Reliably increasing q-factor on road bike

[Stainomo]

When i first started cycling i had some issues finding shoes. Good luck with US16 sized feet which are kind of wide, right now i am using Lake CX201 which only fit because they have this flexible mesh in front, other Lakes shoes size 50 do not fit. (Have not tried the new size 52 CX238)

Eventually got that sorted but i noticed that if i cycled long time (100km+) or with a lot of climbing (2k+) i experienced pressure on the outside of my feet. For this reason i first tried the +4mm Ultegra pedals which did help me but only postponed the problem. Decided to go for the bikefit and ended up with customized insoles (premade insoles like the G8's are too small) and the 65mm speedplays which really helped me. Hope i can now swap to Keywin and find a more reliable alternative.

And yes 285lbs can be an issue, I have had Fizik Antares R3 saddles break. Fizik keeps telling me there is no limit and every time they have been replaced, swapped to the R7 version which a lower quality plastic body but that version does work for me. Currently running a set of cheap gravel wheels, DT Swiss G540 rims and Shimano disc hubs and a set of overbuilt LightBicycle WR65 + Hope Pro 5 wheels, 32/32 spoke and the rims are their reinforced version which they rate for tandem use. Both sets are still straight and true as day 1. I could/should work on my body weight but doubt i will ever consistently get below 220lbs and even 220lbs or 100kg is a lot for most cycling equipement.

[David in Maine]

Has anyone tried the SQlab SPD-clone pedals with extended axle lengths? Good quality? I also prefer a wider Q but enjoy walkable shoes on Brevets and might consider these.
https://sqlab-usa.com/collections/pe...lipless-pedals

David

[rothwem]

I'd give the mountain bike cranks a try.

I've done it before with a road bike power2max power meter spider, it worked perfect, no issues at all. I ended up not needing the wider q-factor, so I swapped the cranks off of the bike, but if you need the wider stance, that's the way to do it. You can barely tell that they're mountain cranks.

[thekenoshakid]

The older SRAM 3-bolt spiders will let you do the same in mixing MTB crank arms with road spider and rings if you don’t want to go the power meter route, I believe. I went the other way round, using sram road arms with an XO spider to get a 42/28 double for touring. So the reverse should do in theory.

[Dadoflam]

Originally Posted by benb

I’ve been on the +4mm Shimano for a while and they are typical Shimano reliability.

I just got fitted for a new bike - the recommendation was to widen my stance.

I'm no lightweight - around 105kg.

I'm, a Campagnolo driver with most of my 20+ bikes (most are fair weather collectibles) fitted with Look Keo's.

Two options -

Find cranks with a wider q dimension
Fit wider pedals

Look used to make a pedal axle extension but soon disappeared - presumably due to issues.

Wasn't going to replace all my cranks.

I ultimately had to (cough) fit the wider Shimano Dura Ace pedals - they have the benefit of being very strong and not expensive.

[Stainomo]

I finally received my Keywin pedals after they were stuck at customs for nearly three weeks. The design isn’t as complex as Look/Shimano/Speedplay pedals, but they do seem sturdy. I set them up this morning with the appropriate shims and just returned from my first 50 km ride. They definitely feel more stable than any other pedal system I’ve used. I’ll need to experiment a bit with my left cleat setup and float; it behaves differently from Look/Shimano, where you have to adjust the cleat, or Speedplay, which uses limit screws.

Also, in the meantime, I’ve lost a few kilograms. Every little bit helps!

Overall, I’m very positive about the Keywin pedals. Thanks for the recommendation, BdaGhisallo!

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by Stainomo

I finally received my Keywin pedals after they were stuck at customs for nearly three weeks. The design isn’t as complex as Look/Shimano/Speedplay pedals, but they do seem sturdy. I set them up this morning with the appropriate shims and just returned from my first 50 km ride. They definitely feel more stable than any other pedal system I’ve used. I’ll need to experiment a bit with my left cleat setup and float; it behaves differently from Look/Shimano, where you have to adjust the cleat, or Speedplay, which uses limit screws.

Also, in the meantime, I’ve lost a few kilograms. Every little bit helps!

Overall, I’m very positive about the Keywin pedals. Thanks for the recommendation, BdaGhisallo!

What axle length did you get?

[htwoopup]

The busted Speedplays must be a Wahoo issue. I have been using Speedplays for years with 65mm spindles and never broken one. Zeroes and Paves. But they are the original Speedplays. None are since Wahoo. As you said you can sometimes find the OG ones and sometimes nib original spindles (although I hear the Chinese aftermarket spindles are good) on the Bay. I remember I found some from a seller in San Diego who has a good stash of them. If I can find his info I will DM you.

As to the SQ Lab pedals, I have a set on my Firefly which I use on gravel and I like them and have no issues with them, but then again I only have about 2700 miles on them.

[Stainomo]

Originally Posted by BdaGhisallo

What axle length did you get?

The 65mm , took a few kilometer to get used to the wider Q-factor but after an hour it once again felt natural!

[Alan]

See link to new Time pedals w 3 axle lengths

https://www.sram.com/en/time-sport/models/pd-xpro-10-b1

All of Xpro pedals have this which is great. They also have a decent explanation of this at:

https://www.sram.com/en/time-sport/learn/time-pedalfit

I should have waited for these as I am a Time pedal fan but switched to Shimano long axle Ultegra

Alan

[ridethecliche]

Don't gravel cranks like GRX also have a wider q factor than typical road cranks?

If part of the issue is the lever length of the pedal axle, then a mix and match of things could be a good option!

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

Don't gravel cranks like GRX also have a wider q factor than typical road cranks?

If part of the issue is the lever length of the pedal axle, then a mix and match of things could be a good option!

They’re only about 5mm wider, same as sram wide which is 5mm wider

Some other road cranks have wider q at pedals but not that much wider than stock Sram / shimano offsrjnga

If the OP is willing to do a 1x setup then the suggestion of mtb cranks is a good one. I even have an XX1 mtb crank with a 2x axs setup and it’s mostly ok, some rubbing at the extreme cross chain angles but otherwise runs fine. I know I’m losing efficiency but I’m not using this bike for racing

[weiwentg]

It seems like nobody's mentioned this yet, but a few third party cranks have pretty wide Qs. eeWings report 160mm for their all-road cranks. The White Industries R30 road crank is 158.5mm, and their gravel cranks are a bit wider. Rotor's ALDHU has an option for a longer spindle that gets you 152.5mm Q-factor. Maybe these are worth consideration for some, although they all tend to be pricey.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by weiwentg

It seems like nobody's mentioned this yet, but a few third party cranks have pretty wide Qs. eeWings report 160mm for their all-road cranks. The White Industries R30 road crank is 158.5mm, and their gravel cranks are a bit wider. Rotor's ALDHU has an option for a longer spindle that gets you 152.5mm Q-factor. Maybe these are worth consideration for some, although they all tend to be pricey.

What are the chainline numbers for these wide Q cranks, I wonder?

[weiwentg]

White Industries reports 45mm when set up as 2x. For eeWings, I think they're saying it should be 46mm, with options to reduce it to 44mm or extend it out to 47mm, with the user responsible for ensuring enough frame clearance.

Rotor is basically Shimano chainline in a 2x with the standard spindle.