Which is better for racing - double sided or single sided pedals?

[JTE83]

Which is better for racing - double sided or single sided pedals?

Do single sided pedals like the Look Keo, Shimano 7800 SPD - SL, Performance Forte Classic Mg/Ti work well for racing? Like if you unclip in a corner then clip back on do you have to look at your pedals to clip or do they automatically position themselves by gravity for clipping? I currently run the Performance Forte Pro Mg/Ti pedals and I usually have to look at my pedal to clip - these pedals don't center themselves by gravity. And they slowed me down in a race when I had to look to clip.

See this link for pedals http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=5245

I'm thinking the Speedplay Zeros would be excellent since they are double sided.

What are other peoples expereinces with racing & their pedals?

 

[BikingBrian]

hmmm....you shouldn't need to unclip during a road race, even during cornering, unless you're about to buy the farm . (But you usually don't have time to unclip then, anyway) If you habitually unclip before cornering, I would say you probably need to work on cornering skills. Besides the speedplays, there are few double-sided pedals used in road racing, because there's no need for them. You also shouldn't have to look down to clip in. The more you practice, the more instinctive it will become. FWIW, I have the Keos, and they hang vertically - you just toe in and push down, very easy to clip into. Most road pedals hang vertically when your foot's not on the pedal.

 

[JTE83]

My first and only race I didn't unclip before cornering. However I don't have high speed cornering skills. Like I've never done a corner at 28 mph or better. Most speed I've had around a corner was 23 mph I guess. Well, I never look at my speed while in a corner.

As long as those single sided pedals hang vertically I guess they're ok. I don't like the friction of Speedplay pedals, and I'm a "frictionless" freak about components. My Performance Mg/Ti SPD pedals don't hang vertically.

Are those Look Keo Pedals near frictionless around their spindle?

 

[BikingBrian]

SNIP
Are those Look Keo Pedals near frictionless around their spindle?

They feel great to me, but that's rather subjective...a lot of people seem to like them though. Take a look at the reviews at roadbikereview.com for other people's opinions.

 

[artmichalek]

hmmm....you shouldn't need to unclip during a road race, even during cornering, unless you're about to buy the farm . (But you usually don't have time to unclip then, anyway)

Even if you do, you're probably not going to have to worry about clipping back in. I'd recomend just getting a lot of practice clipping and unclipping outside of a race situation. I find the single sided pedals faster to get into because they always return to the same position when uncliped. Since they always land with the open side back, you just have to kick forward and push down to clip in.

 

[Buddy2004]

Which is better for racing - double sided or single sided pedals?

I haven't raced (yet), but have been using Look pedals for the past 18 months. I don't think the one sided / double sided issue is such a concern for road bikes. Probably while off-roading on a mountain bike it is more convenient to be able to clip in regardless of which way up the pedal is.

In my opinion, the more important consideration when selecting a road pedal is degree of float and pedal platform size. Personally, I prefer the larger Look platform as it spreads the pressure out, avoiding the potential for pressure points on the foot.