EKOÏ Bets Big on Unified Footwear Pedal System

Ekoï has been in the cycling shoe business for a while now. But they recently decided to get into the pedal business as well. It’s not just the pedal that is new, though. It’s the idea, and concept, of a shoe+pedal+cleat combo that caught our attention.

Like we all know, lots of companies make road cycling shoes. And a couple of companies make really good road pedals: Shimano, Look, Time, Wahoo, Garmin, Favero Assioma, etc. – what they all have in common is that you can use them on pretty much any road cycling shoe. In fact, I have used four of these pedals on a single pair of road shoes in just the last four or five months, and haven’t had any issues getting them to work, outside of the normal hour or so adjusting them the first time I set them up.

But EKOÏ’s new C12 PW8 offers a whole system that can’t be separated, or shared. This is a “take it or leave it kind of gal,” if you know what I mean.

Let’s dive into the shoe first.

The C12 Shoe

Upper:
Designed for performance, the upper features a close, precision fit that is designed to lock the foot in place for maximum power transfer and support. The forefoot is built with added volume, providing extra space to keep the foot comfortable during longer rides. The construction gives the shoe a snug, slipper-like feel, enhancing both stability and comfort. Wrapped in genuine leather, the material is meant to combine durability with breathability thanks to its fully perforated design, allowing continuous airflow which keeps feet cool and dry.

Closure:
There’s a BOA Fit System with dual Li2 dials that delivers micro-adjustable tension control.

Base and Edges:
The outsole is equipped with thermo-compressed Michelin studs engineered from highly durable TPU.

While the sole is almost fully carbon, these shoes provide decent traction when walking – although, at first, it’s a little odd walking around on such a flat surface. And, while the bottom touch points do offer a little bit of grip, I do wish they had more (grip, that is).

PW8 Pedals

While these aren’t the lightest pedals on the market, they aren’t far off. And, since the cleats weigh 15 grams, the system does make the charge towards the lightest pedal system.

Cleats

The super-light cleats are available in three different sets that offer five different options when it comes to float. “Float,” in this case, is the amount your shoe will be able to pivot while locked into the pedal. The cleats are designed to be installed with the number up (readable) to achieve the desired float on the pedal.

The PW8 is designed to have a larger platform than any other product in the industry. Shown here is a side by side comparison of a couple of other pedal platforms on the market — TIME (left), Shimano (right), with the PW8 (center). With 1,500 mm² of contact area, EKOÏ claims that the PW8 offers the largest contact surface on the market.

Like any new set of pedals and cleats, you will want to adjust your seat position. EKOÏ recommends that you lower your seat by 4 mm. The pedals are 8 mm thick from the end of pedal to the shoe, which EKOÏ claims decreases drag by 11 percent. (I assume that’s for a certain type of rider.)

Current Thoughts

So far, the shoe is really comfortable (for the six hours I have been in them), the upper is soft yet snug, and the heel wraps perfectly. I have yet to use socks and I haven’t had any issues with my feet getting mad at me. I do wish that the bottom of the shoe had some more grip though. I see the point of a robust bottom, but the lack of “cleat grip,” such as the one you’ll find in Shimano’s road shoes, makes the shoe a little too slippery on my wooden hallway stairs for comfort. The adjustability of the cleats is super easy, and finding the right float angle is pretty simple and straightforward.

There are two things I feel the system lacks at this point. First, currently the shoes only come in whole sizes, which means it can be hard to get the shoe to fit just right. While the fit is very similar to a Shimano shoe in terms of width, it’s sized a little larger than Shimano shoes. I wear a 45.5 in Shimano, while I am a size 45 in the EKOÏ C12 and still have some room to spare.

The other thing that needs to be addressed is the lack of tension between the cleat and pedal. Currently there is no way for the cleat to be set any tighter and, while it goes in really smoothly, it’s too easy to pop the foot out, in my opinion. For me, who likes to have a very tight connection between my cleat and the pedal, this is something that I feel I would get pretty frustrated with.

I will say that for the first edition of the concept, EKOÏ has nailed what most companies would typically take a couple of shots to get right.

EKOÏ is taking a bit of a gamble with this system because they are basically telling customers it’s “all or nothing.” But, if you are already a fan of the EKOÏ shoes, and are in the market for a new set of pedals, it’s not that big of a gamble.

While EKOÏ is based in the south of France near Nice, they are pushing hard to bring the well-established brand to the States. They are shipping many orders a day to America, and have a local customer service group here. You have probably seen them at one of the North American IRONMAN races, as well as at many races in Europe. No doubt you’ll be seeing a lot more of this new pedal and shoe system on both sides of the Atlantic, too.

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