Ritchey WCS V4 Mtn Pedal - Pro Review
By: Karl Etzel from
http://ride424.com/
Date: July 25, 2006
Photo ©: mtbr.com
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It has been about 8 years since I last experimented with pedals, having grown content with the reliable performance of my Time ATACs. I got hooked on their mud shedding ability when I lived on the east coast and was willing to live with the weight penalty. I've also grown to appreciate the positive engage/disengage feel of the ATACs, there is never any wondering if you are in or out. So these are some of the benchmarks I have in mind when I evaluate a new set of pedals.
When Ritchey showed me their polished titanium WCS V4 mountain pedals at Interbike last year I thought I might have finally found reason to look into a new option. They are way lighter than my old school ATACs, and feature a very open design that ought to shed mud well. They also move the cleat closer to the spindle centerline than the ATACs (allowing me to drop my saddle 3 mm). In addition they are simply gorgeous, reminding me of some of the road components released by Campagnolo back in the 90's that had an almost jewel like appearance (you remember, way back before carbon fiber became de rigueur in bling).
So when I got a chance to try out the pedals I jumped at it. After you get past the polished Ti finish, the next thing you notice about these pedals is what appears to be a really long spindle. My first thought was, there goes my Q factor. It turns out to be an optical illusion because once I put the pedal next to the ATAC it became clear that the actual location of the cleat over the pedal was right about the same spot relative to the crank face. I've now spent over a month on these pedals and raced them at US Marathon Nationals in Sonoma. Here are my impressions.
The cleat design allows you to rotate it and slide it laterally on your shoe more than the ATAC cleats, so I feel like I can get a more neutral position over the pedal. This is a good thing for those who might struggle with alignment or position issues. They seem to have less float though than the ATACs, so this might be a factor to consider. The float is also less smooth than the ATACS.
Spring tension is adjustable, I just left it in the middle at the factory setting and have been very happy with it. I cranked it all the way up and did not notice any "non-linear" behavior, sometimes the engage difficulty shoots off the chart but the Ritchey V4s seemed to provide predictable engagement effort with spring tension. Engagement is easy and crisp but not as decisive as the ATACs. After my max-tension experiment I reset the tension to the middle of the range and have left it there.
Having been on these pedals a short time I can't say much about durability, but I do notice a small amount of lateral bearing play in one of the two pedal sets I have. If this does not grow over time or lead to shortened bearing life, then I will probably chalk it up. We'll have to keep an eye on this. The little cover for the internal bushing came off one pedal, I pushed it back on it has been ok since then.
Several near-wash out experiences gave me the chance to evaluate the pedals in emergency bail out mode and I was able to get out & back in with no trouble.
Finally, advertised weight on these is 248 grams/pair, and the scale says Ritchey is right on - they came in at 247.
So far my only gripe is that the pedals seem to release awkwardly when I am doing cyclocross dismounts and my weight is on the left pedal as I am clipping out. I need more time to evaluate this fully, so tune in as cross season approaches and I'll have an update on this. I'll also be evaluating the mud performance during cross season, I'm a little late in the year to be doing that now.
Pros:
- Light
- Low profile
- Gorgeous
- Predictable
Cons:
- A little bearing play will need to be watched for degradation over time
- Float is not as smooth as some other pedals
- Need more experience with cross dismounts to see what is up with the funky release
Overall Rating:
I give these a "provisional" 4 chilis out of 5, with final rating tbd after more miles & cross experience
Retail Price:
WCS model is $249.95
Pro version (non-titanium) is $119.95
Mtbr.com User Reviews. Read or post your own review:
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Pedal/product_122036.shtml
Pro Review written by: Karl Etzel
of
http://www.ride424.com
Ritchey
http://www.ritcheylogic.com/