So many different pedals

rudycyclist said:

It's time to pick out new pedals for my Madone. My team is sponsored by Speedplay and I can get them at a discounted price (they don't care what pedals I use). I've heard that rocks can easily get in the cleats. Is this true? I've also heard the cleats are hard to walk with. True? My other options are Shimano (I ride those now) and Look. I've never ridden on Looks either. I believe they're similar to Shimano's pedals. What do you guys suggest for me?

This is true with the X series but not so much with the Zero's when speaking of rocks and other debris. I would go with the Zero's, but Ive already got them. Ive used the X's before, never had any major problems out of them, but the coffee shop covers are highly recommended for those because of the design, and debris.

rudycyclist said:

It's time to pick out new pedals for my Madone. My team is sponsored by Speedplay and I can get them at a discounted price (they don't care what pedals I use). I've heard that rocks can easily get in the cleats. Is this true? I've also heard the cleats are hard to walk with. True? My other options are Shimano (I ride those now) and Look. I've never ridden on Looks either. I believe they're similar to Shimano's pedals. What do you guys suggest for me?

After many years of riding Looks, switched to Speedplay Zeros on my new bike two years ago. Agree they are more sensitive to sand and grit, and a bear to clean if you get the springs (actually C-clips) clogged. I stepped into wet sand/mud at a century right after I got them, spent 5 minutes cleaning the gunk out so I could clip in and go. Learn to use the Coffee Shop covers for walking in dirt/sand like cucamel says and you won't have problems.

On the plus side, the cleats seem to last much longer than the old Look nylon ones. I've been using the same Speedplay cleats now for 2 years; 10K miles, including some amount of city riding. The back edge of the metal is wearing down from walking on concrete, but unlike Looks, that wear doesn't affect the security of the clip-in.

The two-sided engagement, free float and light weight are all great features. They don't have the solid click-in of Look or Shimano pedals, but have never had a problem with unwanted release.

Zero pedals need to be lubed with a mini-grease gun every 1000-2000 miles. I've done that with mine, and they are holding up just fine.

dhk said:

After many years of riding Looks, switched to Speedplay Zeros on my new bike two years ago. Agree they are more sensitive to sand and grit, and a bear to clean if you get the springs (actually C-clips) clogged. I stepped into wet sand/mud at a century right after I got them, spent 5 minutes cleaning the gunk out so I could clip in and go. Learn to use the Coffee Shop covers for walking in dirt/sand like cucamel says and you won't have problems.

On the plus side, the cleats seem to last much longer than the old Look nylon ones. I've been using the same Speedplay cleats now for 2 years; 10K miles, including some amount of city riding. The back edge of the metal is wearing down from walking on concrete, but unlike Looks, that wear doesn't affect the security of the clip-in.

The two-sided engagement, free float and light weight are all great features. They don't have the solid click-in of Look or Shimano pedals, but have never had a problem with unwanted release.

Zero pedals need to be lubed with a mini-grease gun every 1000-2000 miles. I've done that with mine, and they are holding up just fine.

I can affirm all of this also relating to the X2's. The only difference is that I don't have as many miles on mine and I find the X2's usually have a distinct click-in.

Walking in mud or sand sucks, but with cleat covers cost very little and, if you put them on as soon as you step off the bike, it keeps them clean and with out problem.

If I needed another pair of pedals I'd probably go for the zeros as opposed to the X2's because the 30 degrees of float you get out of the X2's is simply excessive. However I'd have to try a pair of zeros before saying that for sure.

Canno comment on speedplays, but started riding with the very first looks sold (the white ones, remember guys?). I now ride Campagnolo pro-fits (look system, campagnolo quality... and price).

You cannot go wrong with the look system, they hold up well, depending on your price point can be extremely light, etc.

What kind of a rider are you? Climber, sprinter?

Speedplay have lots of float, but I find the cleats are difficult to adjust and replace if needed. I tend to sell them to women more than men because of the more float. Rider weight limit of 185 on ti spindle.

Shimano and Look are very similar. Speedplay may claim to be the lightest pedal, but add the cleats and Looks come out on Top. I have used Looks almost all my life, as they are perhaps one of the easiest to learn with. No rider weight limits on ti spindle either, great for sprinting.

looks, i stick with em.

my first were the shimano dura ace level look patents, still the best as they had roller/ball/thrust bearings. alas, the alloy bodies wore out from cleat contact after 20,000 miles. only regreased twice, sealed so well this was not needed anyway.

i second this, the a5.1 are my choice, around 100 usd, real world racing tough alloy compared to keos which i avoid due to small bearings and snapping of both pedals and cleats.

if you sprint, click the release tension all the way and you are set.

btw, i only use black cleats (avoid the bi-material cleats, less durable) w/ no float, get 'em set right and this is the best.

Powerful Pete said:

Canno comment on speedplays, but started riding with the very first looks sold (the white ones, remember guys?). I now ride Campagnolo pro-fits (look system, campagnolo quality... and price).

You cannot go wrong with the look system, they hold up well, depending on your price point can be extremely light, etc.

Postie said:

I can affirm all of this also relating to the X2's. The only difference is that I don't have as many miles on mine and I find the X2's usually have a distinct click-in.

Walking in mud or sand sucks, but with cleat covers cost very little and, if you put them on as soon as you step off the bike, it keeps them clean and with out problem.

If I needed another pair of pedals I'd probably go for the zeros as opposed to the X2's because the 30 degrees of float you get out of the X2's is simply excessive. However I'd have to try a pair of zeros before saying that for sure.

Got the Zeros because coming from Look fixed cleats, I was worried that the 30* free float of the X2s would be a problem. As you know, the Zeros have adjustable float via the little setscrews on the side of the cleats. However, found I like them opened up to full float so I can pedal without contacting the side stops at all.

It took a couple of rides to get over the "pedaling on ice-cubes" feeling. Have read that some people have knee trouble with the free-float and actually do better with regular Look/Shimano pedals.

Pete, I have a pair of white Shimano/Look pedals circa 1990. They say Shimano on the back, but inside on the platform it says Look/France.

TWOPBikeGuy said:

What kind of a rider are you? Climber, sprinter?

Speedplay have lots of float, but I find the cleats are difficult to adjust and replace if needed. I tend to sell them to women more than men because of the more float. Rider weight limit of 185 on ti spindle.

Shimano and Look are very similar. Speedplay may claim to be the lightest pedal, but add the cleats and Looks come out on Top. I have used Looks almost all my life, as they are perhaps one of the easiest to learn with. No rider weight limits on ti spindle either, great for sprinting.

How are they difficult to adjust? The included instructions are straight forward and leave no doubt as to how the cleats are mounted.

And why do women need more float than men? I don't think there is a physiological basis for that assumption.

I ride X/2s and love 'em. I don't have issues w/ cleat fouling, but then I carry the cafe covers all the time. They take up almost no space, fit in a back pocket. Getting clipped in and clipped out comes w/ a very positive feeling.

Pete, I have a pair of white Shimano/Look pedals circa 1990. They say Shimano on the back, but inside on the platform it says Look/France.[/QUOTE]

I have the same pedals that you speak of. 1990 or so, white with Look stamped on the platform. I understand that Lance refused to switch to the SPD design that Shimano was pushing throughout the 90's and he helped design the new Dura Ace pedal. Those old Shimano/Looks have really stood up to a ton of punishment. For the record, I'm a Speedplay X2 guy. I love the float, but always carry my coffee stop covers. I stopped once for a nature break and stood in some snow once. The snow froze inside the cleat and I was unable to click in for the remainder of the ride (10 miles or so).

alienator said:

How are they difficult to adjust? The included instructions are straight forward and leave no doubt as to how the cleats are mounted.

And why do women need more float than men? I don't think there is a physiological basis for that assumption.

I ride X/2s and love 'em. I don't have issues w/ cleat fouling, but then I carry the cafe covers all the time. They take up almost no space, fit in a back pocket. Getting clipped in and clipped out comes w/ a very positive feeling.

Compared to Look stle cleats, it can be a pain in the ass with re-installing speedplay cleats because of the need of a platform.

Physically speaking, because of a woman's hip design, when walking for example, tend to sway more than a man's hip, therefor some women may find more float more comfortable. Which is why I tend to sell more speedplays to women. Basically, lots of screws and bolts to mess with that make it more difficult if you want to keep the EXACT position when changing cleats, although they do last long.

TWOPBikeGuy said:

Compared to Look stle cleats, it can be a pain in the ass with re-installing speedplay cleats because of the need of a platform.

Physically speaking, because of a woman's hip design, when walking for example, tend to sway more than a man's hip, therefor some women may find more float more comfortable. Which is why I tend to sell more speedplays to women. Basically, lots of screws and bolts to mess with that make it more difficult if you want to keep the EXACT position when changing cleats, although they do last long.

I don't buy it. Keeping an exact position on Speedplays is no more difficult than on Looks. I can safely say that since I used several generations of Look pedals.

And what makes you think that "hip swaying" happens on a bike, just as when women walk? I think you're feeding a load to your customers. You just can give them beta that comes from uneducated physiological guessing. That's a disservice.

I love Speedplays, but I woulnd't feed [censored] to someone just to get them to use Speedplays.

As for all the "bolts and screws," bullshite. One set, if needed allows adjustment fore and aft on the shoe. The second set....the last set.....allows left/right adjustment. What's difficult about that again?

alienator said:

I don't buy it. Keeping an exact position on Speedplays is no more difficult than on Looks. I can safely say that since I used several generations of Look pedals.

And what makes you think that "hip swaying" happens on a bike, just as when women walk? I think you're feeding a load to your customers. You just can give them beta that comes from uneducated physiological guessing. That's a disservice.

I love Speedplays, but I woulnd't feed [censored] to someone just to get them to use Speedplays.

As for all the "bolts and screws," bullshite. One set, if needed allows adjustment fore and aft on the shoe. The second set....the last set.....allows left/right adjustment. What's difficult about that again?

I never said ALL women preffer more float, I said most do. Coming from 5 years of experience asking wether women who have tried both I would say about 80% prefer the speedplays. Im not making assumptions, just going off what people tell me. Nor did I say speedplay were the worst out there, I just dont prefer them myself. More importantly, Its not just about float, its also about tension, cornering clearence, and general comfort and ease of use. From a fitting point of view, it takes more effort to adjust speedplay cleats than the look style cleats, beacuse the up and down needs to be done before doing the side to side adjustments.

In addition to what I previously stated, I thought I would share something quite interesting and humorous to all you riders out there.

Ive been working with a Coach for a while now, and this Coach so happens to be my Girlfriends coach as well as several other women. During the fit process, he would have them spin for about five minutes at an easy pace, and for each one of them, he would be able to tell if it was their time of the month or not. His reasoning was this, that, during menstruation, women's hips become looser, and as a result she as well as the other females he was coaching would have awkward pedal strokes compared to what they were normally, and would kick their heels out more than usual. Interesting, huh? (BTW, he has never been wrong from what Ive herd)

alienator said:

I don't buy it. Keeping an exact position on Speedplays is no more difficult than on Looks. I can safely say that since I used several generations of Look pedals.

And what makes you think that "hip swaying" happens on a bike, just as when women walk? I think you're feeding a load to your customers. You just can give them beta that comes from uneducated physiological guessing. That's a disservice.

I love Speedplays, but I woulnd't feed [censored] to someone just to get them to use Speedplays.

As for all the "bolts and screws," bullshite. One set, if needed allows adjustment fore and aft on the shoe. The second set....the last set.....allows left/right adjustment. What's difficult about that again?

I don't buy it either. It is at times like this that we miss Boudreaux keeping the carpet smoke influenced BS at bay

TWOPBikeGuy said:

In addition to what I previously stated, I thought I would share something quite interesting and humorous to all you riders out there.

Ive been working with a Coach for a while now, and this Coach so happens to be my Girlfriends coach as well as several other women. During the fit process, he would have them spin for about five minutes at an easy pace, and for each one of them, he would be able to tell if it was their time of the month or not. His reasoning was this, that, during menstruation, women's hips become looser, and as a result she as well as the other females he was coaching would have awkward pedal strokes compared to what they were normally, and would kick their heels out more than usual. Interesting, huh? (BTW, he has never been wrong from what Ive herd)

Well Einstein was wrong now and again, so I'd say that the Coach Savant is full of [censored].

Its personal preference and how influencial your friends are. I like Look and have been riding on them for the last 20 years. (No not the same pedals) First pedals lasted 10 years with one rebuild. Then the CX6 Carbon then the Keo. Went back to the CX6 because of the easy, on the fly, float adjustment. Think about what's important to you. Float, Weight, How easy it is to clip in and out, and the all important how cool they look on the bike:p

TWOPBikeGuy said:

In addition to what I previously stated, I thought I would share something quite interesting and humorous to all you riders out there.

Ive been working with a Coach for a while now, and this Coach so happens to be my Girlfriends coach as well as several other women. During the fit process, he would have them spin for about five minutes at an easy pace, and for each one of them, he would be able to tell if it was their time of the month or not. His reasoning was this, that, during menstruation, women's hips become looser, and as a result she as well as the other females he was coaching would have awkward pedal strokes compared to what they were normally, and would kick their heels out more than usual. Interesting, huh? (BTW, he has never been wrong from what Ive herd)

I think the coach is trying to pull the wool over people's eyes. If there is any truth to this story, I'd wager a lot more money on the woman's products being used at the time over "hips being looser".

cucamelsmd15 said:

This is true with the X series but not so much with the Zero's when speaking of rocks and other debris. I would go with the Zero's, but Ive already got them. Ive used the X's before, never had any major problems out of them, but the coffee shop covers are highly recommended for those because of the design, and debris.

I originally started riding back in the late 60's early 70's. I had my cleats nailed on after riding with them for 150 miles to make an impression on the sole. I switched to the Look pedals in 1984. I still have them on my old bike. Last year I bought a 6-13 and was talked into Speedplays. I rode them for 1200 miles and hated them. I did not like the float and the double sided entry was not an advantage. Stuff would get into the cleat if I stopped and was a pain. My wife by the way loves them. I got the Keo and they are fantastic. No noise like the old Look and thus far no significant wear on the cleats. A good LBS should let you borrow a set of pedals. Try a couple of them and make a choice.

vascdoc said:

I originally started riding back in the late 60's early 70's. I had my cleats nailed on after riding with them for 150 miles to make an impression on the sole. I switched to the Look pedals in 1984. I still have them on my old bike. Last year I bought a 6-13 and was talked into Speedplays. I rode them for 1200 miles and hated them. I did not like the float and the double sided entry was not an advantage. Stuff would get into the cleat if I stopped and was a pain. My wife by the way loves them. I got the Keo and they are fantastic. No noise like the old Look and thus far no significant wear on the cleats. A good LBS should let you borrow a set of pedals. Try a couple of them and make a choice.

Yes, some people never get past that "walking on ice" feeling of the free float. I know a few guys on my team refuse to use them for that reason, despite Speedplay being one of our sponsors. Personally, I have bad knees from playing soccer, so the float is wonderful for me🙂