American company Issi is a relatively new brand in the world of pedals. It offers clipless pedals in both Shimano SPD and Look Keo-compatible styles, with a bold colour range that includes bright pink, yellow, blue, green and more. We opted for the conservative white in our Keo-ready set, obviously.
It’s not just the bold colours that these pedals have going for them. Unlike most Keo-compatible non-Look pedals, these have a broader platform, which at 65x80mm is closer to a Keo Max, for a more comfortable platform rather than the classic shape.
Spring tension is handled by a simple in-board-mounted hex screw, which pushes on the steel spring
The build quality is good, with a well-finished pedal body incorporating a stainless steel cleat plate insert on a thickly coated HiPac carbon body. A chromoly axle resists corrosion and encompasses sealed bearings and hard-wearing bushes for durability. Straight out of the box these are smooth spinning, and have stayed that way after a number of rides, showing no signs of play or grease leaks.
Where these pedals really score highly for us is the cleats. These VP-branded, tough, dual-compound cleats have a separate interlocking front piece, which means that when it comes to replacement time you can take the back piece out first, set the new cleat back and tighten it down, then replace the front. This means you’ll get the perfect cleat position every time — providing that you have set them up perfectly in the first place.
It’s a simple solution to the age-old problem of getting your cleats right, especially if you have gone to the trouble (and expense) of a professional fitting. The three-bolt split-cleat system also offers three different float options (the amount your foot can move before being released from the pedal) — 0 (fixed), 4.5 or 7 degrees — allowing your feet to pivot slightly as you pedal.
Spring tension is handled by a simple in-board-mounted hex screw, which pushes on the steel spring. It works well and the lack of complexity means that there is little to go wrong here. At 266g a pair these are among the lighter Keo pattern pedals.
You can have essentially the same R73H model VP pedals with clever cleats from VP and Raleigh for less, but if you must have spectacularly coloured pedals to match your bike or shoes these may be worth considering.
