Morning All
Got a response on the outboard bearings from California overnight.
The bearing issues on the old Point 1’s weren’t really due to the size of the bearings, it was down to contamination, the actual body of the pedal wasn’t hugely well sealed and when dirt got in there the unshielded bearings inside tended to eat themselves in relative short order.
Point 1 pedals that didn’t get contaminated often lasted for years, by spreading the load over three outboard bearings the smaller bearings were able to handle the forces just fine so long as they were kept clean.
To improve matters the new Gamut versions have a purpose-made outboard seal on the pedal body as opposed to the old ‘bolt and O-ring’ arrangement Point 1 used. Sillyold man is also correct in that as a second line of defense the outboard bearings now have their own seals as well (see the difference between the old Point 1 and new Gamut bearings in the pictures you posted).
As with all things it’s a compromise, we could use bigger outboard bearings but then the pedal would either have to be notably thicker and heavier or have a bulge in the middle of the platform which would feel horrible.
The other option would have been go down to use an outboard bushing, which would be cheaper but they have their own issues and are certainly no better at handling contamination.
So, whilst bearing life is a tricky subject as the same product can last for years under one rider and mere months under another, we feel that we have managed to meliorate the bearing issue as far as practically possible whilst preserving what made the Podium so good in the first place, i.e. thinness, feel, grip and low weight.
If the worst comes to the worst, our bearing kits are just £14.99 and thanks to Madison they’re available from pretty much any bike shop in the U.K.