Carbon wheel and component manufacturer Edco has made its new 3ax (pronounced ‘try-axe’) clipless pedal system available to buy. These pedals use a rocking mechanism that allows 4° of lateral “sway”.
If that “sway” is difficult to envision, this video shows you exactly what’s going on.
We reported on the pedals a couple of years ago when the team behind them was looking for funding on Kickstarter. Go to that story for more details on the design.
“In combination with 9 degrees of traditional cleat float, the pedals produced impressive results in third party laboratory testing: 17% less lateral knee movement, up to 5.4% increase in rider efficiency, and more even foot pressure distribution,” says Edco. “The 30 rider test pool, which consisted of both professionals and enthusiasts, consistently reported more comfort, less fatigue, and better performance while cycling.”
The development and Kickstarter project for 3AX took close to four years to complete.
“The pedal tilts when it moves laterally, since it moves on an arc, not a straight line,” said 3ax inventor and co-founder Stefan van Eijk. “This rocking motion, this extra degree of freedom, improves your leg alignment without compromising the stability of the pedal platform.”
The aluminium bodied pedals are made in the Netherlands and weigh a claimed 390g per pair. That’s a little more than standard clipless pedals, not surprisingly (the £39.99 Radial Forte Pro Carbon clipless pedals that we reviewed recently, for example, weigh 312g).
The axles are made from a proprietary alloy and are 54mm long. The pedals’ stack height is 12.5mm and the system uses standard 3-bolt cleat mounting. Look Keo compatible cleats and hardware are included in the package. As with most other clipless pedals, the release tension is adjustable. The retail price is £249.99.
Mat has worked for loads of bike magazines over 20+ years, and been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. He's been road.cc technical editor for eight years, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a past winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer.