With the ROAD2 pedals, Austrian brand Magped promise to offer the first viable alternative to clipless road bike pedals, relying on powerful magnets to replace the standard clipless mechanism. The ROAD2 has remained true to Magped’s basic design, looking like a refined version of the ROAD. We put them to the test to find out how they perform on the road.
Cycling, and especially road cycling, is a very tradition-conscious sport. We want products that have stood the test of time, knowing we can rely on them for thousands of kilometres. Especially with components as important as the pedals, you might ask why you should switch from proven clipless or flat pedals to a magnetic alternative. So what advantages do the Magped pedals offer, and are there any disadvantages? We put the Austrian brand’s ROAD2 pedals to the test in THE LAB to find out.
The ROAD2 come with everything you need to get started. In addition to the pedals, Magped include the corresponding steel plates for the shoes and various spacers to adjust the freedom of movement of your feet, or simply float. Excellent! That way the pedals can be adjusted to suit your preferences. In contrast, you’ll have to buy different cleats to adjust the float on SPD SL pedals from Shimano, for example.
The ROAD2 pedals themselves are pleasantly light thanks to a carbon body and titanium spindle. Our pair tipped the scales at 215 g, just 1g heavier than Magped’s claimed weight of 214 g. Besides being light, the choice of materials should provide optimal stiffness. The carbon and titanium materials serve several functions in this case: they make the pedals stiff and durable, and they compensate for the added weight of the magnets, steel plates, and screws. The complete system weight of the ROAD2 including the cleats and screws is 325 g, making them just a little heavier than the similarly priced Shimano DURA-ACE pedals, which come in at 306 g in total.
Carbon and titanium minimise the pedals’ weight.
The cleat consists of two parts, a steel plate and a plastic bracket. The steel plate attaches to the shoe via the standard three bolt pattern found on clipless road bike shoes. The plates are shaped to fit the soles of most road bike shoes, which they did in our case, more or less. Another four screws are used to attach the plastic bracket to the steel plate. The plastic bracket serves two purposes: the cutout aligns the magnet, ensuring that your feet always remain in the same place, and a tab at the front allows you to limit the float. Therefore, attaching the cleats to the shoes is somewhat more complex than with conventional clipless pedals. However, since the cleats showed minimal wear during our long-term review, you’ll very rarely have to do anything with them once they’re properly adjusted.
The steel plate is shaped to fit the contours of most shoes.
Easy going
The cleat protrudes about 10 mm from the sole of the shoe at the highest point, so it’s about as tall as a Shimano SPD SL cleat. Because the plastic bracket follows the contour of the steel plate and thus the sole of the shoe, this results in a more pleasant feeling when walking compared to other road bike cleats. So you’ll look a lot better than your friends waddling behind you on SPD SL cleats when making a stop at a cafe. We would have preferred the plastic plates to have a little more grip, but that would probably come at the cost of durability.
Since the plastic bracket follows the contour of the steel plate and thus the sole of the shoe, it makes walking comparatively comfortable.
Before hitting the road, you must adjust the height of the magnet on the pedals. This allows for a secure footing on the pedals and maximises the magnetic force of the magnets. Adjusting the magnet height is relatively quick with the help of two screws. Unfortunately, the force needed to unclick is not adjustable, though unclicking works really well. If you find that the pre-fitted spacers provide too much or too little float, you can swap them with one of the supplied alternatives. You get a total of three sets of spacers of different widths, and you can even make the float angle asymmetrical by combining two different spacers. With all that done, you’re ready to go!
The correct height setting is essential for maximising force of the magnet, and ensuring a secure footing.
When it clicks!
If you’re used to clipless pedals, you’ll find clicking into the ROAD2 pedals very easy, which is confirmed with a solid click as the pedal engages with the shoe. The connection between your feet and the pedals is clearly perceptible and comparable to other clipless systems. You can rotate your feet quite easily on the pedals within the set float range. For those of you who are new to clipless pedals, the easy freedom of movement can be quite pleasant, though this is entirely up to personal preference, of course.
Coming undone
To release your foot from the pedal, you must simply twist it away from the bike. Doing so requires little force and makes the panicked effort of getting a foot on the ground before you tip over a thing of the past. This removes the fear that beginners often associate with the use of clipless pedals, and prevents embarrassing situations and bruises.
However, the easy release also has disadvantages. Due to the lack of a mechanical connection, you can unclick by pulling up too hard on the pedal. Magped claim that the pedals have a magnetic force of 310 N. That’s roughly equivalent to picking up 31 kg with your foot. We never came unclicked unintentionally while riding, but we didn’t want to provoke a loss of control over our bike either. However, we were able to release the shoe from the pedal by simply pulling up on the indoor trainer. Unfortunately, that means that we can’t recommend the ROAD2 pedals for racing, because they just pose too much of a risk of crashing when putting in a hard effort.
Our conclusion on the Magped ROAD2
Thanks to high-quality materials and good workmanship, the Magped ROAD2 are quality pedals that will also appeal to ambitious riders thanks to their low weight. Thanks to the easy release process, allowing you to unclick your shoes by pulling in any direction, the ROAD2 is a good alternative for those who are new to clipless pedals and afraid they might fall over with conventional models.
Tops
- high-quality materials
- lightweight
- compact cleats
- easy unclicking
Flops
- can come loose when pulling up
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Words: Christoph Staudinger Photos: Antonia Feder
