SPD-esque pedals with float?

UndercoverElephant

TGOTB wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

SPD pedals can either have no float, or a float of 8 degrees. The floating ones also slightly self-centre, and the zero-point always points straight ahead, meaning that you really can only use them if your knees will allow it.

The Speedplay ones seem to have the same, 8 degree float or fixed options, but you can set the zero point to whatever your knee finds most comfortable.

Surely the zero point of SPDs can be adjusted by rotating the cleat?

Really? I always thought the bolts would only go in straight. The only adjustments which seem to work are fore-aft and side to side:



Doesn't seem much of a way to rotate them.

lost_in_thought

You can rotate them, loosen off the bolts and pull the cleat around, then re-tighten.

It's not by much, but it is possible.

nicklouse

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Doesn't seem much of a way to rotate them.

as the slots that they fit into in the shoe allow "some" rotational positioning.

spasypaddy

Il Principe wrote:

Mmm those Speedplays look an interesting proposition. Be nice to rid my Kinesis of its only Shimano components.

yeah if i got a bike that was designed to get dirty id get some when they come out.

lost_in_thought

The speedplays do look great, alas they rather remove the option of using normal shoes...

When are they coming out?


As far as the float on SPDs...

Some are saying they do have float, some say it's 4 degrees, some say it's 8 degrees, some say they don't have float at all!

I'm so confused!

The ones I'm using at present definitely don't have float... and I don't think it's because the cage is in the way!

EDIT: I looked on the Shimano website, no mention was made of any float in any of the documents relating to SPDs.

cee

lost_in_thought wrote:

The Time ones with the flat platform bit look quite good - I've currently got one-sided SPDs as I often have to cycle to meetings in normal shoes.

Do they have float too? And how much? And are they one-sided or two-sided?

My mate del says that they give both rotational and side to side float....

his are double sided...not sure if theres a single side/platform on the other...

UndercoverElephant

nicklouse wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Doesn't seem much of a way to rotate them.

as the slots that they fit into in the shoe allow "some" rotational positioning.

Ah, gotcha. The only SPD shoes I had were Lidl ones, and the bits the bolts went into didn't move independently. I can see that if they did, you would have some limited movement.

spasypaddy

what do you mean using normal shoes? they work with MTB shoes like any other 2 bolt mountain bike pedal :?

so confused.

release date i have no idea, nothing concrete on them yet. sources say they will be announced at interbike though

lost_in_thought

spasypaddy wrote:

what do you mean using normal shoes? they work with MTB shoes like any other 2 bolt mountain bike pedal :?

so confused.

release date i have no idea, nothing concrete on them yet. sources say they will be announced at interbike though

Normal shoes as in shoes that don't take cleats at all, as in not cycling shoes.

Like work shoes.

Or trainers.

spasypaddy

i have no doubt that there will be some kind of flat attachment for them.

lost_in_thought

This is an informative table, courtesy of Speedplay...

http://speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... mtbcompare

EDIT: alas, I can't find any of the shimano pedals they mention...

lost_in_thought

Also - speedplay frogs? Any good?

jairaj

I have Shimano M520 pedals on my MTB / commuter bike with SH-51 cleats. And they definitely have rotational float (no idea on actual figure).

Maybe change your pedal and get some of those plastic platforms that you can attach to SPD pedals for when you want to use normal shoes. I think the plastic platforms come as standard with the pedals but not sure?

spasypaddy

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also - speedplay frogs? Any good?

the new ones are coming in to replace them

lost_in_thought

spasypaddy wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also - speedplay frogs? Any good?

the new ones are coming in to replace them

OK, got it, but the Frogs look like they'd be far better for use with non-cleat shoes than the new ones.

spasypaddy

i think if you used them with non cleated shoes you could damage the top part that the cleat connects to as you could compress the metal.

I dont know tbh.

Speedplay tend to bring out add ons to turn their pedals into flats, so they may well do that for the new ones as well.

Otherwise get some egg beaters for float

Clever Pun

cee wrote:

A mate of mine uses Time Atac pedals and swears by them because they allow a fair bit of float.

mtb style cleat...

yep I use them too, they're excellent

Underscore

Clever Pun wrote:

cee wrote:

A mate of mine uses Time Atac pedals and swears by them because they allow a fair bit of float.

mtb style cleat...

yep I use them too, they're excellent

+1. Got Aliums on the MTB and the commuter and ROCs on the road bike. They're great.

_

OldSkoolKona

Underscore wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

cee wrote:

A mate of mine uses Time Atac pedals and swears by them because they allow a fair bit of float.

mtb style cleat...

yep I use them too, they're excellent

+1. Got Aliums on the MTB and the commuter and ROCs on the road bike. They're great.

_

Another +1

Have a dodge right knee and never had any problems since I switced to Time ATACs from SPDs on my mtb and got the equivalent for the road bike. Currently borrowing a bike that has road SPDs and knee twinge has come back.

lost_in_thought

With the time ones, does anyone know if the ones with the platform are the same float-wise as the ATACs?

dUNC

jairaj wrote:

I have Shimano M520 pedals on my MTB / commuter bike with SH-51 cleats. And they definitely have rotational float (no idea on actual figure)

Same here. I was initially confused by the title of the thread as I didn't realise you got SPDs that didn't have float.

lost_in_thought

jairaj wrote:

I have Shimano M520 pedals on my MTB / commuter bike with SH-51 cleats. And they definitely have rotational float (no idea on actual figure).

Maybe change your pedal and get some of those plastic platforms that you can attach to SPD pedals for when you want to use normal shoes. I think the plastic platforms come as standard with the pedals but not sure?

OK, having had M520s for some time, I agree there is some movement between cleat and pedal, which I would describe more as looseness than float.

The ones I have at the moment have no float whatsoever, nor any movement/looseness.

Although I could use M520s, I would much prefer to have something with a platform as well, due to the work shoes cycling, and those plastic clip-on platforms are dreadful things - I've used them before. Slippery, very hard to get on and off the pedal, and impede clipping in from the other side.

Canny Jock

I agree that 520's have loads of float, unless I don't know exactly what float is (quite possible). I went for road Speedplays to get a similar effect.

LiT, you could try the M424's, they are similar to the 520's, double sided but with platforms too. You can ride them short distances (couple of miles) in normal shoes, but I wouldn't like to go much further.

jonginge

These are the ones I had:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Shima ... 360031862/

Says 6degree float in the description

jeepie

Those speedplay ones look ace. From the pictures it looks like they are recessed so you'll be able to walk in them without face planting.... do others agree? If so I'm getting some for my MTB and fixed bike (when I get the latter)

biondino

How about toe-clips?

lost_in_thought

@Blondie: How about no?

So, I repositioned my cleats and would the clip on the SPDs all the way to 'loose' which seems to have given me some wiggle room. This made my knee pain less ouchy, but hasn't removed it.

Grr. Maybe I was wrong about it being the pedals.

Anyhow, I'm off to Germany for 4 days. If anyone's in Mayfair check on my bike! I had to leave it there friday... I hope it's OK. :?

Maybe rest will fix my knees.

stuaff

lost_in_thought wrote:

@Blondie: How about no?

So, I repositioned my cleats and would the clip on the SPDs all the way to 'loose' which seems to have given me some wiggle room. This made my knee pain less ouchy, but hasn't removed it.

Grr. Maybe I was wrong about it being the pedals.

Anyhow, I'm off to Germany for 4 days. If anyone's in Mayfair check on my bike! I had to leave it there friday... I hope it's OK. :?

Maybe rest will fix my knees.

Auf wiedersehen!
Hopefully the tweaks to the cleats etc will have the desired effect for the knee pain. Rest will certainly help in the meantime. Might take a while though, but hopefully quicker than my recovery. Most of my scrapes etc healed fairly quickly, but my knuckles have only healed up in the last couple of days, and the prang was back on the 25th. Ten days off the bike....aaaargh.

jonginge

lost_in_thought wrote:

With the time ones, does anyone know if the ones with the platform are the same float-wise as the ATACs?

Just saw this. If you mean the RXS or iclic ranges of pedals then yes they have both lateral and rotaional float. I've got RXS on all my bikes bar the peugoet. That's got spuds but I'm getting on fine commuting with the RXSs on the Pearson...

Have a good trip.

jonginge

JonGinge wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

With the time ones, does anyone know if the ones with the platform are the same float-wise as the ATACs?

Just saw this. If you mean the RXS or iclic ranges of pedals then yes they have both lateral and rotaional float. I've got RXS on all my bikes bar the peugoet. That's got spuds but I'm getting on fine commuting with the RXSs on the Pearson...

Have a good trip.

Of course the RXS are 3-bolt cleat so wouldn't be compatible with the sandals...