It's fair to say that OnZa's High Output pedal set borrows from John Grafton's clipless pedal concept, and Eric Sampson's original clipless pedal licensed to SR which used an elastomer cleat retention. The High Output pedal is made in Taiwan, the factory accomplishing the work for them Fasten Chiang. The High Output clipless system does not rely on a mechanical spring retention system, but on replaceable elastomer springs of different densities which obligate more or less force to effect the cleat release. The High Output has a one piece forged aluminum body and cage. Post-forging, the body piece is machined to make a precise hollow for the spindle and bearing assembly, and the interior of the outer end is tapped with threads for an aluminum dust cap. The cap has a 6mm hex recess to make removal and insertion easier, and an O-ring to seal the bearing cavity. Bolted perpendicular to the spindle at the center on each side of the body is a steel cleat cradle. Its four upward arms guide the cleat as it seats. Inside the cage area of the pedal is the elastomer retention material. Two bolts pass through the front of the pedal cage, through the elastomer pad, then through a larger steel and finally thread into a second steel plate. When the bolts are tightened, the small inner steel plate is drawn up and compresses the elastomer making it more dense. The larger plate has a small rectangle cut out of it at each end. The rear of the cleat fits into the rear square hole. Downward pressure forces added compression of the elastomer and steel retainer away from the cleat until the cleat drops and sets into the front retainer. The more the two screws are tightened, the more pre-compression there is on the elastomer and the less effort is needed to effect release. Each High Output pedal requires two of the elastomer springs. Each HO pedal set comes with four springs of 4 different densities or hardnesses, 16 pieces in all. Clear has an A/58 hardness, Grey an A/71, Blue is A/79 and Black is A/91. The higher the Durometric hardness number, the more difficult it is to effect release. The spindle is nicely machined from stainless steel rod. With two polished bearing contact points, the spindle is the same dimensional size and employs exactly the same bearings as the Titan Ti pedal we first saw in 1991. The inner "bearing" is actually a tight tolerance, copper clad steel bushing with a 6mm wide surface contact with the spindle. The outer bearing, carrying the non-drive side weight, is a Japanese NSK 686Z sealed bearing cartridge. The inner bearing is sealed against exterior contamination by a tight fitting rubber seal.
The spindle is held in the pedal by a 5mm x .8mm nut that shoulders against the outer side of the cartridge bearing. The nut bearing/assembly is closed from the outside by an aluminum spindle cap that threads tightly 1/4" into the pedal body. The steel cleats rely on the Shimano SPD drilling. Each cleat has four points of contact, only two of which are used at one time. The cleat has 6 degrees of rotation when one set of points is the pedal and 10 degrees when the other set is used. Though the High Output pedals were intended to be made in Black and a color that OnZa was trying to promote, "Way Gray", we've seen them only in Black. A pair of Stainless Steel spindled H.O. pedals weighs 356 grams, the cleats and mounting hardware weigh an added 71 grams.
OnZa H.O. Stainless in Black $ Price in Catalog
OnZa has a second version of the High Output pedals with the only change made in the spindles, which are made of Titanium instead of Stainless. A pair of Titanium spindled H.O. pedals weighs 292.5 grams, the cleats and mounting hardware weigh an added 71 grams.
OnZa H.O. Titanium in Black $ Price in Catalog
This kit contains a complete set of the 16 elastomer pieces that come stock with a pair of High Output pedals. Included are 4 of each of the Black, Blue, Clear, and Grey. Clear has an A/58 hardness, Grey an A/71, Blue is A/79 and Black is A/91. The higher the Durometric hardness number, the more difficult it is to effect release. $ Price in Catalog
Two of the steel cleats and the necessary bolt set are included in this kit. $ Price in Catalog
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