iSSi Road

These iSSi Road pedals offer a great alternative to the more established brands, competing on price as well as build quality. A carbon composite body, stainless steel fixtures and a neat split-cleat construction makes them an interesting choice.

Most people have a preferred pedal choice and stick with it; I know I certainly do, riding Shimano's 5800 SPD-SLs on the majority of bikes.

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The iSSis are actually very similar to those, being based around a carbon composite body to reduce weight while maintaining stiffness. At this price point we see many other pedals still using aluminium. Another place where aluminium is often found is the wear plate on top of the pedal body itself, where the centre of the cleat comes into contact; iSSi has gone for stainless steel, which will stand up to a little bit more wear and tear, although the anodised coating wears off pretty quickly from twisting your shoes sideways. It's not a major durability issue but just leaves the pedals quite scruffy looking early on.

When it comes to their performance, I wasn't that impressed with the actual engagement of cleat to pedal; there was no 'snap' or definitive click to let you know you were really attached. Pulling away from traffic lights and the like, I'd be giving my feet a little tug upwards on the first pedal strokes to make sure I was clipped in. Playing around with spring tension, by way of the small adjustment screw, did little to change this.

I did like the platform size of the iSSis, though. It's bigger than the Look Keos, which I mention because that is the shape of cleat the iSSis use. I've used Keos in the past and not really got on with the smaller pedals for power transfer, and I'd suffer hot spots on my soles. No such issues with these.

On the subject of cleats, the Issi ones are quite clever. They come in two pieces, so when it comes to replacing them – which, looking at them, won't be too often as they're wearing well – you can replace a section at a time, meaning your position remains spot on. They come in 0, 4.5 or 7-degree float options, so you choose what you like to keep your knees happy, 7 degrees being the default.

Other than that, the bearings run very smoothly, and once you definitely know you're clipped in, the actual performance in terms of laying the power down is very comfortable and impressive.

> Check out our guide to the best clipless pedals

Overall, there is a lot to like about the iSSi Roads, even if there are a few things that take the shine off, like that engagement and the scuffing from early on. Being about 15 quid cheaper than the Shimano 5800s, the iSSis look good from a cost to performance view, plus the cleats look as though they'll last a lot longer than Shimano's offerings.

That said, I don't know whether I'd actually switch to the iSSis, purely down to that engagement issue. If you're not so bothered, they're definitely worth a look – for me they're easily the best-performing Keo cleat-using system thanks to the larger platform, which makes them feel more secure and solid than Look's own Keos or the Garmin Vectors I've used in the past.

Verdict

Competitively priced pedals that offer a solid platform but lack a snappy click