Q36.5’s latest announcement might come as a surprise. The Italian cycling clothing brand hasn’t revealed a new winter jacket or jersey. Instead, it announced today that it is releasing a new set of pedals made in collaboration with the power meter manufacturer SRM.
And that’s where the second surprise comes in. The new release is not a power meter pedal system; it’s a design that reduces stack height.
Q36.5 founder Luigi Bergamo is said to have discovered the advantages of a low stack height while testing the setup with an ultra-thin sole construction and a specific cleat attachment system.
Bergamo asked Ulrich Schoberer, founder of SRM, if it would be possible to design pedals that reduced stack height even further than the best road bike pedals.
Following a few further conversations, and just over six months later, Schoberer is said to have presented Bergamo with a working prototype.
It’s generally considered that the lower the stack height – the distance between the centre of the axle and the top of the pedal body – the higher your pedalling efficiency. This means a low stack height can be better, although a reduced stack height isn’t going to lead to a big jump in performance.
Q36.5 says its new pedals will be available exclusively with its Unique Pro Shoes. “The new game-changing pedal and shoe system reduces pedaling stack height by over 8mm relative to existing systems, offering the most direct and efficient power transfer on the market,” Q36.5 claims.
However, the brand hasn’t provided a specific stack-height measurement.
Typically, the best road bike pedals have a stack height of between 8mm and 12mm, with some power meters having a slightly higher stack.
The complete stack height of a pedal system also includes the cleat. This means the most popular clipless pedal systems for the road typically have a system height of around 15mm.
The Wahoo Speedplay pedals have a stack height that is lower than other big brands, at either 8.5mm or 11.5mm, depending on your setup.
The road pedal with the lowest stack height is the Ekoi PW8. It has a stack height of 8mm, but it requires a specialist shoe made by Ekoi and costing £450.
If Q36.5 is reducing stack height by more than 8mm compared to existing systems, it’s likely we’ll see a figure in a similar ballpark to Wahoo and Ekoi’s pedals.
But we’ll have to wait until December for a final answer – and to find out the price.
