Speedplay Query

Jotjepoes said:

Hi there

I'm thinking of changing over to speedplays for my road bike and would like some input. For a couple of years I used spds with mountain bike shoes with my road bike and found it really comfortable to clip in and out. About 6 months ago I changed shoes and pedal system to Look sprints, for 2 reasons - I was getting hot spots and also wanted to get onto the road shoe system with more efficient transfer. I put heaps of research into the shoes and I'm really happy with them (Specialized women's BG pro-road shoe) - so much more power. Unfortunately these shoes dont' take the spd system and I switched to the look system. The only problem is after 6 months I still take awhile to clip in because with look you can only clip in on one side. I'm hoping the speedplays will help since they have 2 sided entry.

My questions are which type of speedplay? I've got a small foot (size 38) and I don't like the idea of a wide movement to clip out. I've got Look sprints set on the lowest tension. It was a bit tight in the beginning but after a couple of days, the tension was okay for clipping in and out. I read that the speedplay light is easy to clip in and out of, but has 15 float - I'm a bit wary of such a wide float. (I have grey look cleats (5 degrees)). Should I go for zero's instead? Are they harder to clip in and out of?

Thanks
Jo

Speedplay Zeros. Adjustable float in either direction of zero to 7.5 degrees.

They may be harder to get into and out of. Some local bike shops(like ours) has a demo program where you can try them..ask some.

Speedplay are popular here. Was concerned about the Zeros about having too much float, but have found that not to be an issue and just run the cleat screws opened up to max float settings. Clipping in and out is very easy and quick.

They require lube with a mini greasegun every 1000 or 2000 miles, but it's only a 5 minute job. Initially was concerned about the life of the tiny internal bearings, but at 22K miles and going strong, am more than happy with the durability.

The clip-in pressure on the Zeros feels just right to me at 185 lbs. If you're a lightweight, you may prefer the new Speedplay "lights". As Peter said, a demo of both models would be the best way to make the choice.

Thanks for the replies. In Australia speedplays aren't as common and I've rung a couple of shops and they don't have demo models, so I'll have to choose blind.

Is there any disadvantage to having more float? Is there less power transference with more float?

How loose can the zero's go? Do they loosen up? I'm about 57.5 kg (about 126 lb) and about 5 ft tall. Should I go for the lights instead?

Jotjepoes said:

Thanks for the replies. In Australia speedplays aren't as common and I've rung a couple of shops and they don't have demo models, so I'll have to choose blind.

Is there any disadvantage to having more float? Is there less power transference with more float?

How loose can the zero's go? Do they loosen up? I'm about 57.5 kg (about 126 lb) and about 5 ft tall. Should I go for the lights instead?

More float is not a disadvantage IMO; it simply allows your feet to follow their normal path as you pedal. I have read that for some people, the free-float (non-centering) of speedplay can be harder on the knees, but don't know anyone who's experienced and knee problems at all, or gone back to their old Look or Shimano pedals.

Due to the lack of centering, they will feel odd when you first ride with them. Some people describe it as "pedaling on icecubes". Standing climbing or sprinting may feel insecure the first few times, but the feeling went away quickly for me.

The zero's do loosen up a bit as far as clip-in/clip-out force as they break-in. At your weight, would guess you'll have to bounce your bodyweight on the pedal to get the Zero's to engage, and step down hard while kicking your heel out to unclip. Believe the "Lights" are designed to solve this issue for riders of your weight, so that's the ones I'd recommend. If you do get them, just be sure to allow a few rides to get used to the free-float feeling. After that, you'll likely become another "convert" 🙂

Jotjepoes said:

Thanks for the replies. In Australia speedplays aren't as common and I've rung a couple of shops and they don't have demo models, so I'll have to choose blind.

Is there any disadvantage to having more float? Is there less power transference with more float?

How loose can the zero's go? Do they loosen up? I'm about 57.5 kg (about 126 lb) and about 5 ft tall. Should I go for the lights instead?

Float or not and amount is physiological. Depends on you, your fit, your knees, ankles, hips, pedal stroke, ETC. No power issues but fit issues.

Remember the lights have no float. I recommend Zeros since riding, float adjustment is more important than getting in and out, They are not that hard to get in and out of. Center, push down. 126 pounds is light but still quite a lot of pressure by a person of more than a 100 pounds.

dhk2 said:

More float is not a disadvantage IMO; it simply allows your feet to follow their normal path as you pedal. I have read that for some people, the free-float (non-centering) of speedplay can be harder on the knees, but don't know anyone who's experienced and knee problems at all, or gone back to their old Look or Shimano pedals.

Due to the lack of centering, they will feel odd when you first ride with them. Some people describe it as "pedaling on icecubes". Standing climbing or sprinting may feel insecure the first few times, but the feeling went away quickly for me.

The zero's do loosen up a bit as far as clip-in/clip-out force as they break-in. At your weight, would guess you'll have to bounce your bodyweight on the pedal to get the Zero's to engage, and step down hard while kicking your heel out to unclip. Believe the "Lights" are designed to solve this issue for riders of your weight, so that's the ones I'd recommend. If you do get them, just be sure to allow a few rides to get used to the free-float feeling. After that, you'll likely become another "convert" 🙂

The x series do have that 'not connected' feeling but Zeros do not since the pedal connects to the spring in the cleat and the cleat rotates in the cleat mechanism. In X series the pedal rotates, the spring does not. I went from Look to Campagnolo Profit to Zeros and they felt like .....pedals. Put the cleat in the same relative place and they felt pretty much like the ProFits. Double sided since it was on a fixie..then got a pair for my regular bike...about 5 years ago.

Jotjepoes said:

Is there any disadvantage to having more float?

FWIW. I have seen people's cranks which exhibit varying amounts of HEEL RUB ... and, I have to presume the heel rub is the result of how the cleat was mounted on the shoe AND possibly too much float.

Peter@vecchios said:

The x series do have that 'not connected' feeling but Zeros do not since the pedal connects to the spring in the cleat and the cleat rotates in the cleat mechanism. In X series the pedal rotates, the spring does not. I went from Look to Campagnolo Profit to Zeros and they felt like .....pedals. Put the cleat in the same relative place and they felt pretty much like the ProFits. Double sided since it was on a fixie..then got a pair for my regular bike...about 5 years ago.

Peter, thanks for educating me on the "lights". Assumed they had the same free-float as the X's and 0's. In that case, the OP does have a decision to make. Agree clip-in force is less important than having float....for those that need or like float of course.

But can't understand your comment about the Zero's. By "not-connected", are you referring to free-float (rotation), or something else? The Zeros definately have free (non-centering) rotation because the spring clip is free to rotate in the cleat mech without being flexed by the pedal stops, just as you said. The only way Zero's wouldn't have free-float is if the stops were adjusted down, or the cleat was installed incorrectly so that the spring clip was bound up. When I switched from Look fixed cleats 5 years ago, the Zero's felt just like stepping on icecubes for a few rides.

Thanks for your further comments.

However, Peter, the lights have 15 degrees free float (I checked on the speedplay website). I was thinking that the zero's might be better because you can reduce the float if you want to.

On the other hand lights might be easier to get in and out of. I'm hoping to swap to speedplays so I can use my road bike for commuting as well and getting in and out of pedals would be much more convenient than my looks.

I'm a bit worried about the sense of "pedalling on ice" - any comments?

dhk2 said:

Peter, thanks for educating me on the "lights". Assumed they had the same free-float as the X's and 0's. In that case, the OP does have a decision to make. Agree clip-in force is less important than having float....for those that need or like float of course.

But can't understand your comment about the Zero's. By "not-connected", are you referring to free-float (rotation), or something else? The Zeros definately have free (non-centering) rotation because the spring clip is free to rotate in the cleat mech without being flexed by the pedal stops, just as you said. The only way Zero's wouldn't have free-float is if the stops were adjusted down, or the cleat was installed incorrectly so that the spring clip was bound up. When I switched from Look fixed cleats 5 years ago, the Zero's felt just like stepping on icecubes for a few rides.

I guess YMMV. I think x series feel like you are not connected but my zeros, even with the float set at large amounts of float, felt like foot movement back and forth was somewhat 'friction-y'...certainly not the ease of x series.

My wife who is small (5' even and 110 lbs) tried one of my old pair of s Zero's for a while but had trouble unclipping. She liked the freedom of movement once clipped in. She now uses the Light Action zero's and has no trouble getting clipped in or out.

Jotjepoes said:

Thanks for your further comments.

However, Peter, the lights have 15 degrees free float (I checked on the speedplay website). I was thinking that the zero's might be better because you can reduce the float if you want to.

On the other hand lights might be easier to get in and out of. I'm hoping to swap to speedplays so I can use my road bike for commuting as well and getting in and out of pedals would be much more convenient than my looks.

I'm a bit worried about the sense of "pedalling on ice" - any comments?

It's not really like pedaling on ice. It's just how some try to describe the float that Speedplay X series pedals allow your heels. I used Speedplays for years but never had that feeling, even on first use. I had come to Speedplay from old Look pedals whose float had tons of friction and strong re-centering, such that the float really didn't seem to work.

I had the same concern when selecting speedplays five years ago. Coming from Look fixed (black) cleats, thought I'd be safer with the Zeros because I could adjust down the "free float" range. Turned out that was a non-issue; having the extra float is not noticeable at all, so I just leave the cleat stop-screws opened up.

Didn't mean to overstate the "ice cubes" feeling, but just wanted you to be aware that the "non-centering" float may feel that way at first. I did have it on the first couple of rides, particularly when standing, but it went away quickly. Once you get used to the freedom of the speedplays, doubt you'll want to go back to your old setup.

The only disadvantage for club or touring riders is that with speedplay you're walking on a cleat which needs to be kept clean because it contains the engagement spring. Using the "Coffee Shop" covers solves this problem easily. Only hard part is remembering to pull them off when leaving with the group.....I've been dropped this way a couple of times now 🙂

dhk2 said:

The only disadvantage for club or touring riders is that with speedplay you're walking on a cleat which needs to be kept clean because it contains the engagement spring. Using the "Coffee Shop" covers solves this problem easily. Only hard part is remembering to pull them off when leaving with the group.....I've been dropped this way a couple of times now 🙂

Definitely use the cleat covers. I live in the land of blowing sand and dust (er, Arizona), and I never had an issue with Speedplays fouling with dirt and stuff. Of course, I used the cleat covers all the time. In fact, given that cleat covers are just about dirt cheap and über durable, and given that cleats, with few exceptions, are expensive and not so durable, I'd use coffee covers on a lot of different systems...at least Speedplay and Look.

Yeah, I learned that the hard way at a century rest stop as a speedplay newby. Just a few steps in mud/sand took me 2-3 minutes to clean with a stick and water bottle before I could get them clean enough to clip/unclip again.

Agree speedplay cleats are expensive, but with use of the covers, they last a lot longer than the Look nylon ones ever did for me. eg, after 22K miles, including some city riding, I'm still on my second set of cleats.

Ma Nature can be a cruel mistress.

Thanks all for the comments. I finally found a store that will let me try a pair of zero's when they come in. If I don't like them I'll probably order the lights.

cheers

Jotjepoes said:

Thanks all for the comments. I finally found a store that will let me try a pair of zero's when they come in. If I don't like them I'll probably order the lights.

cheers

Hey, make sure your LBS installs them correctly, as this can influence how well you clip in/out as well as how you feel pedaling. The cleat is made up of a horseshoe shaped flat spring sandwiched between two plates. The screws that mount these plates to the bottom of the shoe thread in easy at first then give a resistant "click" sensation. The more clicks, the tighter the plates get, and the more resistance against the opening of the horseshoe (are you picturing what I am describing here?) Also, they should spray a dry lube in there like Liquid X or T9 to facilitate the horseshoe movement against the plates.

Most people center the cleat on the mounting screws, and use 5-6 "clicks". I slide my cleats all the way towards the instep, so my pedaling stance is narrower. Just watch for shoe rub if you do this. Then you can set the limiting screws to limit the float to what you want. Then, you'll never go back to any other pedal!!! Have fun! 😄

Agree the cleat screws shouldn't be overtightened, but never heard any clicking from the cleat screws on the Carnac and Shimano shoes I use. Have to wonder what was making the clicking sounds you heard; perhaps it was the screws binding in the alloy shoe inserts. IIRC, speedplay doesn't mention clicking in their detailed mounting instructions.

IMO the key is to have the correct shims under the mount, so that the base is flat when tightened down with the three screws. I've found if the base is flat, the cleat screws (4) can be tightened reasonably without any binding or need to restore to locktite.