Jerry asks the question "why were quilled road pedals developed".
My take is that the wrap around helped stiffen/strengthen the pedal cage. By tying the two cage plates together they share the load and might not loosen up so easily. In time the search for more cornering clearance removed the lower half of the wrap around. That the remaining has an up turn (the quill's point) is in my view more of a style point (bad pun) then a design one.
> Lots of riders In The Day, including some top pros, used track pedals on
> the road. IRCC, Bicycling magazine published photos of Lucien an Impe's
> TdF-winning Gitane with Campy pista pedals (even though most of his career
> was spend at LeJeune). I believe I've seen photos of Anquetil using track
> pedals on the road as well. Unless a bike is all original, including the
> pedals, I almost always use track pedals.
>
> And my size 8 1/2 (Euro 42) feet aren't even large by US standards.
> Besides more room, the track pedals give better ground clearance. The one
> quilled road pedal I've found comfortable is TA. It is significantly
> wider than most road pedals. Of course that aggravates the ground
> clearance, but the TAs were made for touring, not racing. I frankly don't
> even know why the quilled road pedal developed, although I suspect it was
> before toestraps were common, so the quill would have helped keep the foot
> positioned on the pedal. But with toeclips and straps, the quill is
> pretty useless IMHO.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos
> Big Spring, Texas, USA
>
Andrew R Stewart
Rochester, NY