Long Alpine tours, steep climbs, rough descents: the more varied the terrain, the more important it is not to have to compromise on equipment. Some cracks even choose their pedals according to the expected surface of the route: clipless pedals for efficient pedalling and a defined foot position, platform pedals for more freedom of movement on tricky downhill stretches. But what if the route is unknown, the climb is too long or the otherwise grippy downhill has been turned into a slide by a rain shower? Or when a spontaneous sprint to the traffic lights requires you to cut your mate short and the shoe-pedal connection can't be tight enough?
Armin Hofreiter also asked himself these or at least similar questions. As a former triathlete, he was used to riding clicked in. Off the road, however, the degree of difficulty of his tours continued to increase. At the limits of his riding ability, he found the clipless pedal too restrictive. How nice it would be to be able to switch from clipless to platform pedals, preferably even while riding. The solution was obvious: combination pedals with two faces were already available to buy.
Tatze Two-Face: pedal dream come true
But Hofreiter found nothing that met his expectations. Either the platform side had too little grip, the contact area was too small or the pedal was simply too heavy or too bulky for universal touring use. But he didn't want to compromise. So he experimented himself, devised adapter solutions to convert available pedals and finally invested in his own pedal. For him, the fulfilment of a dream was worth 1000 euros.
The idea eventually gave rise to the company Pawwho helped us BIKE Festival in Riva presented a pre-production model of the new Two-Face pedal. The pedal combines the click mechanism on one side with a fully-fledged platform on the other. Long durability is promised by an industrial roller bearing on the outside and a wide 15 mm plain bearing bush on the inside.
The double seal on the inside is so tightly dimensioned that the pedal develops a slight rotational resistance and therefore always maintains a fixed pedalling position when unloaded. Freeriders appreciate this feature when they take their feet off the pedal, for example when jumping, in order to quickly find a secure footing for landing. With the two-face pedal, the change from the click to the platform side is also completed with half a turn of the crank. The seal and bearing should last the life of the pedal, but are easy to replace if necessary.
The difference lies in the detail
The Tatze Two-Face also impresses with some very smart-sounding features - after all, Hofreiter wanted to build the best pedal for him. A total of 14 pins on the 100 cm2 platform side engage with the sole of the shoe, four more than most other flat pedals, and provide the desired Grip. The pins are even lined up twice on the inside, and even a shoe placed a little further out still has enough contact points. This brings Security. The concave shape moulds itself to the mostly pre-shaped shoe soles. Finally, the platform, which is only four millimetres high on the outside, ensures a slightly larger Ground clearance almost up to the shoe.
On the other side, the click mechanism, which is protected by a robust cage, accepts your own cleats as well as all SPD-compatible cleats. The release hardness can be adjusted as usual. Two, optionally even up to six additional pins hold the shoe in place. The highlight: the two contact surfaces do not run parallel to each other. When clicked into place, the two surfaces taper forwards in a wedge shape, with the front edge of the platform, which then points downwards, five millimetres higher than the rear edge. This is intended to prevent the risk of unpleasant contact with the ground at the front of the pedal.
The Tatze Two-Face pedal will be available from the end of May 2018 for 159 euros with CroMo axles or 219 euros with titanium axles at the Paw website and available from selected online retailers. According to the manufacturer, the weight is just 435 grams for the CroMo version and a light 387 grams for the titanium version.
Sebastian Brust
Editor
