Infinity Pedal's Simple, 360-degree Engagement Mechanism is a Fresh Take on the Concept
Somewhere out in Ogden, Utah, an engineer named Sam Hunter invented the Infinity pedal. The mechanism is basically a stiff spring with a disc on either side that forms a cylinder about an inch wide which spins on the pedal shaft. When the spring-loaded discs roll into the cleat, two tabs on either side of the cleat compress the spring and then lock into recesses on the discs. Twisting the shoe compresses the spring and frees the discs from the tabs. A pair of sealed ball bearings tucked under the discs keep the pedal running friction free. Presently, the Infinfity pedal has no tension or float adjustment, so the feel is probably close to that of the Crankbrothers system. Hunter's new pedal is in the patent stages at present and looks to be pretty close to a production unit. Weight is stated at only 236 grams for a pair of pedals, cleats and hardware. His start-up company is called Mobius Cycling and he has launched a funding campaign on Kickstarter, where investors can get some of the first pedals in exchange for a helpful donation.
The scale tells the story. Very few parts make up the Infinity pedal. The bearings rest below the spring-loaded discs. The cleats are stamped steel sheet and very low-profile.
The ''pedal" rolls up the cleat's channel and snaps into the tabs on either side.
As it is, the concept looks good and it seems that Mister Hunter has done his homework during the initial design and testing stages. The Infinity pedal, in its present shape, is truly as simple and elegant as its maker represents it to be. I predict, however, that technical riders will find fault in the basic premise of the design, because the lack of a flat section means that the foot will roll off of the pedal if the rider misses the cleat, and that is an event which occurs quite often on high-speed descents. Being able to pedal with the cleat disengaged comes in handy in many technical situations and is one reason that the Crankbrothers Mallet and Shimano SPD Trail pedals are the overwhelming favorites in that arena.
For cross-country and XC trail riders, though, the Infinity pedal system might be just the ticket. It's crazy light - on par with Crankbrothers Eggbeaters, and the promise of excellent mud shedding and one-click pedal entries would make it a winner. In fact, the popularity of the Crankbrothers Eggbeater pedal in the XC realm virtually assures the acceptance of the Infinity. Both are simple, single-spring, non-adjustable designs with excellent mud shedding performance and near inapproachable weights. Heck, the Infinity pedal even comes in candy colors - all Mobius Cycling needs is a purple-anodized aluminum display case and the battle will be on.
For cross-country and XC trail riders, though, the Infinity pedal system might be just the ticket. It's crazy light - on par with Crankbrothers Eggbeaters, and the promise of excellent mud shedding and one-click pedal entries would make it a winner. In fact, the popularity of the Crankbrothers Eggbeater pedal in the XC realm virtually assures the acceptance of the Infinity. Both are simple, single-spring, non-adjustable designs with excellent mud shedding performance and near inapproachable weights. Heck, the Infinity pedal even comes in candy colors - all Mobius Cycling needs is a purple-anodized aluminum display case and the battle will be on.
 | PB will be watching the development of the Infinity pedal and if and when it reaches production, we will be reporting with a full review. Once again, those interested in Sam Hunter's new pedal design should check out his Kickstart page and consider throwing in on it. This is truly an innovative solution to the pedal-cleat interface and it deserves a chance to make it to the market. - RC |
Mobius Cycling
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Not that I'll ever clip in. Along with being a 26'er 4 life, I'll be a flat pedal 4 life.....
..... I mean #flatpedal4life. Doesn't count unless you #hashtag.
1) I'm sure if people wanted, they could make the spring tension much higher, to give those people a bit more stuck-on feeling.
2) Also, I know some people are thinking of the lack of "platform" for applications like DH. However, I would think reinforcing the plate underneath the shoe and making the middle part of your foot/shoe very stiff would help accomplish -Part- of the issue.
3) I think for DH, like the Mallet DH, a super thin pedal body, like the Older-Gen Canfield Crampon + a slightly bigger cylinder clip-on would still be beneficial. The fact that it's not like the Mallet where there are only 4 specific spots to clip-on, this cylinder, no matter what area is clippable.
I'm not sure how much of a problem it is for clip-less users but if you slip a ped for some reason I can see these being much easier on shins than any other pedal I've ever seen.
I hope this guy has huge success for this brilliant project. Once he settles into production maybe he should get to work on the derailleur problem & make some gearboxes.
This pedal is a very cool concept and as people have pointed out, beautifully simple. They kinda look like micro pistons, haha. I hope it takes off but really don't see any reason why it wouldn't other than initially raising the money or possibly weird patent conflicts.
However, the endless shots of the pedals rotating on the small table thing made me dizzy…
It is not good for road as it does not provide stable support for the foot to generate power. Road pedals and clips provide have quite a big platform. Maybe for XC for someone who believes in dramatic weight savings. I personally clip in only when I have a large platform to stand on, for balance and control. There is a difference between standing on sonething firmly with the whole foot and standing on a pin. Go stand next to a wall in clipless XC shoes. Lift your heels to stand on clips, put your hands against the wall and start moving your hips as you would when turning on the bike, watch how "easy" it is to balance yourbody compared to standing in normal shoes...
And often it also means easy out…too easy. Nothing worse than popping out of your pedal while riding something sketchy.
The cleat is symmetrical, and so is the retention mechanism on the pedal. You cannot engage the pedal by stepping down onto the pedal, but instead slide your foot forward until it engages, and hits the 90 degree stop plate on the back of the cleat. The chamfers on the cleat are symetrical in both directions to allow you to twist and release right?
But with the chamfers being bi-directional, and only a stop plate at the back of the cleat, doesn't that mean you could also disengage the cleat with the reverse of the same motion you used to engage it? As in pulling backwards with your foot, or dropping your heels lower than the axle...
If the designer is reading this, could he please chime in and shed some light?
Those half-round tabs on the cleat that provide the engagement also compress the spring and allow the pedal interface to slide towards each other on the pedal axle, and then snap back into place to engage the tabs on the cleat.
I guess I just don't see what is keeping those half round tabs from compressing the spring and releasing if you pull backwards with your foot.
Also- What the hell was he welding in that video? Nothing here looks welded.
Still concerning though, it doesn't look like it takes much force to clip in, I could imagine my body weight pulling my foot out when I drop my heels.
I agree on it probably taking more force to pull out due to the lack of a bevel on the inner circumference, but still very possible with some force. Could see disngaging during a hard landing when your heels sink down while absorbing the impact, and also during really strong efforts on the pedal, when sweeping back and pulling up through the bottom of the pedal stroke.
I truthfully really admire the design of the pedal and think it has a lot of promise and would love to see it come to market if my concerns are either unfounded, or can be corrected through a change in the cleat design and interface.
The thing to keep in mind about this product is that the 'problem' they identified is clipping into pedals and therefore represents a niche market. When I go for road rides, I clip in at the beginning, and out at the end. Power transfer is most important, which is why I run Looks (large surface area). In DH racing applications you're able to clip-in before ever leaving the gate, and even lift-access downhill offers plenty of opportunity to clip-in before going down, which is why I want the additional grip and protection the Crank Bros Mallet offers. Bottom line, great product, but most effective for commuters (which is still a good size market).
Shimano have the multi release cleat, easier in and out, as well as spring tension adjust.
Crank brothers have float adjust and an axle that spins, giving 4 potential contact areas and as you tend to slide your foot in (as you have to with this pedal) 4 probably covers 99% of clip in moments.
There are many great engineering ideas out there that solve a problem that does not really exist.
As a bonus, I'm pretty sure any would-be thief would look at those and go "WTF, how am I meant to pedal with that!?" and move on to the next bike that they could actually pedal in regular shoes...
As for engagement, I never look down. I can feel where I'm at on the pedal and have ridden clipless for 18 or so years. But that said, even my "I'll never clip in" wife picked it up in a month or so and doesn't look down. Still like to ride in my five ten's and Answer Rove's on one of my bikes, but being clipped in is like second nature and not a big deal.
That's how I'd have gone with it if I'd have thought of it first ,maybe they did and disregarded it. But hey I only risk my life putting fires out so what would I know. FYI I do have an engineering background as well.
Definitely overdid it for me with demonstrating how hard clipless pedals are.
I'm wondering what final price point will be, I want to help him on kickstarter but $130 on pre-production pedals I can't get parts for sketches me out.
I would love to try a set though.
Is it not a terrible thing to have such a TINY pressure point or weight distribution? I mean, I have size 12 feet, and I rode clip pedals for a bit (a few times), and it really didn't feel too comfortable. People still make fun of my for running flats/BMX style on road bikes, etc. (with straps)
I am not saying it's a terrible idea, the concept is neat, from a design perspective. From a functional point of view... I feel this is way too niche, maybe only for Road and some XC. I wouldn't run this for freeride or DH, that's for sure.
Am I wrong in the thought that it's too small a pedal for a lot of "aggressive" purposes? It seems like riding on just the pedal shaft, something that would not allow proper distribution of weight and force on the pedal (when cranking). I would be under the impression you are pushing down on such a small area, almost like comparing a pushing downward on the butt end of a baseball bat, and then pushing down on a barstool.
it's backwards --
why do "they" keep doing this?
l have seen several bicycle images through the years where the image is backwards --- first and most notable was the image from the movie "Breaking away" -- the image they used for that poster is backwards. l seen other many times through the years.
Come on now people...
INFINITY PEDAL!
Plus, to have the most efficient power transfer from your leg to the pedal, you need:
- A large, usable, contact surface between the pedal and the cleat is better to maximize power transfer;
- You need to be as stable as possible on your pedals, because these are rounded your foot is going to roll around
- A low stack height from the sole of the shoe to the center of pedal axle. As there is as few material as possible between your foot and the center of the pedal axle, you have a higher pedaling efficiency
Why would you want the plateform in the shoe for MTBing? More than with road, you are walking with you MTB shoes, so the plateform will wear out faster or get clugged with mud, gravel... which will prevent from clipping in properly.
You can't make a Q factor better, it depends of the shape of your body (for example, women tend to use a wider Q-factor as we have wider hips)
Arm chair engineers also have access to computers and have an understanding of metallurgy.
Nothing worse than an engineer that has never been in the field.
"- A large, usable, contact surface between the pedal and the cleat is better to maximize power transfer;" Not sure what you mean by this. You are saying more surface area is needed to apply a larger amount of power? That isn't true.
"- You need to be as stable as possible on your pedals, because these are rounded your foot is going to roll around" All pedals are on an axle. The shape of the body of the pedal has nothing to do with it.
www.aerolitepedals.com