I have to chime in with Leonard here on the Berthet pedals. I also found them far from perfect. I bought a pair for commuting purposes years ago, and used them on both an old UO-8 and a Norman 3 speed for that, as well as on my Trek touring bike for "fun" riding. The problem I found with them was they were just too small and narrow for my size 13 wide feet. It felt like my feet were hanging off the sides, and if I wore tennis shoes, it was even worse, making my foot feel like it was resting on a very small hard object, much like the common complaint about SPDs. I kept them for years, periodically trying them to see if they worked with this shoe or that, or under different conditions. I never did get happy with them, and sold them about a year ago. I think those of us with big feet need bigger platform pedals than those. I keep wanting to try the MKS model that Rivendell carries, but I'm happy with the curent pedals on my bikes right now.
Tim
Tim Fricker tymn61@earthlink.net
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>From: Leonard Bulger <bulger@erim-int.com>
>To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: [Classicrendezvous] Re: Lyotard mod. 23 Marcel Berthet pedals
>Date: Mon, Nov 20, 2000, 10:42 AM
>
>I don't think the Berthet pedal is perfect. It holds the foot closer to
>the crankarm than any other pedal. This can result in too low a Q. I
>used to tour with Model 23's and would get shooting pains along the
>outside of my knees. I realized that the inside of my foot was not
>sitting flat on the pedal. When I changed to a wider rattrap the pains
>went away. I still have 23's on two bikes and they're fine for short
>rides, and it's nice to not have a cage pushing into my foot.
>
>There's been a lot of low Q fanaticsm lately. Low Q is not
>automatically better. The appropriate Q depends on the width of the
>rider's hips and the natural motion of his or her joints.
>
>Leonard Bulger
>Ann Arbor, MI
>(It's trying to snow.)