Pro pedal

Mightymart
Mightymart Posts: 25
edited October 2008 in MTB beginners
What is pro pedal ? I believe its meant to help you pedal easier ?
I currently own a GT i drive which is suppose to help pedaling on a full suspension bike but my rear shox could need a service & read you can add pro pedal ,My shox is a fox float can it be added to this shock ?
Would I benafit from this upgrade even though I have an i drive ?
GT idrive 5 4.0, GT Aggressor(s) XC3 (x2), GT Karakoram 1991

Comments

  • Spider987
    Spider987 Posts: 189
    I drive works by converting the force pushed down onto the bike to help it move foward.
    So really you could just jump up and down in the bike and it would move without pedalling.
    I have never heard of pro pedal but shall have a look into it now. I think though it will just be a way for other companies to use tech like GT but is slightly diffrent.
  • BOYDIE
    BOYDIE Posts: 528
    Pro pedal is a platform damping adjustment, which is used in fox Rear shocks,to compensate for or stop/cut down pedal bob. :D
  • It works exceptionally well in my opinion.
  • I does work well on a lot of setups but not so sure you would see the benefits on an I-drive because bob elimination is what the I-drive design is trying to deal with at the same time.
    Would only get it in your case if you are finding bobbing a problem.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Idrive is a suspension design that minimizes pedal kickback associated with the high main pivot placement. It works by hanging the bottom bracket shell off the swing arm, then attatching it to the main frame via short link. The upshot is that the BB shell moves down and back slightly (and rotates) as the wheel moves, lessening chain extension and thus the chain tugging back at the cranks. This translates ino a smoother pedalling bike over bumpy terrain.

    It doesn't particularly stop the shock bobbing though, though it works better than some systems. Pro pedal adds low speed compression damping to stop the shock activating under pedalling acceleration.
  • Thicko alert but what exactly is "bobbing"?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    When pedalling, activating the rear (or front) shock from your input. Wastes energy, and can give a disconcerting feel to the ride.
  • It seems that Pro Pedal is more useful on some bikes than others. For example the Orange 5, has a single pivot, thus no mechanical way to reduce pedal bob. The use of platform damping provides a method to reduce pedal bob (and by all accounts an effective one).
    On the other hand some suspension systems are designed to mechanically reduce pedal bob, by altering the path of the rear axle throughout the travel. A prime example of this is the FSR system by Specialized. This uses a 4 bar Horst Linkage, which gives the wheel an 'S' shaped path.

    I find on my Pitch that Pro Pedal does very little to the feel of the bike as it doesn't bob much as it is.
    If you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
  • realnumber 1
    realnumber 1 Posts: 675
    edited October 2008
    posted in the wrong thread (bloody phone!)
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    The Orange does have a way to reduce bob (in certain gears) - the pivot position provides anti squat (basically the suspension extension when pedaling) which counteracts the tendancy of the sytem to compress when accelerating due to rearward mass movement. Lower pivot positions (ie closer to the BB) provide less anti squat, but more bob, but less pedal feedback through the travel. These bikes are more reliant on platform shocks. Even 4 bars need them depending on the axle path.

    Specialized advertise a vertical axle path on may of their bikes. What is best depends on what the designer feels is the best compromise. DW has a very good page on this: rather than saying silly things like 100% efficient, no bob, totally neutral, no braking influence, no pedal feedback (all together is impossible on any bike), he takes what he feels is the best tradeoffs, and shows how it is done).
  • Hi guys

    dumbass Q but i've got a Trek fuel 8 and i'm not sure which way is pro pedal and which way is normal off road use. the bikes brand new, however I dont have any literature on the fox kit on the bike. Not sure if Evans forgot it in the bike pack or not... the shock is an RP2 your advice would be gratefully received.

    cheers :oops:
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    The Fox site has downloadable manuals and guides.
  • supersonic wrote:
    The Fox site has downloadable manuals and guides.

    I knew they probably did - but being a complete dork I can't find the web site... when i put in fox it came up with the film website... :roll:
  • cheers fella's :)