Speedplay X vs. Zero pedals

DolceGirl said:

Hi All! I am pursuing the purchase of a set of Speedplay pedals for my road bike. I currently use an SPD cleat in a pair of Performance Bike brand mtn pedals (just cuz I liked the dual sided entry) and am looking for something lighter and more knee and joint friendly.

I would like to hear the ins and outs of the Zeros vs. the X pedals/cleats. The only thing I know about the X series is that they are "non-adjustable".

Can anyone provide any info? What are your experiences?

Thanks!

The non-adjustable part of the Xs would be the limits on the float. The Zeros can be limited to zero float or "mirco-adjusted" from zero to the max. The Xs cannot be adjusted. Once engaged the heel can rotate in and out per the specs.

I'm considering purchasing these pedals, so I have been reading up on them (instead of working).

Good Luck!

DolceGirl said:

Hi All! I am pursuing the purchase of a set of Speedplay pedals for my road bike. I currently use an SPD cleat in a pair of Performance Bike brand mtn pedals (just cuz I liked the dual sided entry) and am looking for something lighter and more knee and joint friendly.

I would like to hear the ins and outs of the Zeros vs. the X pedals/cleats. The only thing I know about the X series is that they are "non-adjustable".

Can anyone provide any info? What are your experiences?

Thanks!

I recently upgraded to the zeros and I love them. Lots of free play (up to 15 degrees), and I like the ease of getting in them. Getting out of them took a slight adjustment from my Shimano clippless pedals. Ideally, however, the cleats and beveled edges of the pedals should be lubed with a dry lube at least every other ride. I am an anal nut, so I lube them after every ride. 🙂

Has anyone had experience with both the Zeros and the X series? I kind of get the idea from other people's posts that the Zero is a "step up" from the X series and more people like them.

I understand that the Zeros let you micro adjust the float...does that mean that the X series has more float to start with and you get it all? Or are they both the same max amount of float...just you can limit the Zeros if you want. I can't figure this part out from the Speedplay website.

Thanks everybody!!

skydive69 said:

I recently upgraded to the zeros and I love them. Lots of free play (up to 15 degrees), and I like the ease of getting in them. Getting out of them took a slight adjustment from my Shimano clippless pedals. Ideally, however, the cleats and beveled edges of the pedals should be lubed with a dry lube at least every other ride. I am an anal nut, so I lube them after every ride. 🙂

What was the biggest adjustment you felt when unclipping from the Speedplay's compared to your Shimanos (SPDs?)?

My SPDs unclip by moving my heel out to the right or left. Do you have to twist your foot more than that for the Speedplays?

Thanks for the info!

yes, the speedplay pedals have very much float and it takes much more heel twist to disengage. however, the float is completely unrestrained, there are no springs to recenter your foot and theres no resistance against clipping out. dont take this in a bad way, they are by far the best pedals i've ever ridden. i dont have experience with the zero's, but the x series are just fine.

I have used both.
The reason I switched to Zeros is because with the X my heel would rub against the crank and would score my shoes. The Zero eliminated this problem (by adjusting both ends of the float range)..
I really liked the float feeling of the X series. You feel like you float on an ice cube. With the Zero you can feel a tiny bit of friction..

sorebutt said:

I have used both.
The reason I switched to Zeros is because with the X my heel would rub against the crank and would score my shoes. The Zero eliminated this problem (by adjusting both ends of the float range)..
I really liked the float feeling of the X series. You feel like you float on an ice cube. With the Zero you can feel a tiny bit of friction..

That's pretty much been my experience with the zeros as well. I dialed the float in so that when I move my heel to the inside it will float all the way in with enough clearance to not catch the crank. I dialed in the outside stop so I have all the room I want in movement before the dissengagement point. With that setting my heels can float in and out which is great as you move fore and aft on the seat. There is virtualy no resistance in moving your heel in and out until you hit the stop point. To disengage you just move your heel out until it hits the stop point and then twist a little more and your out. The Xs don't have this fine tuning. Get the zeros.

By the way I stopped oiling my cleats completely about 9 months ago and they actually work better if you don't gunk em up with lube, even dry lube. Its better just to lightly oil the metal part of the pedal surface.

I switched from Look to Speedplay on my new bike this year. I got the Zeros because I thought the extreme float would be too much and I'd need to adjust the limit stops.

Turns out that I just run the stops opened up, using all the float available. So for me, Zeros don't appear to have any advantage over the X series pedals. I like the Speedplays for the free-float and ease of clip in.

Issues: 1) The cleats are easily fouled with dirt/sand if you have to step off clean pavement. The Coffee Shop Covers will prevent this problem of course. But, they take a little time to slip on and off so I don't always use them.

2) The bearings require re-lube every 2000 miles (according to Speedplay). I failed to do this at the first 2000 miles, and noticed some play starting in the left pedal at about 3000 miles. Injecting grease then cured the play. But I wonder how long the bearings will hold up....they must be tiny.

DolceGirl said:

Has anyone had experience with both the Zeros and the X series? I kind of get the idea from other people's posts that the Zero is a "step up" from the X series and more people like them.

Thanks everybody!!

Roger that; I've used both. They're both excellent systems, and if you're truly interested in limiting your float while maintaining Speedplay's low weight and double-sided entry, the Zeros are a great choice.

Thing is, most people using Speedplays are float junkies. Assuming you're one, like me, you'd be running the Zeros with the float dialed all the way out (about 15 degrees), and you'd leave them that way. The adjustability factor, in other words, is of limited worth to most Speedplay fans. Additionally, though the Zeros are a clever design, the X versions -- because they aren't burdened by the added complexity of a lockout option -- operate a touch smoother, in my experience. The X float, to answer your other question, is broader than the max allowed by the Zeros.

Bottom line, again, is that they're both great. The tradeoffs slightly favor the X, unless you see yourself spooked by the possibility of truly free float, and want the safety net of a tweak option.

I'm thinking of getting the speedplay frog's they are suppose to eliminate the gunk issue, and they still have the same float. Anyone out there have them??? I know they are for mountain bikes, but i'm not huge into the weight thing, so the difference of a 100 grams doesn't bother me. They are also still double sided..😄

I went form SPDs to Zeros and have not looked back. Yes, the Zeros have so much float that I can easily touch the cranks with my heels if I want to, but this doesn't happen unless I consciously do it. To me the clip in easier than the SPDs because you just step on them, and the release pressure is much easier as well - they rely on you moving your foot way to the side to relase. The SPDs there is shorter foot movement required to release, but it is a more mechanical feeling release, if that makes any sense.

So far I have about 2k on mine and no problems at all. I use white ligthing on the cleats (since that's where the moving parts are) once every 4 or 5 rides, and they haven't had any problems. I do a fair ammount of walking around in gravel, but I do try and keep them out of the dirt based on what I have read.

One more item to consider - I read somewhere that some people felt that climing out of the saddle felt strange on these because of the friction free float, but this wasn't a problem for me at all. I guess it just depends.

lpennock said:

I went form SPDs to Zeros and have not looked back. Yes, the Zeros have so much float that I can easily touch the cranks with my heels if I want to, but this doesn't happen unless I consciously do it. To me the clip in easier than the SPDs because you just step on them, and the release pressure is much easier as well - they rely on you moving your foot way to the side to relase. The SPDs there is shorter foot movement required to release, but it is a more mechanical feeling release, if that makes any sense.

Okay, I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but are you saying that spuds are difficult to clip into? I'm not overly attached to them (other than the small cleat size), but I don't even think about clipping into or out of them - on the trail or on the road.

SWEETRIDE4ME said:

I'm thinking of getting the speedplay frog's they are suppose to eliminate the gunk issue, and they still have the same float. Anyone out there have them??? I know they are for mountain bikes, but i'm not huge into the weight thing, so the difference of a 100 grams doesn't bother me. They are also still double sided..😄

Sweetride, the Frogs are great; I have been using them on my road bikes (recumbents) for several years and love them. I would not say that they truly eliminate the gunk issue, but it is not usually a problem on the road - I have seen complaints from mtn bikers who do lots of mucking around.

Ed Stolkner

BungedUP said:

Okay, I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but are you saying that spuds are difficult to clip into? I'm not overly attached to them (other than the small cleat size), but I don't even think about clipping into or out of them - on the trail or on the road.

No, I didn't mean to suggest that they were hard to clip into. I have been using SPDs on a mountain bike for almost a decade and have never had any problems; it's just that, to me at least, the clip in action of the Speedplays feels easer. SPDs are not hard to get into, I still love them on my MTN bike, but Speedplay's have felt like a huge improvement over the SPDS on my road bike.

estolkne said:

Sweetride, the Frogs are great; I have been using them on my road bikes (recumbents) for several years and love them. I would not say that they truly eliminate the gunk issue, but it is not usually a problem on the road - I have seen complaints from mtn bikers who do lots of mucking around.

Ed Stolkner

Thanks Ed. I have deff been debating between these and the x2's but was leaning toward the frog's thatnks for the extra push towards them.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by dhk [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]
2) The bearings require re-lube every 2000 miles (according to Speedplay). I failed to do this at the first 2000 miles, and noticed some play starting in the left pedal at about 3000 miles. Injecting grease then cured the play. But I wonder how long the bearings will hold up....they must be tiny.

I know this is an old post, but I though I'd let you know that if you grease them every 2000 miles they last basically forever. I work at a shop and just grease every set that comes in, work like new after that almost everytime. (If you dont grease them for 5000+ miles they never work correctly again)

Man, that is an old post! The guy who wrote it is now 8 yrs older, like the Zeros which are holding up just fine after 30K miles, including lots of standing climbing over our hilly terrain. I've been lubing them every 1K miles and the bearings feel like new.