These pedals may be the perfect bicycle pedals, at least as long as we're looking at "conventional" pedals. Fact is that Look introduced clipless pedals around the same time as Shimano produced these Dura Ace pedals and the revolutionary Look "click" system conquered the cycling world, with top rider Bernard Hinault and his La Vie Claire team in the lead. Result: these Dura Ace pedals were deemed to fail commercially, as nearly everyone who needed a new pair of pedals adopted the Look system or another clipless concept.
PD-7400 is a pedal of excellent quality. Never a single quality problem, top quality bearings, aerodynamic design, axle assembly from one side, so no issues with (missing or damaged) end caps, maximum cornering angle. And last, but not least: the nice additional binding feature of the special shoe cleat SM-PD64 in combination with the pedal and the triangle plate that comes on top of the toe clip. The front end of the cleats slips under the triangle plate and is more or less fixed between the pedal body and triangle plate on top of the toe clip. Besides that, the slot of the cleat goes onto the back plate of the pedal and the whole foot is secures with a toe strap. Accidental foot release seems to be impossible.
Because clipless pedals are not absolutely locked, they're not the favourite pedals of track sprinters or 1 km specialists. They opt for clipless pedals (e.g. SPD-R because they can be adjusted to a very hard setting) in combination with single or double toe straps or traditional pedals with toe clips and straps. For such an application, Shimano PD-7400 is the absolute No. 1, still.
Arty not farty
2 days ago