The road pedal debate

gb155

Double sided SPDs for all my bikes

ligfietser

Three bicycles, three different systems:
- Speedplay Frog
- Speedplay X
- Bebop

Bebop is the best, but even harder to get than the other two. I commute with any bike I like to ride on that day.

Walter

Mountainboy2465

I started on Time in the 80's and have stuck with them for road & MTB mostly, I have had a few Look set ups too and a brief go with Ritchey SPD types.

Recently (very) gone with Egg Beaters as CRC are doing them for silly money, they are very Time-like in the engagement & float and I cannot at the moment find fault with them.

I have not got hold of a set of 3 hole cleats yet and tried them on a road shoe yet though.

navt

chuckcork wrote:

I'd say riding without being clipped in is actually more dangerous, just consider the consequences of feet slipping on wet pedals in heavy traffic! Clipped in you have complete control of your ability to move forwards, you can accelerate harder, pedal with one foot, reverse pedal to get the crank angle set for take off at lights and so on.

Unless of course, like this morning, some fellow cyclist crashes into you and you lose your balance as your right foot is still clipped in. Thanks buddy!

Headhuunter

navt wrote:

chuckcork wrote:

I'd say riding without being clipped in is actually more dangerous, just consider the consequences of feet slipping on wet pedals in heavy traffic! Clipped in you have complete control of your ability to move forwards, you can accelerate harder, pedal with one foot, reverse pedal to get the crank angle set for take off at lights and so on.

Unless of course, like this morning, some fellow cyclist crashes into you and you lose your balance as your right foot is still clipped in. Thanks buddy!

After my bike crash I was told by the physio that clipless are considered safer than clip and strap pedals, as they release your feet in emergencies more easily than clipped pedals. When tightened, clip pedals do not release your feet resulting in muscle pulls or strained/broken ankles in a high speed accident.

gabriel959

I am about to click buy for some new Time I-Clics - apparently the best pedal on the market!

DonDaddyD

The shape of time pedals scare me.

If there is no real functional difference between Look Keo pedals and Shimano SPD-sl then I may make the switch to Keo pedals for the lack of weight alone.

But Speedplay pedals have my curiousity...

jonginge

DonDaddyD wrote:

The shape of time pedals scare me.

You scare easy.

The i-clics tempted me but they're not compatible with the RXS cleats I've got on most of my shoes...

londonlivvy

Are eggbeater pedals compatible with SPD cleats? The Eggbeater cleats look very similar.

So far I've got SPDs on all my bikes as I've one pair of shoes andi t makes sense. But I think the eggbeater is lighter, slightly?

Other than 200g of weight, is there any real performance advantage in me upgrading to, say, Carbon Look Keos?

Headhuunter

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but has anyone noticed how the price of pedals has shot up in the past few years? I know all cycling stuff has increased but I bought a pair of Ultegra SPD SL pedals in late 07 for about £50 from Wiggle, now they appear to be nearer the £100 or so mark, although I haven't checked thoroughly, I just noticed when I was in Condor recently. The price seems to have almost doubled in a matter of 2 years!

DonDaddyD

Headhuunter wrote:

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but has anyone noticed how the price of pedals has shot up in the past few years? I know all cycling stuff has increased but I bought a pair of Ultegra SPD SL pedals in late 07 for about £50 from Wiggle, now they appear to be nearer the £100 or so mark, although I haven't checked thoroughly, I just noticed when I was in Condor recently. The price seems to have almost doubled in a matter of 2 years!

That's nothing. I'm sure back in 2008 I paid something like £7 for my shimano spd-sl cleats. Now I'm looking at £20.

jonginge

londonlivvy wrote:

Are eggbeater pedals compatible with SPD cleats? The Eggbeater cleats look very similar.

So far I've got SPDs on all my bikes as I've one pair of shoes andi t makes sense. But I think the eggbeater is lighter, slightly?

Other than 200g of weight, is there any real performance advantage in me upgrading to, say, Carbon Look Keos?

Mechanical advantage through reduced stack height*, probably. Not sure about the Keos but Time and Speedplay make a reasonably sized thing of this (as well as improved float) over the competition.

Careful, though. If you've got sensitive knees you'll need to lower your saddle by a couple of mm if you reduce the stack.

* distance of foot joint above pedal axle

gabriel959

DonDaddyD wrote:

The shape of time pedals scare me.

If there is no real functional difference between Look Keo pedals and Shimano SPD-sl then I may make the switch to Keo pedals for the lack of weight alone.

But Speedplay pedals have my curiousity...

According to reviews the I-CLICs are the easiest pedals to clip in (better than speedplay).

There are some advantages of the SPD-SL (more so if you got Ultegra pedals) over Keo. I recommend you to go and read some reviews!

rolf_f

gabriel959 wrote:

There are some advantages of the SPD-SL (more so if you got Ultegra pedals) over Keo. I recommend you to go and read some reviews!

So what are they? Any links?

gabriel959

Quick pros list from what I can gather

Looks:
-Lightest - classic pedals are £42 and weight less than Dura Aces
-Excellent bearings (mind the problems with the new 2 Max pedals)
-slightly cheaper cleats and more float choice, cleat covers

Shimano SPD-SLs
-Wider platform for Ultegra 6700
-cleat last longer
-cleats don't squeak if dirty

there are more things but you will have to investigate am afraid. Speedplays are a no-no for me, for the next few reasons:

hotspots
crappy bearings
small platform
expensive in general

sure there are advantages to them but the hotspot problem is a basic no-go for me!

spasypaddy

havent posted in a while but here comes my 2p worth.
i started with:
MTB SPDs - great basic, starter pedal, perfect for commuting
then i moved onto
Egg beaters - was drawn in by the design, love them, too much float though didnt feel attached to the bike
so i went back to the MTB SPDs however as i developed my power i managed to pull my feet out of the SPDs even with the tightest setting and new cleats. i dont know anyone else whos managed this though.

So then i decided to make the switch to road pedals, got a very cheap and basic pair of Look PP206 they were simple to use even though single sided. Then i started commuting into central london so went back to the SPDs and would change the pedals over at the weekend.

Eventually i got a commuting bike and the SPDs stuck on that and i got a better paid of Looks which had adjustable float on a screw on the pedal. After a few months i decided that i was just going to go for the road pedals across the board so had a pair of looks on each bike.

Then i found out about speedplays. I currently have two bikes with a set of speedplays on each bike and i cant see myself changing pedal system ever again.

The cleats are expensive, but they last me 3 if not 4 times longer than the cleats on my looks. I have no problem walking in these cleats and have coffee covers (but dont always use them). I used to slip in my look cleats all the time.


What you want in a pedal for commuting is:
easy in and out
double sided
long lasting cleats
good power transfer

What you look for in a weekend/leisure pedal (for a road user):
easy in and out
good power transfer
Low stack height
decent bearings

What the speedplay pedals offer are all of the above in one package. I never found any of my other pedals to offer that and i used them extensively. I use them on my carbon road bike and my steel fixie. I could never get clipped in on a single sided pedal on my fixie which was one of the reasons i looked at the speedplays.

Essentially what im saying is if you can afford speedplays get them if not save up.

jonginge

gabriel959 wrote:

Speedplays are a no-no for me, for the next few reasons:

hotspots
crappy bearings
small platform
expensive in general

sure there are advantages to them but the hotspot problem is a basic no-go for me!

I'm interested. Is the above through personal experience? The whole speedplay idea was to make the pedal the cleat and vice versa. The speedplay cleat is a wide platform over which the load is spread so hotspots shouldn't be a problem... :?

spasypaddy

yeah jon i got hotspots on all pedals apart from the speedplays. another reason why i stuck to them.

il_principe

JonGinge wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

Speedplays are a no-no for me, for the next few reasons:

hotspots
crappy bearings
small platform
expensive in general

sure there are advantages to them but the hotspot problem is a basic no-go for me!

I'm interested. Is the above through personal experience? The whole speedplay idea was to make the pedal the cleat and vice versa. The speedplay cleat is a wide platform over which the load is spread so hotspots shouldn't be a problem... :?

Just goes to show how diff people can have such massively diff experiences... IMHO Speedplay has a large platform, excellent bearings - no probs with mine and I've had em for over 2 years. I've never had hotspots either. Also worth pointing out that Speedplay pedals are fully rebuildable and easily serviced.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes, and the lack of cleat wear may well mean you end up saving money.

always_tyred

Il Principe wrote:

Just goes to show how diff people can have such massively diff experiences... IMHO Speedplay has a large platform, excellent bearings - no probs with mine and I've had em for over 2 years. I've never had hotspots either. Also worth pointing out that Speedplay pedals are fully rebuildable and easily serviced.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes, and the lack of cleat wear may well mean you end up saving money.

Not fully serviceable - the needle bearings in the pedal body can break (I've broken 2) and that's the pedal irreprably knackered as far as I'm aware.

I also find that no matter how often I grease them, I get some play in the pedal after a few thousand miles.

They would be the perfect road pedal if only you could replace those damn bearings.

gabriel959

Always Tyred wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Just goes to show how diff people can have such massively diff experiences... IMHO Speedplay has a large platform, excellent bearings - no probs with mine and I've had em for over 2 years. I've never had hotspots either. Also worth pointing out that Speedplay pedals are fully rebuildable and easily serviced.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes, and the lack of cleat wear may well mean you end up saving money.

Not fully serviceable - the needle bearings in the pedal body can break (I've broken 2) and that's the pedal irreprably knackered as far as I'm aware.

I also find that no matter how often I grease them, I get some play in the pedal after a few thousand miles.

They would be the perfect road pedal if only you could replace those damn bearings.

That is exactly what I have heard from two people. I am going with the I-clics anyway! wish me luck

DonDaddyD

Let me know how you get on with the i-clics, Gab.

bendertherobot

Let's be clear, the speedplays come in pink.

Where else can you get that?

ligfietser

spasypaddy wrote:

Essentially what im saying is if you can afford speedplays get them if not save up.

Take a look at Bebop (VP One) - the advantages of speedplay, but less prone to dirt and wear. Cheaper too. And lighter.

grts, Walter