Pedals - Look or SPD

Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.

I have just bought a road bike and now need some.

Thanks.

Andrew

 

If you want to look "important" Look. If you want to be practical, SPD.

 

andrew wrote:
> Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
>
> I have just bought a road bike and now need some.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Andrew

Andrew, this has just been discussed at some length on uk.rec.cycling. You might want to take a look
at it. Summarising, it seems that the following are the main considerations:

1. Look pedals are more comfortable because they're bigger and don't cause pressure points in
the shoes.

2. SPDs shoes are easier to walk in off the bike. Look shoes can be very slippy.

3. Pull-outs are less frequent on Look pedals.

Let's see what the others say!
--
Michael MacClancy

 

I went with SPD's so I can use the same shoes for my MTB and my road bike. Practical and they work
for me. Course, I can't sprint....

Cheers,

Scott..
--
Scott Anderson

"andrew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
>
> I have just bought a road bike and now need some.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Andrew

 

Another option: Speedplay Frogs. I think they're wonderful. No springs, no moving parts. They rotate
quite a bit ("float") without disengaging, so I find the Frogs more comfortable than SPD.

Frogs are sold as MTB pedals. But mine is a road bike and the new Frog II cleats fit SPD road shoes.
Speedplay also makes road pedals Zero and X Series, but I've not tried those. And haven't used Look
so I can't speak about them.

www.speedplay.com

"andrew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
>
> I have just bought a road bike and now need some.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Andrew

 

"Michael MacClancy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> andrew wrote:
> > Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
> >
> > I have just bought a road bike and now need some.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Andrew
>
>
> Andrew, this has just been discussed at some length on uk.rec.cycling.
You
> might want to take a look at it. Summarising, it seems that the following are the main
> considerations:
>
> 1. Look pedals are more comfortable because they're bigger and don't cause pressure points in the
> shoes.

Not an issue.

> 2. SPDs shoes are easier to walk in off the bike. Look shoes can be very slippy.
>
> 3. Pull-outs are less frequent on Look pedals.

Really!? I don't believe it.

> Let's see what the others say!

There's my $0.02

 

"Jeff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Another option: Speedplay Frogs. I think they're wonderful. No springs, no moving parts. They
> rotate quite a bit ("float") without disengaging, so I find the Frogs more comfortable than SPD.
>
> Frogs are sold as MTB pedals. But mine is a road bike and the new Frog II cleats fit SPD road
> shoes. Speedplay also makes road pedals Zero and X Series, but I've not tried those. And haven't
> used Look so I can't speak about them.

Great pedals but downside is bearings are more vulnerable (esp. inboard) and require frequent
service/lubrication (I recommend a greasing after a wet ride), including pedal/cleat interface that
requires "dry lube" and grease injector. Expensive cleats. For the money I'd get the Shimano 959's.

Robin Hubert

 

"andrew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
>
> I have just bought a road bike and now need some.

The biggest fact seems to be "walkability". Walking in Look cleats is nearly impossible. With SPDs,
you can get walkable shoes, with recessed cleats and rubber(ish) soles. You can also buy "road" SPD
shoes that are as unwalkable as Look equipped shoes. Another factor with SPD is that Shimano has an
"SPD-R" cleat (not interchangeable) for one line of road-only pedals. Standard SPD pedals use one of
two SPD cleats, "single-release" and "multi-release". The former are better if you worry about
pullouts, the latter, if you worry about getting out easily. Another fact to consider when getting
pedals is single vs. double-sided. Single-sided can be a bit of a nuisance (minor) in stop & go
conditions -- they can be really annoying on night rides.

 

I started out using SPD's and the were hard to get into and out of. I switched to looks (look
alike) and I love them. The difference in walking between SPD and look seemed minimal, they're
both slippery.

"andrew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
>
> I have just bought a road bike and now need some.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Andrew

 

Robin Hubert wrote:

>> 1. Look pedals are more comfortable because they're bigger and don't cause pressure points in the
>> shoes.
>
> Not an issue.

It is. I've used both systems with the same shoes. Look feels very different, and I don't get the
same discomfort I did from SPD's, despite using stiff carbon soled shoes.

>> 2. SPDs shoes are easier to walk in off the bike. Look shoes can be very slippy.
>>
>> 3. Pull-outs are less frequent on Look pedals.
>
> Really!? I don't believe it.

I do. I pulled out a few times with SPD, never with Looks.

>> Let's see what the others say!
>
> There's my $0.02

There's my 2p.

~PB

 

S. Anderson wrote:
> Course, I can't sprint....

Whys that then?

--

-Alex

----------------------------------
[email protected]

http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/cycling/ http://www.westerleycycling.org.uk
----------------------------------

 

I'm not sure..weak, pathetic geezer I suspect. Whenever I ride with a friend of mine who has real
talent, he beats me like a rented mule. Maybe I'm a slow-twitch muscle guy or something...

Cheers!

Scott..
--
Scott Anderson

"Alex Graham" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> S. Anderson wrote:
> > Course, I can't sprint....
>
> Whys that then?
>
> --
>
> -Alex
>
> ----------------------------------
> [email protected]
>
> http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/cycling/ http://www.westerleycycling.org.uk
> ----------------------------------

 

"Pete Biggs" <pLime{remove_fruit}@biggs.tc> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Robin Hubert wrote:
>
> >> 1. Look pedals are more comfortable because they're bigger and don't cause pressure points in
> >> the shoes.
> >
> > Not an issue.
>
> It is. I've used both systems with the same shoes. Look feels very different, and I don't get the
> same discomfort I did from SPD's, despite using stiff carbon soled shoes.

Ok, admittedly, I've never used Looks, but I used to use Speedplay X pedals and concurrently used
Frogs. I couldn't tell the difference then. That with SIDI shoes (Genius and Dominators). Maybe I'm
not very perceptive, or my feet or tough, or numb. Now I've switched completely to Shimano SPD's
(959's to be exact) and I haven't noticed a problem, let alone a difference in comfort, long or
short haul.

> >> 2. SPDs shoes are easier to walk in off the bike. Look shoes can be very slippy.
> >>
> >> 3. Pull-outs are less frequent on Look pedals.
> >
> > Really!? I don't believe it.
>
> I do. I pulled out a few times with SPD, never with Looks.

You can jack up the tension on the 959's so much that I'm confident you'll never pull out
by accident.

> >> Let's see what the others say!
> >
> > There's my $0.02
>
> There's my 2p.

Sorry to say, but I think your 2p is worth slightly more than my $.02. (not that your opinion is,
though! ;-)

Robin Hubert

 

Same here. I had a lot of trouble using SPD's when I first started riding. Someone suggested I try
Looks. I did and have been using them ever since. They are awkward to walk in, but what the heck I'm
out there to ride most of the time, not walk, and I find the Looks much easier to get in and out of.
Probably the biggest downer with Looks is the frequent cleat replacement..about every 2,000-3,000
miles. They are plastic and don't seem to last very long.

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I started out using SPD's and the were hard to get into and out of. I switched to looks (look
> alike) and I love them. The difference in walking between SPD and look seemed minimal, they're
> both slippery.
>
> "andrew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
> >
> > I have just bought a road bike and now need some.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Andrew
> >
>

 

>Summarising, it seems that the following are the main considerations:
>
>1. Look pedals are more comfortable because they're bigger and don't cause pressure points in the
> shoes.

My experience but I have never used SPDs with stiff road shoes, only MTB shoes.

>2. SPDs shoes are easier to walk in off the bike. Look shoes can be very slippy.

Not doubt about that, I do walk in my Looks but it accelerates cleat wear.

>3. Pull-outs are less frequent on Look pedals.

This is certainly my experience. I tend to be pretty wildly aggressive at times, SPDs are not as
secure (IME), I have pulled out several times, once left me in the middle of traffic lying on the
pavement, not a good feeling.

My thinking is that SPDs are basically a MTB pedal, they work nicely for that. The priorities for
off road pedals are walkability and surefire and rapid release, a rider cannot risk a difficult
pullout because off road, going down happens often and it happens quickly.

On the road things are different, pullout is more risky because of traffic and the need to exit
quickly is not so important because it is rare to fall.

Personally I find SPDs to be vague in comparison to Look pedals, with Looks, the snap as the lock in
can be heard across the road. With SPDs, I find I need to tentatively pull up to make sure I am
locked in. Looks require more effort to release and there is no hope of an exit without the proper
heel rotation.

So, for many riders SPDs are fine, especially when used in conjunction with stiff shoes. But if you
are a guy like me who occasionally likes to go wild and put some real power down then I think the
added security of the Looks is worthwile.

Jon Isaacs

 

andrew-<< Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal
preference.

Put three people in a room and ask about pedals, get four opinions.

Gonna walk around in cycling shoes a lot? Get two sided pedals, like Time ATAC or Speedplay Frogs
and MTB shoes.

Not?-Look at Look, Speedplay, Campagnolo, for not expensive, well made and good working pedals.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

"Robin Hubert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...

> Ok, admittedly, I've never used Looks, but I used to use Speedplay X pedals and concurrently used
> Frogs. I couldn't tell the difference then. That with SIDI shoes (Genius and Dominators). Maybe
> I'm not very perceptive, or my feet or tough, or numb.

Hi Robin,

Reasonable comparison but wrong in this case. I spent several years with Speedplays and agree that
the feel of the X-series and Frogs is nearly indistinguishable. Hence, I went with Frogs for the
walkability. But the difference between Looks and SPDs is HUGE in comparison. BTW, the difference
between Looks and Speedplays is also huge - not to say one is better than the other - its all
personal preference, but they're very different feeling pedals/cleats. Since my knees decided they
didn't like the Speedplay float anymore, I find that I prefer Looks on my road bikes (for long
and/or fast rides) and SPDs on my cyclocross, commuter, and fixed gear bikes which I rarely ride
more than 40 miles at a time.

-Ray

 

> Gonna walk around in cycling shoes a lot? Get two sided pedals, like Time ATAC or Speedplay Frogs
> and MTB shoes.

Or SPDs. I just picked up a pair of Shimano T-091 touring shoes on a closeout:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.html?SKU=13073

(These are last year's model) They have a smooth, soft rubber sole that makes it easier to walk on
pavement than my Sidi MTB shoes with hard plastic lugs. But if I'm planning to walk long distances
in my bike shoes, I use these instead:

http://tinyurl.com/5m3l
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

 

On Sun, 9 Feb 2003 19:27:20 -0000, "andrew" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference.
>
>I have just bought a road bike and now need some.

I ride with Looks on my racing bikes and SPDs on my touring and mountain bikes, so hopefully my
input is unbiased.

Looks are much easier to clip into than SPDs. I've found unclipping from SPDs easier than Looks, but
not by much.

Walking around in SPD equipped shoes is generally much easier because of the recessed cleats. Look
equipped foot gear is awkward to walk around in, and sometimes quite slippery. I've been asked by at
least one snack shop not to enter their store because of liability concerns. They let me in when I
showed them my Kool Kovers. Bottom line, if you anticipate doing much walking between stints on the
bike, I'd recommend SPDs.

If you're concerned about weight, the combination of Look pedals, cleats, and a good pair of road
shoes (mine are Sidi Energy) will probably be lighter than a corresponding SPD setup.

Bottom line, once I'm clipped in and pedalling I'd be hard pressed to notice any difference.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

 

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>Can anyone offer any advise which are best? Or is it purely a matter of personal preference. I have
>just bought a road bike and now need some.

If you intend on walking much, go with SPD.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)