Speedplay X road pedals

Richard Goodman said:

I'm thinking about getting a pair of these for commuting. The fact that they're double sided and
free floating is somewhat interesting. But I'm wondering if they have free float whether you might
end up just rotating your foot instead of unclipping? I need something that's superquick and easy
to clip in and out of while still being a firm platform for pedalling!

There is the Zero model which is essentially the same as the X series but has adjustable float from
0 to 15 degrees. These apparently still offer "free" float (minimal friction) but you don't
necessarily have to twist foot so far to release (I suppose; please check that). See
www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.zero

I've not used any Speedplays so can't comment on what they feel like. While they may be a little
slower, LOOK pedals are quick and easy enough even in urban traffic, IME, and of course have an
excellent (and larger) platform and the float with red cleats is quite reasonable.

~PB

"Richard Goodman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm thinking about getting a pair of these for commuting. The fact that they're double sided and
free floating is somewhat interesting. But I'm wondering if they have free float whether you might
end up just rotating your foot instead of unclipping? I need something that's superquick and easy
to clip in and out of while still being a firm platform for pedalling!

No problem. Clipping in and out is very easy with Speedplays, and they are almost impossible to
disengage accidentally. As you rotate the foot outwards there is a transition from float to gentle
spring resistance, then the shoe lifts off the pedal without any fuss. The float takes a little
getting used to at first. Some people don't take to it but I really like my Speedplays, which
incidentally I bought from MSA of this parish.

The shoe cleats are quite bulky, so not brilliant for walking, and don't like being filled with
dirt, so this might make them less suitable for commuting than some other systems. On the other hand
they're not as slippery as Look cleats.

--
Dave...

"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is the Zero model which is essentially the same as the X series but has adjustable float
from 0 to 15 degrees. These apparently still offer "free" float (minimal friction) but you don't
necessarily have to twist foot so far to release (I suppose; please check that). See
www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.zero

I've not used any Speedplays so can't comment on what they feel like. While they may be a little
slower, LOOK pedals are quick and easy enough even in urban traffic, IME, and of course have an
excellent (and larger) platform and the float with red cleats is quite reasonable.

Thanks Pete

I'd really be interested to hear from someone who's used/uses them though. I have some Look-types
ATM - had them all of two days! I really like the large cleat area - much better than SPD's IME, but
I find them too slow to clip in and out of, and no grip whatsover if you miss entry or stamp down on
the wrong side of the pedal. Really good for putting the power down once you get in but hopeless if
you're not in. I've used SPDs for quite a while without problem but with the Looks (Miche actually)
I've fallen off once and nearly fallen off twice already, quite apart from nearly knackering myself
because of that! It's embarassing, to say the least!

Rich

Dave Kahn said:

The shoe cleats are quite bulky, so not brilliant for walking

Can X or Zero cleats be recessed?

Quoted message said:

, and don't like being filled with dirt

Looks aren't great with dirt on the cleats or pedals either, to be fair - float becomes sticky.

Quoted message said:

On the other hand they're not as slippery as Look cleats.

Covers can be used with both systems although that won't help when putting a foot down on the
kerb/road at the lights.

How susceptible to wear and damage are the (expensive) cleats when putting feet down or walking a
few steps?

~PB

"Richard Goodman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in

message

Quoted message said:

"]news:[email hidden]...

SNIP

Quoted message said:

I'd really be interested to hear from someone who's used/uses them though. I have some
Look-types ATM - had them all of two days! I really like the large cleat area - much better than
SPD's IME, but I find them too slow to clip in and out of, and no grip whatsover if you miss
entry or stamp down

on

Quoted message said:

the wrong side of the pedal. Really good for putting the power down once you get in but hopeless
if you're not in. I've used SPDs for quite a

while

Quoted message said:

without problem but with the Looks (Miche actually) I've fallen off once

and

Quoted message said:

nearly fallen off twice already, quite apart from nearly knackering myself because of that! It's
embarassing, to say the least!

Rich

I can't comment on the speedplays from experience but I seem to recall from photos that they have
quite a lot of mechanism in the shoe which has got to make it hard to walk on. I recently switched
from SPD-Rs to SPDs on my commuter bike as I wore down the rubber bumps on the cleats so quicky that
it soon became impossible to walk on them. It wasn't as if I did long bits of walking, maybe 50m at
most each day... I now have SIDI Dominators and cheap Shimano pedals and I couldn't be happier.

Freddy

Richard Goodman said:

I have some Look-types ATM - had them all of two days! I really like the large cleat area - much
better than SPD's IME, but I find them too slow to clip in and out of, and no grip whatsover if
you miss entry or stamp down on the wrong side of the pedal.

That's true but the way to do it is not to put your weight on the pedal until you feel and hear the
positive loud click so it doesn't matter if you do slip.

Sorry to hear about your falls. I can understand the attraction of Speedplays (better float, lower
stack height, lighter weight, better cornering clearance, recessed cleat option [or is that only
with Frogs?] as well as faster entry) and wouldn't mind trying them myself. It's only the price and
small size that has put me off so far.

~PB

Seem possibly interesting too - large platform area, not as slippery as Looks, some rotational and
lateral float. Any experience/comments anyone?

Rich

"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Dave Kahn said:

The shoe cleats are quite bulky, so not brilliant for walking

Can X or Zero cleats be recessed?

For Zeroes I haven't a clue. For the Xes I doubt it. All the mechanism is in the cleat and it is
very bulky. The pedal disappears inside the cleat while you are riding.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On the other hand they're not as slippery as Look cleats.

Covers can be used with both systems although that won't help when putting a foot down on the
kerb/road at the lights.

The covers for the Speedplays are quite effective, but as you say you have to take a few seconds to
skip them on.

Quoted message said:

How susceptible to wear and damage are the (expensive) cleats when putting feet down or walking a
few steps?

Well I hate to admit it, but I've actually walked about 5k on the Speedplay cleats, without the
covers, pushing my bike up a near-vertical col. You can tell they've been walked on but they
stood up really well. The clipping mechanism is completely unaffected. They're much tougher than
Look cleats.

The OP was also concerned about the size of the platform. Although the pedal looks like a lollipop
the platform is actually provided by the cleat, and it's rock solid.

--
Dave...

Thanks for the info dave, they're sounding better all the time. Shame they cost about £5,000

~PB

----- Original Message ----- From: "Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]>
Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 4:49 PM Subject: Re: Speedplay X
road pedals

Quoted message said:

That's true but the way to do it is not to put your weight on the pedal until you feel and hear
the positive loud click so it doesn't matter if you do slip.

Once they click in they don't slip of course, the trick is getting the pedal the right way round and
lined up well enough to put enough weight on it to actually clip in and not have your foot slide off
instead, while attempting to move off quickly so you don't get squeezed out of the traffic flow. But
things are looking up! I'm getting better at it and found that a smear of oil on the retention clip
makes all the difference. I hadn't thought it necessary since the plastic cleats are slipperier than
a slippery thing on skates, but actually it has made clipping in and out a lot easier and faster! I
might even keep them instead of spending megabucks on something else!

Rich

"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the info dave, they're sounding better all the time. Shame they cost about £5,000

5k was the distance I walked in them, not the amount I spent on them.

:-)

--
Dave...

Richard Goodman wrote: [LOOK pedals]

Quoted message said:

Once they click in they don't slip of course, the trick is getting the pedal the right way round
and lined up well enough to put enough weight on it to actually clip in and not have your foot
slide off instead, while attempting to move off quickly so you don't get squeezed out of the
traffic flow.

Because of their off-centre weighting (and I think this is true with most if not all Looks), I
find my PP396's automatically face the right way round for me to scoop my foot forwards and down
to clip in. It takes a certain knack to be able to do that well, seated, after after pushing off
with just one hard pedal stroke with the other foot and frewheeling for a second or three. There's
none of that flipping the pedal round like is required with single-sided SPDs or toe clips, and no
need to pedal for a few strokes with foot on wrong side of pedal (which is indeed a lethal
practise with Looks).

First of all, don't ride at all before one foot is fully clipped in. For me, that's always the right
foot, but whichever, get in the habit of always using the same one.

For the other foot: even if tension is done up quite high, I find I can press down firmly enough to
clip in yet without enough weight to knacker myself if I do slip (which does still happen very
occasionally). The trick is to put plenty of weight on other leg to over-compensate - so you are
pressing down on the clipping-in side but pressing/leaning *more* on the other already-clipped-in
side at the same time. That ensures your weight will go to the safe side if foot slips - and you'll
just have a dangly leg flapping around in the breeze instead of foot/head hitting road/crank or
crotch hitting top tube, etc! I must admit to getting it very wrong a few times when I was learning
and when complacent - but no nasty injuries for me fortunately. (I'm careful every time now).

Quoted message said:

But things are looking up! I'm getting better at it and found that a smear of oil on the retention
clip makes all the difference. I hadn't thought it necessary since the plastic cleats are
slipperier than a slippery thing on skates, but actually it has made clipping in and out a lot
easier and faster!

It does help - and also a smear of grease on middle of pedal makes the float work with less
friction too - as does fitting cleat without the rubber thingy but that then causes vertical play
and wear problems.

Quoted message said:

I might even keep them instead of spending megabucks on something else!

They're certainly worth a bit more of a trial at least. Good luck!

I like mine a lot (and don't mind putting up with a slight clipping-in delay) - despite thinking
Speedplays could be even better in several ways. Shame they cost about £90,000,000 :-)

~PB