Bold new Ekoi pedals reportedly outlawed by UCI

There was quite a stir last week when a new set of rather unusual pedals emerged in the pro peloton. They didn’t even last the weekend, however, as the UCI moved to stamp them out, at least for the time being.

According to the French tech website Matos Vélo, UCI officials at the Etoile de Bessèges stage race last week informed the Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur team they could no longer use the pedals.

The UCI has not yet responded to a request for clarification on the matter.

Read more: Spotted: Ekoi pedals with a radical new design and claimed 8 watt saving

The pedals in question are the so-called PW8 model from French brand Ekoi, which feature a bold new design in the form of a huge platform, and a bold, if vague, claim of an eight-watt saving.

Ekoi is not officially providing any information surrounding the pedals, which have not been released, but its CEO has made no secret of his excitement, even suggesting €2 million has been spent developing the product that has been pitched to the world’s biggest pro teams.

For now, there are two lower-level teams trying them out: Nice Métropole and Burgos-BH. Or at least that was the case until the weekend.

Matos Vélo sent a reporter to the Etoile de Bessèges to get a closer look at the new pedals, only to find they had just been outlawed half-way through the five-stage race.

The reporter states that the decision was made by the UCI commissaires only an hour before the start of the stage in question, leading to a farcical situation in which the Nice Métropole riders were left scrambling for pedals. Not only that, but they also needed new shoes, given the pedals and cleats were designed with a specific shoe that’s not compatible with the standard three-bolt system.

The team’s hotel was apparently too far away to fetch replacements in time for the roll-out, so riders reportedly had to ask for favours from of rival teams. Some even were seen looking to buy shoes from a pop-up retail stand in the start village. All of them apparently made it to the start to ride the stage.

It is not exactly clear what prompted the UCI decided to take action. Unreleased prototype equipment is eligible for use provided it has been registered with the governing body’s technical department, so it’s possible there was an administrative shortcoming, rather than the UCI rejecting the pedal design itself.

If that were the case, we could see the pedals back in the peloton before too long.

For the latest goings-on in the world of cycling equipment, head to the tech news section of the GCN website.

Ekoi

Ekoï is a cycling equipment manufacturer, founded in the famous cycling town of Roubaix in 2001. The company specialises in eyewear and helmets but also offers other product ranges, including clothing and footwear, across four disciplines.