Spotted at the Interbike Outdoor Demo yesterday was the latest incarnation of the Duke Nukem Forever of mountain bike pedals, Speedplay’s Syzr.
Okay, that’s a shade harsh. It’s been three years since Speedplay showed the first Syzr prototypes and Speedplay’s Richard Bryne is a firm advocate of the ‘no wine before its time’ school of product design, a refreshing change from ‘our customers are our beta testers’ attitude that sometimes manifests in the bike industry.
As you can see, the cleat hasn’t changed since the last time we looked at this pedal in 2010. The pedal body is dramatically different, though, and it looks to us like Speedplay are going for robustness rather than light weight.
The spring tension adjuster screw is tucked away inside the pedal body
Early Syzr prototypes had a two-part pedal with one section free to pivot round the axle and a coil spring round to load it, in a manner reminiscent of a Crank Brothers Eggbeater. The latest version is much more conventional, with engagement plates at each end of the pedal, each one having its own spring. A rubber cover surrounds the body, protecting it from rock strikes and giving a beefy look that sets it apart from every other compact, cross-country style pedal.
The unique features of the Syzr remain the adjustable float, derived from Speedplay’s Zero road pedal; and the large contact area with the cleat, which means it doesn’t rely on the shoe’s lugs to stabilise the shoe on the pedal. The sample on show was also remarkably easy to release. We'll have more details on the final incarnation when Interbike opens its doors tomorrow.