Okay, my personal experiences with mod. 23 Berthets have been with two sets I have actually used.
The first set I got in March 1978. My father, paying an intra-family debt, bought me a Puch Royal X in Chamblee, Georgia for a whopping $340. Before it ever left the shop, proprietor George Crook (such a lovely name) made some component changes for me. The memorable ones were fitting an Ideale 90 Rebour process steel-railed saddle (which I still miss) and a pair of the Berthets in question.
I never used a cycle computer on that bike, but I rode it pretty steadily until some time in 1984. I never had a problem with those pedals. We also must note that I never weighed more than 125 lbs, though I was somewhere close to 5-10 by that point. Might explain why the Weyless hubbed sewup wheels I got a few months after getting the bike held up so well for me.
The second set, which I rescued from the junk bin at a shop in Greenville, has been used for fixed-gear work exclusively. Now that I no longer trust clipless for fixed-gear riding, the Berthet remains the easiest pedal for me to get my foot into. Being a klutz, I find the tongue on the back ideal for those "whups, the light went green" moments.
Thanks for all the input and information, folks!
Russ Fitzgerald
Greenwood SC
rfitzger@emeraldis.com