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review

Ritchey WCS Carbon Echelon Pedals

7
£165.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Smooth and sturdy bearings and a huge tension range; the price reflects a top-end pedal, but it may be a little too high
Weight: 
218g
Contact: 

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Ritchey's WCS Carbon Echelon pedals have been updated with, as the name suggests, a carbon body and claw to make them über-light. There's a huge range of tension which is easily adjustable, different cleats are available and they offer a wide base for both comfort and power transfer. They'd have to come down in price to tempt me, though.

The composite body and claw really help to keep the weight down. At only 218g for the pair, they come in 2g lighter than the Look Blade Carbons that I am currently using (and 2g lighter than Ritchey claims). Shimano's Ultegra 6800 are 40g heavier but will save your pocket about £45 at RRP (and about £25 online – they're currently around £88, the Echelons around £113).

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy these online here

The stainless steel cleat plate does a very good job of protecting the pedal body from wear. It's replaceable via two T-10 screws should you experience excessive wear. In my two months of winter riding, I've not seen anything other than superficial wear.

Sealed cartridge bearings have kept the pedals turning very smoothly. The rotation is quite slow. They will stay in one position, unlike my Shimano Ultegra 6800 or Look Keo Blade pedals, which will stop with the heaviest part at the bottom. It doesn't affect riding, so it's not an issue at all.

The bearings have also stood up to washing very well. I get quite careless with high pressured water, but these resisted very well, with no signs of water ingress.

The adjustable tension range is really wide. The low end tension is great for easy unclipping and the extra-strong springs really clamp the cleat for powerful riders. Tensioning the pedals is done via a 3mm Allen bolt at the back of the pedal. At the lower end, I was able to slide my foot out easily, which was great for commuting, but they also felt secure with no accidental unclipping when I wanted to put a bit more power down.

The option to use either Ritchey or Look Keo cleats is very useful for those wanting to fine-tune their fit with different float ranges. The Ritchey cleats supplied are 7°, so I switched them to my preferred 0° fixed Look Keos to get my setup spot on.

I did, however, find that there is cleat rocking when at the lower tension range with Keo cleats. Ritchey sells both 0 and 7-degree replacement cleats, so I would stick with them if you intend to use the pedals with low tension. With the pedals tensioned above the midpoint, there were no issues. Ritchey told me that the issues with the Keo cleats seems to be the small rubber oval in the centre of the cleat. It protrudes, giving just enough space with a low tension setting to allow for the rocking. It suggests you could easily file this down, or just wait for it to wear itself down.

The pedals are very comfortable to use. The wide body allows pressure to be spread evenly, meaning no hotspots under the ball of your foot. Out on the road, they are also very consistent; even with road muck and a good amount of grit in them, they continued to engage and release smoothly.

> Buyer's Guide: The best clipless pedals

In terms of value, they sit between the top end Shimano Dura-Ace/titanium axle Look Keo Blades and the more middle range Ultegra/chromoly axle Keo Blades. With an RRP of £165, they should represent a performance benefit over the Ultegras (£119) and the Keo Blades (£139). I couldn't see any improvement; if there is one, it's small. Yes, they provide a comfortable and stiff pedalling platform, but if it was my money I'd choose the Ultegra 6800s. As well as being cheaper, they have more cleat float options.

To sum up, these are very light, comfortable pedals with a huge range of release tensions. The bearings feel as smooth as new, after some horrendous riding conditions and less than careful washing. The price is still a sticking point for me, though. I just can't feel the £45 difference between these and an Ultegra pedal.

Verdict

Smooth and sturdy bearings and a huge tension range; the price reflects a top-end pedal, but it may be a little too high

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Ritchey WCS Carbon Echelon Pedals

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

From Ritchey: "The world-beating performance of the Echelon just got better, thanks to the addition of a high-strength carbon fiber body that drops this already lightweight pedal down to an incredible 220 grams a set."

They are lovely pedals to use. They're aimed at performance cyclists, but you'd have to really care about gram saving to buy these.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Ritchey:

Body: Carbon thermoplastic

Axle Material: CroMo

Claw: Carbon reinforced thermoplastic

Inner Bearing: Bushing

Middle Bearing: Needle

Outer Bearing: Sealed Cartridge

Float: 7 degrees

Finish: UD matte carbon

Weight: 220g

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

The steel plate resisted wear, the bearings weren't fussed by my pressure washer and the claw dealt with all sorts of dirt without issue. They're also very light.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Light, wide, stiff and more than strong enough for safe sprinting.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Grit usually means crunchy and stiff engagement. Not here.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10

They are really featherweight for this type of pedal. Weight weenies will still go for the Speedplay Nanogram pedals at 130g for the pair.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
7/10

Nice wide base meant no hot spots from pressure points.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

I just can't feel any performance benefits over an Ultegra pedal. Yes, they're 40g lighter for the pair, but they're also £45 more...

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well. I could always clip in, no matter how much grit got into the claw. They are comfortable and withstand washing very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The tension range. It's huge. They can be used by sprinters and unconfident unclippers alike.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The price. I can't see a performance benefit that warrants paying an extra £45 over Ultegra 6800 pedals.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? No. I just couldn't see myself spending the extra over Ultegra 6800s.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? The price makes me say no.

Use this box to explain your score

They gain points for reliability, low weight, comfort and a huge range of tensions, but the RRP really brings them down.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 177cm  Weight: 64kg

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Di2  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, I specialise in the Cafe Ride!

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7 comments

Avatar
HowardR | 7 years ago
0 likes

Shimano mtb SPDs the very definition of uncomfortable - fit only for gym spin bikes & then only just.....

Avatar
davel replied to HowardR | 7 years ago
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HowardR wrote:

Shimano mtb SPDs the very definition of uncomfortable - fit only for gym spin bikes & then only just.....

Commuted and CX'd on those for years - great pedals, never had any discomfort. Only 60-90 mins at a time though... and never used them with really stiff or road-style shoes.

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 7 years ago
0 likes

I'd never of thought of that.  I was really struggling to think if I'd ever had any uncomfortable pedals!

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 7 years ago
0 likes

What constitutes a "comfortable" pedal please?

Avatar
Liam Cahill replied to Rapha Nadal | 7 years ago
0 likes

Rapha Nadal wrote:

What constitutes a "comfortable" pedal please?

A wide base distributes pressure evenly. I've had some bad pressure points from smaller pedals (mainly MTB) even with stiff shoes making me rather uncomfortable.

Avatar
RobD | 7 years ago
0 likes

I think I'd still prefer the Time Expressos, hard to fault (especially if you don't walk in the cleats and wear them prematurely) for the price and weight

Avatar
Schweiz | 7 years ago
0 likes

these look like spaceships not pedles!!!! dont look comfy but would luv to give them a go!!!

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