Coombe pro pedals for 12 years, and have never had to do any maintenance aside from a yearly injection of grease. And I'm on only my second set of cleats! No other pedal manufacturer comes even remotely close in terms of the durability and low maintenance.

[Rick]

On the Coombs, since it is metal-to-metal contact, is there anything that "preloads" the surfaces together ? In other words, what prevents clicking sounds as the pedal rotates under force, which could open and close small gaps.

It the rotation free or with recentering force ?

±3° isn't much float unless there is some positive stopping force to overcome before release. How does that work ?

How long to the aluminum and brass cleats wear ? Is brass significantly longer ?

thanks!

[TheKaiser]

I second Rick's question regarding play in the cleat/pedal interface. That is something I have always wondered about with Coombs...is there a little for/aft slop when pulling through the bottom of the pedal stroke or extending over the top? And how does this the minimal float transition to pedal release? Is there a gradual build up of any resistance, a sudden stop before release (like on an SPD), or nothing at all to differentiate clipped in/out other than foot angle (like Speedplay Frog)?

Can you shed any light on this dwaharvey?

@Matey, regarding your question on spindle length, I am not sure of the exact dimensions on the SPD-SL series but, generally speaking, shorter spindles will provide you with a narrower spacing between your feet (often called "Q factor"). Many people believe this to be more ergonomic, however there are many exceptions to the rule, for example Mark Cavendish has custom extra long spindles in the Dura-Ace pedals, and Armstrong used to put spacers between his pedals and cranks to widen them, apparently to relieve some back pain he was experiencing.

[5 8 5]

I've been using 105's for the last year or so with no problems but am currently upgrading the rest of the bike to Ultegra 6870; will I notice any improvement upgrading my pedals to Ultegra or even DA?

Like you I've been trying 105 pedals. Upgraded to Ultegra Carbon. Biggest differences apart from weight are the default release tension on the Ultegras is a lot higher and they are a little easier to clip into.

I'm not certain about this, but the spindle on the Ultegra/DA may be shorter than on 105.

I heard something similar so decided to measure my pedals. It turned out the centre of the body of 105 (5600) and Ultegra (6800) are exactly the same. That doesn't mean the actual pedal spindles aren't different lengths though.

[Oswald]

I just ordered a set of PD-9000 pedals. Mainly because the colour matches my current groupset and bike better then my old PD-7750 pedals I'm a bit disappointed that after over 10 years of use my old PD-7750 pedals show hardly any sign of wear... So that makes it very hard for me to justify my new purchase to the wife. That means I will need to buy her something even more expensive

[Oswald]

Just weighed the PD-9000 pedals and they came in at 248 grams

[2old4this]

I've got my first shimano pedals a few years back. They've now replaced pedals on all my bikes. They really are install and forget...
I bought a da9000 last weekend. Not that I needed them. The LBS had a big sale going on. So I ended up payin $150. Put them on the tt I built this year. They are butter smooth. So they went to another bike in the fleet. TT has an ultegra now.

[dwaharvey]

@Rick and TheKaiser... Apologies for slow reply, had forgotten about this thread!
In terms of the float on the Coombes, it is un-resisted and free until you reach the +/- 3 degrees, and then there's a stop that you hit which if you overcome then you clip out. It's not like an SPD because there's no gradual increase in force. The release force is about the same, it's just that resistance is encountered as a stop, rather than as stretching a spring. It feels really good to me.
The metal-on-metal contact to me is one of the main great features about the Coombe pedals. I came to Coombe many years ago because of problems with my Speedplay X2s that after a year had experienced enough pedal body wear that there was obvious rocking (this was demonstrated to me because my LBS replaced one pedal under warranty so I could see just how far the other had degraded!). The Millenium pedal is an iteration on his older pedal that I rode for 12 years - on only 2 pairs of cleats, and with no maintenance needed other than just injecting grease once a year!
With regards to your questions about play in the cleat-pedal interface on the Coombes... if you sit on your bike and try to wobble your foot around, you can feel a slight side-to-side rocking (on a normal pedal the spring disguises it I think). But the important thing for me is that I NEVER feel that when actually pedaling. I think the reason is that the interface is then loaded, and also the application of force is accurate (compared to plane of bike) enough and centered (on the pedal) enough that the rocking won't occur. It's really a very stable riding platform.

[Oswald]

Just did my first 70km ride on the new PD-9000 pedals. They feel very different compared to my old 7750 pedals. They are slightly harder to clip in and out, maybe because the springs are still new compared to my old pedals. Both have the spring tension set to the minimum. The platform feels more stable, with less movement. But that could also be caused by the slightly worn platform of my old pedals. I'm still using my old yellow cleats.