Victor (VP102) Clipless Pedals - any good?
Bruno Fernandes
I was just at Mountain Equipment Co-Op the other day stocking up on a few biking
goodies. Decided to browse through their disoplay case. As usualy they had
Shimano 535 and Ritchey pedals and some Victor pedals I saw last year (VP-101).
However they had a new model, VP-102 in stock. These looked pretty small and a
lot more like Shimano M747 pedals than anything else I've seen (one could easily
tell them apart, I just mean they were more like these than say Onza or
Ritchey). They looked good under the display case and they were priced quite
low in comparison to the other brands on the market. Anyone know anything about
their pedals and specifically this model? Any info appreciated.
Bruno
Close to being ready for the new season.
Cyber Moi
The VP-102 rated three bike wheels (out of a possible five) in the May 1996
"Bicycling" magazine. You may wish to pick it up as it reviews 17 pedals
total.
______ ______ __ __
/ ____/ ____ / ____/ ____ _ _____ / /_ / /
/ / __ / __ \/ /_ / __ `/ / ___// __/ / /
/ /_/ / / /_/ / __/ / /_/ / (__ )/ /_ /_/
\____/ \____/_/ \__,_/ /____/ \__/ (_)
Steven Stillaway
<snip>
: However they had a new model, VP-102 in stock. These looked pretty small and a
<snip>
: low in comparison to the other brands on the market. Anyone know anything about
: their pedals and specifically this model? Any info appreciated.
: Bruno
: Close to being ready for the new season.
I have also seen this in MEC and I am interested. I have no experience
with these particular pedals but I just purchased a pair of VP cage
pedals in December. This weekend I took them apart and repacked them
after winter riding. They seemed very well made and re-packed well and
are once again working smooth. If their clipless are similar axle design
(which is probably a safe assumption) I would give it my recommendation.
I don't have any idea how well the clip part is made though.
I don't know if this helps. Sooner or later someone will try them; it
might be me. Let me know if you buy them.
--
Steven Stillaway
cb...@torfree.net
Roderick Preston
ago. I had been using LOOK-style clipless pedals before but found them
inconvenient for my commuting situation.
The first thing I noticed about the 102 pedals when I clipped in was the
amount of play in the heel. My old pedals used the ARC rotational cleat;
resistance to heel rotation increased as I turned my heel outward until I
reached the release tension. With the 102s, however, there is
substantially more heel rotation before any resistance is felt. I'm not
slagging the pedals, it's just something that I wasn't expecting. Maybe
all SPD-type pedals operate this way but I have no experience with them.
The most-recent issue of Bicycling rates these pedals at 3.5 out of 5.0.
The main drawback was that the rotational cleats had to be purchased
separately. The pedals I bought at MEC came with the rotational cleats.
An interesting point about these pedals. There were two types in the MEC
Toronto store: VP-101 and VP-102. The 101s look like older Deore SPD
pedals (black and boxy) while the 102s look more like the new Shimano
747s (silver and small.) Both were $59 and supposed to have built-in
heel rotation. The replacement rotational cleat package, however, says
"Use only with the VP-102 pedal."
Lastly, I was told that MEC didn't make a big investment in these
particular clipless pedals in case they didn't sell - the Toronto store
hade 5 pairs of the 101s and 5 of the 102s. I don't know how many the
mail-order warehouse has. Get'em while they're hot.
Rick Preston
bi...@freenet.toronto.on.ca
pres...@interlog.com
Steven Stillaway (cb...@torfree.net) wrote:
Alan Felsen
> : : their pedals and specifically this model? Any info appreciated.
We've been using VP-101's on our tandem for one season, and the
only complaint that I have is related to the cleat/shoe fit. The cleats
are thicker than Shimano cleats, and on one pair of shoes (mine) we had
to file away the sole because the bolt was not long enough to go through
the thick cleat and tighter into the shoe. Even after doing this, the
cleats contact the ground when walking (not good on tile or wood floors).
This is with an older model of Performance SPD-type shoes. On our other
pair, mounted on Shimano shoes, we made fit by leaving out a washer that
would have gone inside the shoe. As far as function and entry/exit, they
work fine. I wish we had some rotation on the 101 model though.
Alan
Alan Felsen / Dawn Dowdy
1996 Cannondale RT2000
Silver Spring, MD
JamisBen
work fine. I wish we had some rotation on the 101 model though.
I have seen the new VP-103 and new magnetic pedal. The VP group is
definitely on top of things.
Ben @ Jamis Bicycles