Re: Disposable, was Re: [CR]Lyotard Pedal Axles

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Campagnolo)

In-Reply-To: <42B415F5.2050405@erols.com>
References: <42B415F5.2050405@erols.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2005 06:51:08 -0700
To: HM & SS Sachs <sachs@erols.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Jan Heine" <heine93@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Disposable, was Re: [CR]Lyotard Pedal Axles


>Jan Heine made an important observation: <snip>
>
>"In their day, Lyotard pedals were considered disposable. You rode
>them for a few seasons and then replaced them... Which is why the
>earliest models are somewhat rare today."
>
>I hadn't thought about it, but that does resonate. Part of the
>elegance was their low-cost methods: cones pressed from sheet metal
>thick enough to thread, press-fit between cages pieces and barrel,
>etc. We did have a bit of a problem when a 14 mm. Berthet failed in
>the Appalachians in 1975...cobbled back together with a radiator
>clamp.
>
>harvey sachs
>mcLean va

Even though disposable, Lyotard pedals came in different models and probably varied over the ages. The early ones had oil/grease holes with a clip above the spindle (like Campagnolo Record hubs), so they were intended to be maintained. Also, the cones on the pedals used on Rene Herse bikes were more sophisticated than those used on my first Peugeot 10-speed... I have not heard of many outright failures - riders used these in Paris-Brest-Paris and the Poly de Chanteloup, as you can see in the historic photos in our book "The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles."

In the 1940s, there really weren't any alternatives to Lyotard pedals in France. The TANK pedals don't seem to have been much different in quality. That said, both would give decades of service, as they were decent pedals. (Similar story in Italy with the Sheffield Sprint pedals.)

Then, in 1952, TA introduced their amazing pedals. But they were so expensive that few people used them. It was cheaper to replace your Lyotards every 5 or 10 years... which is why the first generation TA pedals are so rare. Once Campy pedals became available, quite a few French riders switched to those.

Because Lyotard now was considered a lower quality option compared to the newer pedals, they competed on price and cheapened their products in the way Harvey describes. They probably sold millions of pedals during the bike boom and then went under. One wonders whether they had made enough money to retire and thus didn't mind closing their doors... -- Jan Heine, Seattle Editor/Publisher Vintage Bicycle Quarterly c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles 140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com