The was how it was explained to me: when you crashed and were sliding down the road, being sandpapered by the ashphalt, the tip of the quill gave your foot, which was almost certainly one part of your anatomy in intimate association with the pavement, some protection. Of course your foot in a leather shoe was undoubtedly faring better than your hips, thighs, knees and elbows, which were protected either by nothing or by no more than a flimsy layer of wool.
Of course if you were like me you'd lift the bike up with your feet to keep it from getting all scratched up. I can grow more skin---
Tom Adams
Manhattan, KS, USA
From: Andrew R Stewart <onetenth@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [CR] Toestrap detail on Leggerissimo Cinelli To: "Jerome & Elizabeth Moos" <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org, grm1067@aol.com Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009, 9:29 AM
Jerry asks the question "why were quilled road pedals developed".
My take is that the wrap around helped stiffen/strengthen the pedal cage. By tying the two cage plates together they share the load and might not loosen up so easily. In time the search for more cornering clearance removed the lower half of the wrap around. That the remaining has an up turn (the quill's point) is in my view more of a style point (bad pun) then a design one.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jerome & Elizabeth Moos" <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>; <grm1067@aol.com> Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 10:18 AM Subject: Re: [CR] Toestrap detail on Leggerissimo Cinelli
> Lots of riders In The Day, including some top pros, used track pedals on the road. IRCC, Bicycling magazine published photos of Lucien an Impe's TdF-winning Gitane with Campy pista pedals (even though most of his career was spend at LeJeune). I believe I've seen photos of Anquetil using track pedals on the road as well. Unless a bike is all original, including the pedals, I almost always use track pedals.
>
> And my size 8 1/2 (Euro 42) feet aren't even large by US standards. Besides more room, the track pedals give better ground clearance. The one quilled road pedal I've found comfortable is TA. It is significantly wider than most road pedals. Of course that aggravates the ground clearance, but the TAs were made for touring, not racing. I frankly don't even know why the quilled road pedal developed, although I suspect it was before toestraps were common, so the quill would have helped keep the foot positioned on the pedal. But with toeclips and straps, the quill is pretty useless IMHO.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos
> Big Spring, Texas, USA
>
Andrew R Stewart
Rochester, NY