Speedplay SYZR Experiences?

[Themalletor]

I have speedplay zeroes on my road bike (which I ride 99%) of the time and I absolutely love them and all the free float. I've tried egg beaters and spd's and the float didn't feel right to me after being used to my zeroes.

They syzrs have been out a little while now so I'm curious if anyone has much experience with them as they look to have similar float to my zeroes. Also I'm a little worried about durability as I have some big bikepacking trips planned for this summer like the Colorado trail!

Thanks!


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[thirdgenbird]

If you ride toe down, you probably want to pass on them.

[Themalletor]

If you ride toe down, you probably want to pass on them.



I don't think I ride toe down too bad... what are the issues with it?


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[Heisenberg]

I have a set I've put about ten hours into, on both the MTB and gravel bikes.

If you're SOLELY riding gravel on them, I find them to be pretty good. The rock-solid platform is pretty rad and unlike anything you'll find on another two-bolt pedal.

If you're trailriding or actually mountain biking with them, they're downright awful. In order to achieve proper spring tension to keep the foot in the pedal while pivoting, sprinting, or jamming through the air, one has to torque down the release setting. Which - on a standard SPD pedal - is not a problem. Unfortunately it's the SYZR's glaring weakness. If you dab in such a situation with the pedal release torqued appropriately, you must re-enter the pedal at the same angle that you exited (as the cleat pivots as you release). This makes it a nightmare to re-enter, especially in technical, muddy, or racing environments. You can, of course, back off the release tension, which will essentially allow you to slam the cleat back into the pedal no matter the angle, but then you get to experience having your foot exit the pedal at high velocity. Or in a corner. Or in mid-air.

In short - need a walkable road or gravel pedal? Hit it! Need a mountain bike pedal? Pass.

YMMV.

[Themalletor]

I have a set I've put about ten hours into, on both the MTB and gravel bikes.



If you're SOLELY riding gravel on them, I find them to be pretty good. The rock-solid platform is pretty rad and unlike anything you'll find on another two-bolt pedal.



If you're trailriding or actually mountain biking with them, they're downright awful. In order to achieve proper spring tension to keep the foot in the pedal while pivoting, sprinting, or jamming through the air, one has to torque down the release setting. Which - on a standard SPD pedal - is not a problem. Unfortunately it's the SYZR's glaring weakness. If you dab in such a situation with the pedal release torqued appropriately, you must re-enter the pedal at the same angle that you exited (as the cleat pivots as you release). This makes it a nightmare to re-enter, especially in technical, muddy, or racing environments. You can, of course, back off the release tension, which will essentially allow you to slam the cleat back into the pedal no matter the angle, but then you get to experience having your foot exit the pedal at high velocity. Or in a corner. Or in mid-air.



In short - need a walkable road or gravel pedal? Hit it! Need a mountain bike pedal? Pass.



YMMV.



Thanks for sharing your experiences! You kind of reassured me that they wouldn't be idea for bikepacking in remote places that involve a lot of hike a bike.


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[thirdgenbird]

I don't think I ride toe down too bad... what are the issues with it?


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The hinge for the latch is at the front. I've heard reviews that say they unintentionally unclipped often. Riding toe down puts pressure on the latch and makes the issue worse. I think the instructions actually tell you to avoid riding toe down to limit accidental clip outs. Even if I didn't ride toe down (I do) it's not a quality I would want an off-road pedal to exhibit. It could be part of the issues above.

[Tony]

It has received lot's of bad reviews.

[dougdye]

I bought a pair and lost many places in a cross race just trying to clip back in to them after the run ups. I try to support US manufacturers and personally love their road pedals, but the Syzr's were awful.

[mgm777]

I too have been interested in this pedal for some time now. I appreciate the feedback shared above. It's a bummer to hear all this negative feedback about a pedal that was in development for what seemed to be many many years.

[Heisenberg]

I too have been interested in this pedal for some time now. I appreciate the feedback shared above. It's a bummer to hear all this negative feedback about a pedal that was in development for what seemed to be many many years.

Yeah, I was really excited when they were released - am bummed after trying.

For gravel racing they're seriously the cat's meow. I hate riding 6+ hours in an SPD pedal because of how ****ty the cleat/pedal interface is, but the SYZR honestly feel like a road pedal with actual mud clearance, as long as the shoe is stiff.

Unfortunately, there's a ton of overlap between them and the Pave pedals they released.

[zzy]

Why not try the SP Frogs? Tons of float, fairly easy to get into, and very solid for anything but technical riding.

[Themalletor]

Why not try the SP Frogs? Tons of float, fairly easy to get into, and very solid for anything but technical riding.



To be honest I don't know much about them and I sort of assumed the SYZR were an updated model. But it seems a lot of people have had problems with them. The main thing that worries me about the frogs is cleat durability. Should they be able to hold up to significant hike a bike?


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[Duende]

I'm curious as to the real world benefits of the Paves.

The issue I have with the Syzr pedals is that they are just plain difficult to clip into. Sad really, as this is one major reason I like their products in the first place.

[charliedid]

To be fair I don't think they aver really intended this to be a hardcore ATB pedal. They really wanted a better walkable double sided pedal for the millions who don't ride road pedals. I only tried them as a test ride but like all their pedals for me they seemed finicky.

The one thing that they are close to offering and why I have waited with interest so long for these is the ability to order a custom spec'd stack on one of the pedals to compensate for leg length difference which is harder to fix on SPD style pedals vs Road because of how they interface with the pedals.

That said I am still likely to order the custom pair when avail. My days of throwing my bike around off-road are long gone.

[Robbos]

From people who rarely get too critical of products and bikes:
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/pedals/product/review-speedplay-syzr-49951/

SPD. What to say. Not perfect but darned if Shimano does not make a great, reliable, easy to service and durable product.

[djg21]

Why not try the SP Frogs? Tons of float, fairly easy to get into, and very solid for anything but technical riding.

I wanted to love Frogs when they first came out. I ended up switching back to SPDs very quickly. The problem I had was with the ridge on the pedal body that supposedly prevented your heels from rotating inward. Over the course of a ride, my cleats would rotate, making entry and exit a bitch. Some people I know used a dremel to remove the ridges, but I just went back to my SPDs, which I prefer to anything else I've tried over the years.

[donevwil]

I wanted to love Frogs when they first came out. I ended up switching back to SPDs very quickly. The problem I had was with the ridge on the pedal body that supposedly prevented your heels from rotating inward. Over the course of a ride, my cleats would rotate, making entry and exit a bitch. Some people I know used a dremel to remove the ridges, but I just went back to my SPDs, which I prefer to anything else I've tried over the years.

I had the same experience and too bad, I really liked the feel when clipped in. After Dremelling my Sidis, the lack of lateral cleat adjustment did them in. Shoe to crank clearance, and the pedal's contribution to Q-factor, are dictated by the cleat track location on the shoes.

[djg21]

I had the same experience and too bad, I really liked the feel when clipped in. After Dremelling my Sidis, the lack of lateral cleat adjustment did them in. Shoe to crank clearance, and the pedal's contribution to Q-factor, are dictated by the cleat track location on the shoes.

I raced at Moab in around '93 and tried to use my new Frogs. It rained buckets the night before the race. I walked most of the course through ankle deep red mud because I couldn't get my cleats to engage. I also took a number of falls on the way down Jacob's Ladder after I did engage the cleats and then couldn't exit properly.

I love my Zeros, but the Frogs were awful. I've not found any MTB cleat that works as well as Shimano SPDs.

[donevwil]

I raced at Moab in around '93 and tried to use my new Frogs. It rained buckets the night before the race. I walked most of the course through ankle deep red mud because I couldn't get my cleats to engage. I also took a number of falls on the way down Jacob's Ladder after I did engage the cleats and then couldn't exit properly.

I love my Zeros, but the Frogs were awful. I've not found any MTB cleat that works as well as Shimano SPDs.

I use SPD or everything now, A600 on the road and XT Trail pedals off. The Frogs never made it onto my MTB, so I didn't have the misfortune to share your experience. Most pleasurable road pedal I've ever used were the old X's, but pedal and cleat wear was excessive with my >220# and 4E feet leading to excessive rocking and ankle issues. I understand Paves address that issue to some extent.

[crankles]

I bought a pair and lost many places in a cross race just trying to clip back in to them after the run ups. I try to support US manufacturers and personally love their road pedals, but the Syzr's were awful.

+1. If you race cross stick to egg beaters or Atacs.
all other applications just stick to shimans. SPDs are pretty hard to beat.

[ElHardeen]

Ridden Zeros for years and was quite excited for the Syzr release.

Unfortunately they do have some rather vicious premature release issue, which I found out about when bunnyhopping a pothole and both feet released. Once my balls descended back down from my throat I played with the tension, and even spoke with a Speedplay rep. These are walkable road pedals.

For serious touring/ hike a bike, why not try some proper hiking shoes and flats like the Spike Oozy.

[djg21]

I use SPD or everything now, A600 on the road and XT Trail pedals off. The Frogs never made it onto my MTB, so I didn't have the misfortune to share your experience. Most pleasurable road pedal I've ever used were the old X's, but pedal and cleat wear was excessive with my >220# and 4E feet leading to excessive rocking and ankle issues. I understand Paves address that issue to some extent.

I'm big too -- 6'3" and over 200lbs. I have a EEEE foot, very narrow heel, and some heel and forefoot pronation. I also have a history of knee injuries, reconstructions, and now a TKR.

I used the X pedals when they first came to market. They did wear quickly. In particular, the retention clips in the cleat, which had a round profile, would develop flat spots toward the outside of the cleat. This would result in rocking, and my foot being at a perceptible angle when on the pedal.

I switched to Zeros years ago and haven't had the same issue. The retention clips in the cleats for the Zeros are flat, rather than round, and they don't wear the same way. I also like the adjustable float, as I only use a couple degrees and like to feel more locked in. Exit is also much easier if float is limited.

I have been giving some thought to moving to other pedals, and in particular, the new Powertap pedals. I was hoping there would be a Speedplay-compatible power meter available by now, but my hopes were dashed when Garmin acquired Metrigear and changed the Vector froma Speedplay-based design to Exustar.