Speedplay pedal reviews?

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Back in the day I raced on the X series (stainless steel axle), although my 6' 5" @ 220# didn't cause a problem my size 50 X-wide feet did. I was unable to get lollipop under the center of pressure in stock configuration, only options were to either replace cleats 4 - 5 times a year due to excessive rocking or buy longer spindles.

This what pedal spacers are designed for:




These are a common for stance width adjustment, and not too expensive (typically about $10 a pair).

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by berserk87

The thing that I ABSOLUTELY HATE about them is that I break cleat springs like it's my job. I break them about once every 2 months, if not sooner. I've saved them all for some reason and thought about mailing them back to Speedplay. I have dozens of them.

I've heard about spring breakage from several people, but I've never experienced it myself in about 25 years of using X pedals. The springs wear faster than I might like, but I've never broken one. But even the faster wear is acceptable trade-off for the much easier pedal entry than Zero pedals.

[denapista]

Originally Posted by the bottle ride

I think speedplay pedals are great-
My only complaint is the cleats. I think they lack off the bike durability - otherwise so light and wonderful.

If you're running speedplay pedals and aren't using these things..... As soon as I install the cleats, I glue these on. They're supposed to stay on with pressure, but it's better to add 2-3 dabs of glue on the underside. I've had cleats for over a year and when you remove the Keep On covers, the cleats look brand new...

The speedplay version is hot garbage.

[Matthew]

Weird, I've never broken a spring in 20 plus years of using them. Never had to rebuild either. Maybe I should look into that but no creaking etc. Do have a little rocking but nothing I really notice unless I try to rock my shoe back and forth. Pedals just don't look like they have a lot of wear. I'd also like to try Shimano pedals to see what I'd prefer.

[weiwentg]

Originally Posted by denapista

...

The ability to rebuild them is why I keep them around, but lately I've been having creaking issues. It's my right power stroke too... When I get out of the saddle I get a creak, and I suspect cleat wear. I'm going to buy a new pair of cleats and see if the creaking goes away.
...

Point of information: one time a creak on my bike was actually my X-series pedals having gone too long without grease.

I realized that after all that writing, I haven't actually given thoughts.

You will need to do a lot more maintenance than on other pedals, e.g. SPD-SLs. The tasks themselves are pretty easy: lube cleats with a dry lube (e.g. White Lightning, but then you have one bottle of WL that's useless for everything else), get a grease gun and inject grease every few thousand miles. If you lose track of that, I suspect you can wear down the pedal body faster, and get the rocking symptoms others mentioned. The tasks themselves aren't hard, but not everyone is willing to put up with the additional fuss in the context of everything else they need to do to their bikes. Also, the cleats can be sensitive to fouling, as I mentioned.

If you are willing to do this, I think they're good pedals for a lot of people. The X-series were really love them or hate them. The Zeroes feel pretty different from the Xs. They don't feel like you're free floating. Whatever the case, the double sided entry is very nice and easy. There's no fuss with flipping your pedal over. If you're willing to do the maintenance, they're a very durable pedal. I had a pair of used Xs for 12 years, and I honestly wasn't that good about maintaining them.

I know some people say the small platform doesn't feel secure, and I can't discount their perceptions. However, I don't think it's necessarily an issue with stiff soles. The Zeroes do have a pretty low stack height, and it seems like this can't hurt.

Most people may not need the ability to finely adjust your cleat position or spindle length, but the Zeroes have a lot more options for those than other pedals.

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

This what pedal spacers are designed for:


These are a common for stance width adjustment, and not too expensive (typically about $10 a pair).

Sweet! I first didnt realize these pedals came in longer spindle lengths, so i started pondering trying longer ones to fix my issues. This seems like a much cheaper way to try out. Thanks!

[donevwil]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

This what pedal spacers are designed for:




These are a common for stance width adjustment, and not too expensive (typically about $10 a pair).

Looks like ~15mm? Way too much for my needs. I needed 5mm max, these would have destroyed my Q factor. But yes, cheap enough to try before buying longer axles.

[John H.]

This version is also hot garbage, they don't stay on.
I bought some, promptly lost them but found one (only one).
I re-rodered a set thinking it was my fault. I was super careful about how I installed them- On the next ride, one of them came off during a climb (where I was doing a block of tempo)- It jingled around on my pedal spindle until I finished.
Got home and hit the Amazon return button!

Originally Posted by denapista

If you're running speedplay pedals and aren't using these things..... As soon as I install the cleats, I glue these on. They're supposed to stay on with pressure, but it's better to add 2-3 dabs of glue on the underside. I've had cleats for over a year and when you remove the Keep On covers, the cleats look brand new...

The speedplay version is hot garbage.

[denapista]

You must have missed the part where I said "Add 2-3 dabs of glue to keep them on?"

A molded piece of plastic isn't going to stay on when all of the force is applied. I add 2-3 dabs of tubular or super glue and they stay on at all times. Shops in LA sell them and the sentiment from all users is to add dabs of super glue.. When you push down on the pedal, the spring/force wiggles them loose if they're not secured.

A little ingenuity is all ya need with those!

It's like adding electrical tape to the end of your bar tape.. We do it for more strength right? Electrical tape doesn't come in you bar tape packaging. Not all bike products are perfect without a little ingenuity.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by John H.

This version is also hot garbage, they don't stay on.
I bought some, promptly lost them but found one (only one).
I re-rodered a set thinking it was my fault. I was super careful about how I installed them- On the next ride, one of them came off during a climb (where I was doing a block of tempo)- It jingled around on my pedal spindle until I finished.
Got home and hit the Amazon return button!

Speedplay now sells Zero Walkable cleats, in which the cover is designed as an integral part of the cleat. These covers won't fall off, and are shaped better for walking than add-on covers. These cleats also come with special plug (not shown below) that snaps into the cleat cavity to protect the inner workings of the cleat when walking.

[denapista]

I think it's preference when it comes to cleat covers... There's a thread on this forum where people were complaining of losing the Speedplay version as well..

[Tony]

Originally Posted by Matthew

Weird, I've never broken a spring in 20 plus years of using them. Never had to rebuild either. Maybe I should look into that but no creaking etc. Do have a little rocking but nothing I really notice unless I try to rock my shoe back and forth. Pedals just don't look like they have a lot of wear. I'd also like to try Shimano pedals to see what I'd prefer.

Same, over 20 years never broke a spring before switching to Zeros?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by denapista

I think it's preference when it comes to cleat covers... There's a thread on this forum where people were complaining of losing the Speedplay version as well..

I lost one and called SP to order a new pair..they sent me a new pair gratis...

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I've heard about spring breakage from several people, but I've never experienced it myself in about 25 years of using X pedals. The springs wear faster than I might like, but I've never broken one. But even the faster wear is acceptable trade-off for the much easier pedal entry than Zero pedals.

Yeah, I wish I knew what was happening. I rode them for 10 years and had a similar experience. I actually wore some cleats out honestly back then. I had 6 or 7 years where I didn't ride a lot or rode the MTB most of the time, and didn't really wear out or break anything. After that time (2013?), I came back into road cycling hot and heavy and now I break them all of the time.

I wish I could pinpoint what was going on. I could say that maybe it's my technique when clipping in or out, but I don't think that it's changed over the years.

I get breakages predominantly on my left cleat (which is my "healthy" leg - not one that I had a zillion injuries to), but I do break them on the right side too on occasion.

[CAAD]

I have 2 sets of zeros and set of the pave. I couldn't imagine using anything else at this point. No fiddling, just put your foot down and clip in. I have had great luck with the speedplay walkable cleats, never lost one. Have to use shims to make sure the cleat is completely flat on the shoe. I use the finish line speedplay aerosol spray every few rides. I keep the cleats clean and wipe the pedals down also. Re grease every couple months.