Better Pedals for Mirage Drive

I was wondering if anyone has attempted to change out the pedals of the Mirage Drive to utilize a more stable pedal design similar to the pedals you use on a standard Road Bicycle. I find the pedals on the Mirage drive to be somewhat loose and uncomfortable. I think a road shoe and pedal would be more effecient and put less strain on the tops of your feet.
Any thoughts are welcome

Yes, it's been done, cleats, or Clipless pedals as you Yanks call them can be fitted.
There is an article with photos I saw somewhere on this site awhile ago.
Cleated bike shoes and pedals are not cheap and your pricey bike shoes will eventually get trashed by so much exposure to water.
An inexpensive MTB or Skateboard shoe that has a rigid flat sole so your foot does not fatigue by "bending" over the pedal and distributes the load evenly over your foot may be worth trying first.

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Fair Skies, Max.

Anybody know where this site with pics is located?

The Mirage Drive used to use billet aluminum crank arms with left and right threaded bicycle type pedals. I have them on my old Drive.

They are no longer listed, but I'm fairly certain the factory still has a few left. The old part numbers for these cranks were 81100 (left) and 81105 (right). New # for the left is 81220001 and I don't know the other #. These will add about a pound to the Drive but should fit current Drives (they might need a small amount of beveling at the bottom tips with a file to fit the newest drums).

Pedals are not included; you would supply your own bicycle pedals to suit. Have your dealer call Hobie to verify availability and pricing. If your dealer tells you they are no longer available, have him call anyway.

If you go with the clipless pedals and shoes, remember they take up a little extra space so make sure your not already using the #7 hole!

This is not the greatest picture, but shows the old style left crank and pedal shaft on the left, more recent design on the right:


Regarding your current pedals, you can remove any lateral slop (if any) by removing the plastic end-cap and adjusting the 7/16" (or 3/8") nut.

That is why I'm never giving up my 3 older drives using those old style arms. I replaced my pedals with pretty nifty ones like used on sandcruiser bikes. They are cheap and are 2 sided (no worries about pedal being in the wrong direction) and easily replaced.

The arms themselves will never wear out. I will eventually need new spine and drums and stuff but hope to keep those arms.

I got rid of the strap (over the foot) and cut off the outside strap hook, because I got tired of it hanging up on the ropes and fishing lines. This made them much more user friendly, for this user anyway.