SPD bad, Look/Time Good??

928man

Can't remember why exactly why but I fitted SPD pedals on my first proper road bike, then found nearly everyone else was using Look system. I've never had any problems & like being able to walk around off the bike, so question is - what's wrong with SPD, what's good about Look systems, what do you prefer / recommend & why. And what about Speedplay, any good for road bikers?

Lagavulin

I don't compete or anything like that and find SPDs more than adequate for my needs. I've got them on all three bikes at the minute (flats on the cheapo full-susser that I no longer count and only sees daylight in monsoons).

To me, as well as commonality across my bikes, they're double-sided, easy to clip-in/out of and they have the added advantage in that you don't look like a complete tit when trying to walk in them. I think I could be tempted by Speedplays but it'd be another two sets of shoes (good weather + bad weather), a set of overshoes and two sets of pedals.

Anyway, my rubbish legs are by far the weakest link in the following equation;

My legs/feet + Spesh MTB Expert Carbon shoes + XTR M970 SPD's + Wilier Izoard

always_tyred

Speedplays -

- impossible to pull out of under power
- truly free float
- double sided
- maximum entertainment for work colleagues when entering lobby on a rainy day

bobpzero

ive had the spd single&double sided pedals on my "cheap as monkeys" raleigh (last of the steel) road bike, never a problem until tension kept loosning itself tho probably no excuse for buying a pair of speedplay zeros. anyways it will be interesting if the speedplay zeros will hold up to the almost 5 star reviews once i get some long rides done with them.

a set of overshoes

i hav goretex waterproof socks - only walkd the wet mourne mts with them and they are well good. unlike my endura aerowellies after 35miles in the wet my feet were drenched, used them before in the wet on a 19mile & no problems.

redddraggon

When you talk about SPD-SLs what are you classing them as "Look (type)"? or "SPD"

Rich-Ti

Time aren't on the Poll list but that's what I'd have gone for

Lagavulin

bobpzero wrote:

a set of overshoes

i hav goretex waterproof socks

I bet they weren't cheap. I currently dont use overshoes. I use Sealskinz waterproof socks with my MTB shoes but I was advised if I was to go down the road shoes avenue that a decent set of overshoes was almost an essential. :?

I don'k know. I'd like to try Speedplays but I'm essentially a recreational cyclist. Money spent on running multiple pedal setups for marginal performance gains seems a poor investing (for me) when that could be money spent on yet another wheelset, more clothes/kit, or even towards yet another bike.

z000m

spd will win this vote not because theyre the best but because theyre the most popular.
i find with mtb shoes my spd pedals are fine but with proper road shoes they can be quite tricky to get into, i also think this is were the other systems will be better.

simbil1

I have no problem getting into my Ritchey's with a 'proper' road shoe and they give me the option of putting the shoes on in transition and clipping in on the road as I can just about jog around with spd road shoes. This saves me a few seconds in T1.
I think SPDs are best bang for buck in terms of weight and utility. I wasn't impressed with the SPD-SLs I used earlier this season though the newer metal cleats may make the system better.
I find the power transfer is just as good with SPDs - my times certainly haven't dropped off since racing in them.

I think some cyclists will find the idea of SPDs on a road bike just plain wrong and I think that could be because of the strong traditions running through road cycling rather than any real performance reason.

always_tyred

I agree that all of the guff that manufacturers feed us about pedal platform size makes no difference to normal cyclists. If you put cleats on a pair of flip flops, you might get a difference in power transfer efficiency, but road shoes that don't flex anyway?