Most of the evidence seems to pretty strongly suggest that the Looks were post-1983, and since that is off topic, the exact date and discussion thereof is also off-topic, so enough of that. As I suspected, the Cinelli M71 wasn't the first either. I'm not surprised that there was one in the 1890's. That may well have been the decade of the greatest technical innovation in bicycles, when they were still "high tech", just before automobiles and airplanes began to steal away that status. That was also the time when bicycle racing still had the following that auto racing would later largely steal. I would still bet that at least a few models of clipless pedals were introduced in France in the 20's and 30's. Maybe Jan can confirm this.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net> wrote:
Here's what Julian wrote me off list Jerry:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Julian Shapiro wrote:
>
> Taking this off list where it belongs
>
> Well here's my Colango Arabesque in June 1985 (jpeg) right after I built it up. I
> bought the frame in May 1985. No question of the year because I bought it on
> my honeymoon in Rome. Bernie did not hand deliver the pedals to me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope this clears up any confusion on Looks pedals being after the 1983 cut off date and off topic Jerry.
Look's assertion that their clipless pedal is the "world's first?" April 1895 -- Charles Hanson of Peace Dale, Rhode Island invents first clipless pedal. (Twist to lock and unlock. Has rotational float.). From Speedplay's pedal museum on their web site (there's even a drawing of the pedal).
Regards, Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, CA
Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
>
> Neither of those quotes would prove Julian wrong. The fact that these
> were the world's first clipless pedals (and knowing how much innovation
> was made in France in the 20's and 30's and virtually unknown today, I
> wouldn't even bet they were the first) and that the first shipment
> arrived
> in CA in 1985, doesn't prove these weren't on sale in Europe or even the
> US East Coast in 1984. I didn't use clipless until some years later, so
> I
> have no personal recollection of the date.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos
> Houston, TX
>
> Chuck Schmidt wrote:
> Julian Shapiro wrote:
> >
> > Didn't Dale choose 1983 because that was the year of the Look pedal?
> >
> > I was riding Looks in 1984, so the timeline below has to be off by a couiple
> > of years.
>
> With all due respect Julian, I think your recollections are fuzzy.
>
> Look web site:
>
> "1985: Bernard Hinault takes his fifth, record-tying Tour de France
> victory on the worlds first clipless pedal. Courtesy of Look."
>
> Jim Langley (Bicycling! magazine tech guy back in the day):
>
> "I've been riding Look pedals since 1985 when Bernard Hinault hand
> delivered the premier shipment to Bay Area bike shops while he was
> racing in the Coors Classic."
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, CA
>
> .