Speedplay pedal reviews?

[jmontague]

Looking for thoughts - good and bad - about Speedplay pedals. They are a lot of $$ to give them a try. Look interesting. Thanks in advance.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[dmurphey]

Everyone thinks their fav pedals are a gift from heaven and the others are the work of the devil, so you may not get an unbiased answer, but lots of recreational road riders love Speedplay lollipop pedals. I like all their pedals. They come from a guy with lots of good ideas. They are never on sale or discounted, but they are high quality, long lasting, and rebuildable. The also have different length shafts to fine tune your stance. If you are a serious road racer then Zero's. If you are a normal guy or gal then I like the Light Action w /ti shaft w walkable cleat. I use a bit shorter shaft to get my toes in. It is all good.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by jmontague

Looking for thoughts - good and bad - about Speedplay pedals. They are a lot of $$ to give them a try. Look interesting. Thanks in advance.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I loved my Speedplay Zeros, and if Speedplay made pedals with an integrated power meter, I’d be using them. I switched over to Garmin Vector 3s. If a Speedplay-based system becomes available, I’ll switch back in a minute.

I have a set of zeros (blue) with stainless spindles that I no longer use. You’d need to get cleats, but I’d be happy to sell them. They are in good shape.

Get Zeros and no the “X” model. The retaining clips in the cleat do not wear as quickly as the ones in the Xs. You also can restrict the float so the exit angle is smaller.

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by dmurphey

They come from a guy with lots of good ideas.

Maybe so, but I'm still annoyed that he harassed bebop with enough legal threats that they were forced to sell out and eventually stop production.



That said, speedplay pedals are kind of a love/hate thing. If you like free-float, they're the best game in town. If you don't, you'll feel like you're riding in dress shoes on top of an ice skating rink.

It's pretty easy to find the pedals on the second-hand market. The cleats are fairly expensive on their own, though.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by jmontague

Looking for thoughts - good and bad - about Speedplay pedals. They are a lot of $$ to give them a try. Look interesting. Thanks in advance.

You are looking for road use, right?
If so: Zero over X, for the reasons djg21 already posted.

I used X for decades, before Zeros were available, and the X "ice skating" sensation often bothered me, even as used to it as I was; the Zeros are a big improvement, in the Speedplay form, imo.

I also really love Keywin CRM, but those are a completely different thing compared to Speedplays.

[Matthew]

I love Speedplay pedals. I've been using the stainless spindle version for years and years now. Never one issue after thousands and thousands of miles. I ride the X series and have never felt like I've been on ice. Easy to maintain with a grease gun. Cleats are a little pricey. Beyond that, no negatives for me. Do a search here for other threads. Believe this topic has been discussed before.

[d_douglas]

Man have I got a deal for you

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...ay+specialized

I just sold my Sworks shoes locally and have these pedals left. I have officially switched to Time MTB pedals on all bikes.

That said, these were my first Speedplays and I was impressed. If I switch back to road shoes in the future, I will use Speedplays again. If these don’t sell, they’ll go in a box for a year or two as I decide.

They’re super expensive pedals at the highest end, but the mid range ones like mine seems ok in terms of cost. Now, these ones are a complete bargain!

[Mike V]

Tried Speedplays for a month or so. Hurt my knees when using them. Had their customer service try and help me. Tried everything. Even had Richard Bryne helping me. They ended up refunding me. I couldn't use them without pain but have a lot of respect for them and the customer service.

[simonov]

I rode zeros for years. I liked how they felt when new, but I had issues with cleats wearing prematurely and the pedal bodies wearing over time. When the bodies wear you'll get a rocking feeling and with worn cleats the interface feels sloppy.

[SPOKE]

Been an X series user since at least 2002. If I’m on a road bike then that pedal is installed. I probably have 15 pair installed on bikes. I can tell you that I had to learn trust them though. When you first start using them it feels like you have an ice cube under your foot. Replacement parts are available. I replace cleats about every 18-24 months.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by jmontague

Looking for thoughts - good and bad - about Speedplay pedals. They are a lot of $$ to give them a try. Look interesting. Thanks in advance.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Came from Look to Campag/Look to Campag to SP Zero..
-adjustable float
-'step on a bug', 2 sided entry
-easy maintenance
-small pedal bits available
-most adjustable fore-aft and side to side
-kill one pedal? Buy one pedal

I have used them for about 15 years..won't use any other pedal.
Yes cleats are expensive but the newest walkable don't seem to wear at all...

[El Chaba]

I don't have a dog in the fight as I have used Time in one flavor or another since the late 80's.....My observation form the sidelines is that people who try them either love them or hate them, with a rather large percentage coming down on the love them side. The cleats are finicky/fiddly by any measure.

[unterhausen]

I am only using speedplay X series on my trainer. I really like them, but I have switched to SPD because I need walkable shoes. Speedplay cleats foul really easily. The feeling of walking on ice went away on the first ride for me.

[weiwentg]

Long time user of Xs and now Zeros.

I'll add some downsides:

1. The pedals themselves require much more frequent maintenance than others. You will want to buy a grease gun and regularly inject grease. This isn't that hard, but it is something to do regularly.
2. Also be aware that you need to use dry lube on the cleats periodically. The maintenance may be easy, but you have to do it more often than on other pedals/cleats.
3. The cleats can foul if you step into dirt or sand. Once they get fouled, it's hard to clip in and it can be relatively hard to get the dirt out of the spring mechanism on the ride. This shouldn't be a frequent problem, but be aware.
4. The pedal platform is relatively small. Some people don't like this and think it exerts a lot of pressure on the foot. This may be a non-issue, because the cleat interface is pretty large.
5. They're a bit pricey.

On stance width: while the spindles are a custom order, you can seriously fine tune your stance width on those pedals. Shimano has regular and +4mm spindles for Dura Ace, or regular and -3mm for XTR-9100. Speedplay Zeros come with regular, -3mm, +3mm, +6mm, or +12 (!!) mm on both regular and titanium pedals, i.e. the mid and top level pedals. If you have a wide stance, you may want to take note of this. I know this may not affect a lot of people, but this can really help with knee alignment.

[Elefantino]

I have used X-2 pedals since 1999. I still have the original pair, rebuilt once, on my Serotta (which I rode yesterday).

Tried the Zeros (two different times) but my particular needs require the 28 degrees of float with the X-2s. Actually, I tried an X-2 on one foot and the Zero on the other but it was just weird.

I use Keep On Kovers on my cleats and rotate four pairs of shoes so my cleats last for years.