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ZENsystem Slip wedge claims to “improve your cycling performance by 5%”

Kickstarter campaign launched for design that’s claimed to increase your cadence and power immediately

Italy’s Skopre has launched a Kickstarter campaign for an updated version of its ZENsystem Slip – a wedge that sits between your shoe and pedal cleat – that it says boosts your cadence and immediately “improves your cycling performance by 5%”.

Let’s say right away that we’ve not seen or used this product and we’re not endorsing it, we’re just reporting the claims. And we're sceptical, to say the least.

“ZENsystem Slip are special wedged-shaped inserts positioned between the road cycling shoe sole and the cleat, resulting in a real power boost, with no additional effort,” says Skopre.

Extra power at no cost? That’s quite a claim! Who wouldn’t want that?

Patent granted for chainset that “improves cycling efficiency by more than 4%” 

“There’s a place in your pedalling cycle where the smoothness of the foot’s rotational motion has been lost," says Skopre. "This is called the dead spot. ZENsystem Slip changes the direction of the vectorial push of the pedal stroke near the lower dead spot through the inclination of the pedal plane, providing a faster transition and therefore boosting your cadence.

Skopre says that the wedge – the thick end of which is positioned towards the toe-end of your shoe – results in the metatarsal heads being “optimally positioned for a fluid cadence”. It doesn't talk about the effect the wedge has at the top of the pedal stroke.

ZENsystem Slip cadence booster - 3

“Let’s say that in a two-hour training session averaging 85 revolutions per minute (RPM) you’ll do about 10,200 strokes," says Skopre. "A few degrees of additional inclination of the pedal plane enables you to earn 5 to 7RPM which, over time, results in a 5% increased performance, especially uphill.

“This translates into 800 additional [pedal revolutions in two hours], gaining you about 30 seconds every 10 minutes.”

Before anyone points it out, Skopre means that it takes 30 seconds less to cycle the same distance (not that the inserts somehow manage to distort time).

Okay, there’s quite a lot to take in there. It’s far easier to check out the animation on ZENsystem Slip’s Kickstarter page to get an idea of the argument.

Skopre’s reasoning is that because power equals force multiplied by velocity (which in a cycling context is your cadence), increasing your cadence (all other things remaining the same) will increase your power.

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Of course, even if the ZENsystem Slip design does increase your cadence, turning your legs faster doesn’t necessarily mean greater efficiency. There could be a physiological cost in doing that – you could be working harder to achieve that increased cadence – but Skopre says that isn’t the case here.

The inventors say that the previous version of ZENsystem Slip was tested by Mauro Testa (a fabulous surname for someone involved in research), of Biomoove Lab, based in Almese, Italy. 

Two subjects were set on a cycle simulator equipped with a crank-based power meter and were asked to keep a cadence around 80RPM.

“Pedalling power increased up to 4.25%, a huge boost in terms of performance,” says Skopre. “With ZENsystem Slip the subjects have passed from an average power of 185.2W to 193.4W with no additional effort.”

That’s a difference of 8.2 watts which is really a 4.43% increase (get more details here). 

You might well want an investigation involving more than two subjects before you’re convinced, along with more details of the method of power measurement too, but we don’t currently have either.

Skopre says that this research relates to flat terrain and that “when ZENsystem SLIP is used on a steep uphill the increased power is much more”, but doesn't offer any data to back up that claim.

It also says, “The new version of the product was developed and improved thanks to tests and pro athletes' feedback for a higher comfort and power boost and it reaches an increase of 5%.”

That's a massive claim. A 5% power increase is an astonishing difference. If true, everyone with the vaguest interest in riding faster would want a piece of the action.

ZENsystem Slip cadence booster - 2

The ZENsystem Slip itself is a plastic polymer (PA66) wedge that sits between your shoe and pedal cleat and weighs less than 25g. It is said to be compatible with most road pedals and installation requires no additional accessories. Two sizes are available to suit different shoes.

“The Plus version enables… an even greater boost for cyclists with foot size bigger than 43 EU.”

The ZENsystem Slip Kickstarter campaign is live now. You need to pledge €18 (about £16) or more to take advantage of the Super Early Bird offer to be inline for a pair of ZENsystem Slip wedges, or €20 (around £17) for ZENsystem Slip Plus wedges. As usual, this isn’t the same as buying through a shop and no money will be taken unless the project achieves its funding goal. Find all the Kickstarter rules here. Delivery is expected in January 2022. 

You can get more info from Skopre’s website

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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42 comments

Avatar
Posh | 2 years ago
0 likes

Not sure about wedge or spring loaded cranks but I do find that an oval chainring (small ring) makes climbing more comfortable.

Avatar
srchar | 2 years ago
4 likes

Using a wedge to control the angle of something that sits on a freely rotating spindle is... well, it's stupid isn't it?

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bobrayner | 2 years ago
2 likes

I'm getting these wedges, to go with my fancy chain wax (adds 4 watts), comically oversized jockey wheel (adds 6 watts), short-nosed saddle (+7 watts), aero helmet (+8 watts), laser-cut jersey (+4 watts), and a saddlebag so tiny that I can't add in a Mars bar unless I forgo the CO2 (that's +3 watts but you already gain so much free speed by leaving the hand pump at home).

Eventually I'll be able to get Strava PRs without even making an effort! Just think what that'll do for my training.

Avatar
Captain Badger | 2 years ago
4 likes

AS far as I can see this does nothing for your foot position, just changes the angle of the pedal underneath the foot. Force goes directly through the spindle as before. There may be some apparent change in the position of the ball of the foot in relation to the spindle in the forward-aft direction, but that is just as easily achieved by adjusting the position of your cleat.

So what this actually is is advertising to get us to buy more plastic shit for no reason in the middle of an environmental crisis.....

Fack me.....

Avatar
mike the bike | 2 years ago
10 likes

Just what I needed; something to raise my achievements from the lower end of piss-poor to the middle reaches of awful.

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yupiteru | 2 years ago
1 like

If they can make a few bucks from gullible people, good luck to them.

The cycle industry has been full of this sort of money making thing for generations and is no different to disk brakes on road bikes, polyurethane inner tubes, 'L' shaped cranks, Hobson Easy Seat, Slingshot bikes, Kirk Precision magnesium frames etc etc

There truly is one born every minute.

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anke replied to yupiteru | 2 years ago
4 likes

I love how you mention L-cranks and disk breaks in one sentence...

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to yupiteru | 2 years ago
2 likes

yupiteru wrote:

If they can make a few bucks from gullible people, good luck to them.

The cycle industry has been full of this sort of money making thing for generations and is no different to disk brakes on road bikes, polyurethane inner tubes, 'L' shaped cranks, Hobson Easy Seat, Slingshot bikes, Kirk Precision magnesium frames etc etc

There truly is one born every minute.

disk brakes on road bikes have no benefit, but disc brakes on cars, mountain bikes and motorbikes are ok, because in that application they are more effective than alternatives?

Makes you wonder why all those other forms of transport didn't just copy road bike  rim brakes.

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to yupiteru | 2 years ago
3 likes

yupiteru wrote:

If they can make a few bucks from gullible people, good luck to them.

The cycle industry has been full of this sort of money making thing for generations and is no different to disk brakes on road bikes, polyurethane inner tubes, 'L' shaped cranks, Hobson Easy Seat, Slingshot bikes, Kirk Precision magnesium frames etc etc

But your random assortment of examples is pretty poor.  L shaped cranks were snake oil but most of the rest  had an element of interest. Disc brakes, PTU inner tubes have provable benefits.  The Kirk was an interesting experiment in cast magnesium frames.  Slingshots had a WTF factor.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
2 likes

Secret_squirrel wrote:

yupiteru wrote:

If they can make a few bucks from gullible people, good luck to them.

The cycle industry has been full of this sort of money making thing for generations and is no different to disk brakes on road bikes, polyurethane inner tubes, 'L' shaped cranks, Hobson Easy Seat, Slingshot bikes, Kirk Precision magnesium frames etc etc

But your random assortment of examples is pretty poor.  L shaped cranks were snake oil but most of the rest  had an element of interest. Disc brakes, PTU inner tubes have provable benefits.  The Kirk was an interesting experiment in cast magnesium frames.  Slingshots had a WTF factor.

I'd never seen the Kirk frame. I think it looks awesome

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
1 like
Avatar
Dhill replied to yupiteru | 2 years ago
0 likes

yupiteru wrote:

If they can make a few bucks from gullible people, good luck to them.

The cycle industry has been full of this sort of money making thing for generations and is no different to disk brakes on road bikes, polyurethane inner tubes, 'L' shaped cranks, Hobson Easy Seat, Slingshot bikes, Kirk Precision magnesium frames etc etc

There truly is one born every minute.

Brill, should have mentioned wearing helmets is a good thing, that really would have caused fireworks what with slagging off disc breaks.

Avatar
iandusud | 2 years ago
1 like

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Ride On | 2 years ago
5 likes

Err, pedals twist right so the rider chooses what angle to have their foot on the pedal, heel down or toe down or something in between.

SO the purpose of the wedge is....?

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TriTaxMan | 2 years ago
1 like

Lets go and buy this miraculous snake oil.

It's the same as all of these parts you can buy for your car that are supposed to increase either performance and fuel economy..... most claim an increase of between 5 and 10%...... and I watched one of the motoring programs test the claims of these products...... and not one of them resulted in either increased performance or increased fuel economy.

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andystow replied to TriTaxMan | 2 years ago
1 like

TriTaxMan wrote:

Lets go and buy this miraculous snake oil.

It's the same as all of these parts you can buy for your car that are supposed to increase either performance and fuel economy..... most claim an increase of between 5 and 10%...... and I watched one of the motoring programs test the claims of these products...... and not one of them resulted in either increased performance or increased fuel economy.

No magnets here, though.

Avatar
Freddy56 | 2 years ago
18 likes

Are they compatable with oversize jockey wheels? 'cause I dont know which one not to buy first

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squired | 2 years ago
2 likes

This time next year we will all be looking back at the comments on this article, reflecting on the fact that Mark Cavendish just won the Tour de France, including twelve stage wins, thanks to riding with Zensystem. Pogacar and Roglic wouldn't stand a chance...!

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Shake | 2 years ago
1 like

Maybe the woman would be able to keep up if she stopped un-clipping her helmet

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Gkam84 replied to Shake | 2 years ago
0 likes

Shake wrote:

Maybe the woman would be able to keep up if she stopped un-clipping her helmet

Don't even get me started on the rider. I've worked with her across road and MTB endurance events, she's a bit of a diva and prefers the camera lens vs the startline angry Her name isn't Lisa and she doesn't have a twin. It's Elena Novikova

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mdavidford replied to Gkam84 | 2 years ago
0 likes

Gkam84 wrote:

Shake wrote:

Maybe the woman would be able to keep up if she stopped un-clipping her helmet

Don't even get me started on the rider. I've worked with her across road and MTB endurance events, she's a bit of a diva and prefers the camera lens vs the startline angry Her name isn't Lisa and she doesn't have a twin. It's Elena Novikova

That's also not Stefano Doldi, Founder and CEO - it's the twelfth Doctor.

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Steve K | 2 years ago
18 likes

Is there going to be an SPD version?  So I can not buy that one as well.

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eburtthebike | 2 years ago
6 likes

Yet another in the long, inglorious list of products guaranteed to give you free energy, and I'm sure it will be just as successful.  If anyone is going to invest in this, I have a very good deal going for my perpetual motion machine.

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Welsh boy | 2 years ago
1 like

What's that strange smell?  Oh yes, it is the smell of BS.

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pavlo | 2 years ago
9 likes

It's a stack height adjuster, no more.

There is no "angle of the foot" to worry about when it's attached to something that freely pivots. As someone said, L Shaped cranks for 2021, this is the "L shaped high stack cleat".

Crazy idea people, please stop.

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henryb replied to pavlo | 2 years ago
2 likes

pavlo wrote:

when it's attached to something that freely pivots

Exactly - all this will do is change the angle of your pedals

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EddyBerckx | 2 years ago
1 like

Wonder how many injuries are gonna be caused by this...physios and bike fitters will love it!!

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tashlin | 2 years ago
1 like

The 'dead spot' on their diagram seems to be the entire downward pedal stroke!

I can see how changing the natural angle of the pedal/force at the lowest part of the downstroke could help maintain power there.... but surely this also changes the effective foot/pedal angle in all other parts of the stroke too (including the part where most people are applying maximum power and you would want the foot and pedal to be parallel and at 90 degrees to the cranks)?!

Even if this product does have benefits for some people, I can't imagine you need 'cutting edge polymers' - any stiff wedge of plastic would surely be good enough?!

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to tashlin | 2 years ago
1 like

I came here to say the same.  By definition if a fixed angle is optimsed at one part of the stroke its going to be unoptimised at other places.  And if you must have an unoptimsed place (and you do because of the design of the human leg and foot) the dead zone is the best place for it anyway.

Witchcraft and Bullshit.

Avatar
Sevenfold | 2 years ago
14 likes

I think this is then thin end of the wedge...

I'll get my coat

 

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