speedplay question

[George Ab]

Frogs on all my bikes with the exception of Light Action on one bike. No issues, I do put some graphite spray on the cleats of the road pedals every few months.

[oldguy00]

Not sure if anyone else has answered your question yet............

But I've been using speedplay zeros for about 10 years and have never had a single issue, nor have I ever heard of any 'quality control' issue that you mention.

Cheers

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by cinema

Thanks. just being overly cautious due to all them haters i guess. i'll try and break em in first

Been using them for about 10 years, zeros. And I sold a lot of them And never saw notoriously poor QC....rubber seal, roller bearing and 2 cart bearings plus grease..if they are smooth, go ride them. Great pedals, IMHO.

Once again, I answer before reading other posts so sorry to sound like a broken record, record, record.....

[shovelhd]

They are also easily rebuildable. $100 and an hour and my 50k mile Ti's were like new again.

[Cicli]

Originally Posted by shovelhd

They are also easily rebuildable. $100 and an hour and my 50k mile Ti's were like new again.

100.00? Wow.
Picked up some new DA9000's for almost that.
Not bashing speedplay just making a note.
I want to like speedplay but have cleat issues every time. Its just not worth the hassle. I like them when I am riding but hate the inability to clip in alot and the screwing around with cleats.

[hoonjr]

The only problem I've had is not changing the cleats enough to the point they would wear down and would groove a significant notch into the pedal spindle. Even then the pedals worked fine.

I'm lousy with cleat maintenance especially when I was training more. I ride so little these days I'll probably never have to change cleats again!!!

[SpokeValley]

Originally Posted by bshell

Never heard of QC problems or 'finicky-ness'. I've been on the same pair of Zeros (the adjustable ones) since 2002(?) and I've never had a single issue. Just grease gun 'em every 6-12 months.



My experience with their customer service has been exceptional as well. Just picked up a pair of the 'walkable cleats' and had a couple of questions. Phone staff was completely knowledgeable/helpful etc. Made me want to buy more stuff from them. Might look into the SYZR for mtb.

Ditto this. Exceptional product and service.

I also grease them with a medical syringe(I'm in the biz)...a little harder to do but I haven't bought a grease gun yet.

[Birddog]

Originally Posted by shovelhd

They are also easily rebuildable. $100 and an hour and my 50k mile Ti's were like new again.

Was this with the X series? I messed around trying to figure out how to dismantle a few years ago and gave up. Speedplay wants you to send them the Ti models for rebuild IIRC. Did you find directions on the net?

[ripvanrando]

Five pair of SP Frogs. Great pedals. No issues aside from the need to squeeze some grease into the port every week if I'm riding a lot or the cost of cleats. It is really the only pedal that I can use mid-sole and luckily, they are great.

[Mark McM]

The very first generation of X series cleats did have a little bit of finicky-ness - maybe that's where the reputation came from.

For shoe soles with 3 bolt holes, the Speedplay cleats use a 4-bolt-flat-to-3-bolt-curved-sole adapter plate. Unfortunately, the exact curvature of shoe soles isn't exactly standardized. If the curve of the adapter plate didn't match the curve of the sole, than tightening the cleat screws a little too much could cause the cleat to warp slightly, making the cleats hard to clip in and out of the pedal.

Speedplay has since addressed this issue with their snap-shim cleat adapter, which allows the shape of the curved adapter to be adjusted to match the sole. The snap-shim cleat came out before the Zero pedals were released, so the Zero pedals should never have suffered this finicky-ness.

The other "finicky-ness" reputation may have stemmed from the extra maintenance required by the cleats. Since the retention mechanism is built into the cleat instead of the pedal, the retention mechanism is more prone to fouling from debris picked up while walking around. Therefore, the cleats should be periodically cleaned and lubed (whereas the cleats on other pedals need little to no servicing). But as mentioned, if you keep up with periodic maintenance, Speedplay pedals/cleats work just fine.

[RedRider]

A few tips for the Speedplay DIYers...
1- make sure the cleats are on the correct shoe (we see this mistake a lot)
2- the cleat screws should be torqued to 2.5nm.
3- new Speedplay pedals/cleats are stiff so a few clip in/out will get them working properly
4- Clean your cleats regularly and use their SP-Lube to keep the springs working smoothly

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Birddog

Was this with the X series? I messed around trying to figure out how to dismantle a few years ago and gave up. Speedplay wants you to send them the Ti models for rebuild IIRC. Did you find directions on the net?

Easy, pry cap off and t15(?) torx...I put the flats in a vice...lefty loosey, puck comes off.

[wallymann]

Originally Posted by Cicli

the inability to clip in alot and the screwing around with cleats.

i dont understand this.

in my experience with X pedals, i step down and they lock in without fail every time. double-sided means i dont even need to look or align, i just step down. foolproof operation.

cleats are similarly foolproof. i install them (which are incredibly easy to dial-in to perfect position every time, given the X/Y location is set independently) and then periodically wipe the and the pedals clean -- maybe 1-2 times season (i'm lazy), replacing cleats after 2-3 seasons of use.

[shovelhd]

Originally Posted by Birddog

Was this with the X series? I messed around trying to figure out how to dismantle a few years ago and gave up. Speedplay wants you to send them the Ti models for rebuild IIRC. Did you find directions on the net?

Zeros. No need for instructions, it's super easy. I did not replace the needle bearings in the body, that's tricky. Instead I bought a set of new bodies through my LBS, because the bow ties were worn. They come with new needle bearings installed. I got the cartridge bearings on eBay.

[bfd]

Another Speedplay fan here! I had the X pedals and loved them. However, I got tired of walking like a duck and switched to Frogs. I gave the x pedals to a buddy and he loves them!

I now have 3 pairs of frog pedals and love them. Easy to grease and if the bearings ever go out - need 1 cartridge bearing (R4Z) and 1 needle bearing (HK1010). You can get a bearing kit from Speedplay for $37 or buy the two bearings for like $5 each and a couple of o-rings and you're set.

I just rebuilt a pair of pedals and it took me 40 minutes while I was watching the debate. Good Luck!