bebob pedal observation/inquiry/lament

[Chris Crawford]

Hi - after reading so many glowing reviews of bebop pedals on this NG I bought a pair. The single
biggest selling point was the wide contact area likening them LOOKs which I've been fond of.

It is true that they are very easy to enter, keep your feet close to the pedal axis, and have a
large cleat but:

The cleat that mounts on the shoe is flat. Most shoe soles are curved. Therefore the effective area
of cleat that meets the shoe is small; closer to spd size I would say - just where the bolts go in.
It still feels to me like I have a hot spot on the ball of the foot event though my soles are quite
stiff. I called Bebop to ask about bending the plate to have it conform to the shoe sole but they
advised against it - this could probably change the lock-in and release mechanics.

The other issue was that the cleat is a bit higher than spd's or frogs and probably juts above the
rubber sole by 1mm. Walking on wood floors or other sensitive areas can be a problem with these
cleats. I've checked a couple of other shoe styles to see if my Specialized cleats were unusually
low but they seem to be the same height as all the others.

Has any else had similar issues and have you managed to mitigate them in any way.

Thanks and regards, Chris

 

[martinbs]

Chris,

I have used Frogs on both Sidi and the least expensive Shimano shoes and now have Bebops on the Shimano. On the Sidi I had a shoe maker glue strips of sole rubber on the toe area of the shoe so the Frog cleats would not hit. On the Shimano the Bebops were almost OK - but not quite. So I just used some Shoe Goo to build up the appropriate areas. The stuff works. My wooden floors are happy.

Can't answer about the hot spot problem.

Good luck,

Martin

 

[bentcruiser]

Originally posted by Chris Crawford
Has any else had similar issues and have you managed to mitigate them in any way.

I have had nothing but good luck with my Bebops. I own a pair I bought used. The only complaint is that they are not as good as removing dirt when clipping in as the Speedplay Frogs.

But, IMHO, that is the only drawback.

Derek