The automatic pedal has been around for 40 years, and was first used on the Tour de France in 1985 by, among others, Bernard Hinault, who won the last of his 5 Grandes Boucles with these pedals, manufactured by Look.

Things have been refined since then, but you wouldn't necessarily expect a revolution in the automatic pedal. Yet that's exactly what Ekoï has done 40 years on, with the PW8 shoe pedal combination, which offers several advantages over the classic automatic pedal.

Interview with Jean-Christophe Rattel, founder and CEO of the Ekoï brand.

What makes the PW8 shoe-pedal combination different? - light weight, efficiency and aerodynamics

The PW8 pedal-shoe combination was developed in collaboration with Philippe Gilbert on the basis of a patent purchased 3 years ago (at the time Gilbert was still active as a rider and sponsored by Ekoï). So it took 3 years to develop a product that combines:

• lightness: with its titanium axle, the pedal is, according to Jean-Christophe Rattel, the lightest pedal on the market
• efficiency: with a large contact surface, the transmission of force between the foot and the pedal is greatly optimized, both when pushing off and when pulling on the pedal; in addition, this larger contact surface provides greater stability
• aerodynamics: thanks to the proximity of the foot to the axle (only 8 mm separates the sole from the axle), the pedal/shoe combination is not only more aerodynamic, but also more efficient

Tested over the past year by riders from the Burgos-BH (pro continental) and Nice Métropôle Côte d'Azur (continental) teams, as well as by a number of Ekoï employees, the pedal-shoe combination has been shown to save between 5 and 8W. So, less weight and a gain in power, all the ingredients are there for the big teams to seize upon, and in particular the 4 teams sponsored by Ekoï on the Tour de France. They will naturally be the first to have access to this pedal and shoe combination, knowing that other manufacturers will eventually be able to offer shoes compatible with this pedal since it is marketed under its own brand, PW8, probably without Ekoï exclusivity. The name comes from the reduced distance between the shoe and the axle (8 mm), and perhaps also from the pedal's figure-8 shape.

At Ekoï, the PW8 shoe-pedal should become available at the start of the following season, in January/February 2025, and if the teams buy into the concept, it's quite possible we'll see it appear on the Tour de France 2025!

Interview with Jean-Christophe Rattel, CEO of Ekoï

Jean-Christophe Rattel, CEO of Ekoï, believed in the concept when he bought the patent for it 3 years ago, so he's well placed to present the product:Do you prefer to watch the original interview in French? Click here to do so!

door Thomas Vergouwen
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this publication is published in: Marketing | Tour de France 2025

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