It was an unworthy exit for a king. John Tomac fell over like a wet sack for the fifth time on Mount Katuragi. The bike god lay on the ground with his feet bound. Clinging to his shoes were the new "SPD" pedals, or rather a prototype of them. But Tomac didn't let the stubborn pedals slow him down and tested them until they were ready for series production. And even if he was to crash onto his side in slow motion until doomsday, giving up was out of the question. Because the king knew that his new shackles were a powerful weapon on the battlefields of the bike circus.
The bike world had been waiting for this. In December 1989, Shimano published the first drawing of the "Pedaling Dynamics" pedals. This revolution was to herald the end of the Stone Age pedals. Those who had previously ridden their bikes had three alternatives: either bear paws hacked the flesh from shins, Look road pedals crunched over the trails or hooks and straps bound the foot to the pedal. None of these were really options for the young sport. The man who got the ball rolling was Kazuki Tanaka. Together with his colleagues Okajima and Terada, he designed the first prototype. At the beginning of 1988, one thing was clear to the Japanese: with the old pedals, the sport of cycling was in Neanderthal territory. They needed a pedal that was resistant to dirt and had the firm grip of a road bike pedal. From then on, Japanese engineers worked non-stop on a firm connection between man and machine. But the path to the new pedals was arduous. The ideal system had to be found from the various designs. In particular, the question of how to get off the bike kept the engineers' heads spinning. Initially, a multi-exit system was planned; it should be possible to disengage from the pedals in any foot position. The technical realisation was miserable. With the help of a handful of professionals, a multi-single system was devised that allowed versatile entry and only one exit. Thus the original form of the "SPD" pedal was born. From this point on, the new wonder pedal was tested and improved again and again, even if the classic ground landing was part of everyday working life.
The time had come in mid-1990. The first clipless pedal had been milled and turned ready for series production. Together with the company's own shoes, it was to conquer the bike world. With this new secret weapon, Greg Herbold became Downhill World Champion in Durango in 1990. This was the reward for the effort, as Herbold was also significantly involved in the development of the pedal.
That was the starting signal. From then on, the binding was continuously developed and the last teething troubles were eliminated. Spontaneous release or reaching for sticks when there was a bit more forest under the shoe was eliminated over the years. Today, the clipless pedal is as much a part of the bike as the chain, at least in cross country. But there is one problem that engineers will never get to grips with: the embarrassing beginner's crash at red lights.
