Best pedals you have used/would recommend?

Gabbo

Am looking to purchase some new pedals with my new bike which is due to arrive from Canyon in about 2 weeks. I am unsure of which ones to go for, so I am asking for your opinions on pedals you use, how they perform, how long the cleats last, and whether they were good value for money.

Some I'm considering are:

Speedplay Zero
Look Keo Blade
Time Xpresso

Not sure of many others, but these are the ones I am considering. Opinions on these welcome.

Thanks

Anonymous

Used Look and Shimano. Would never use Look again - my housemate also converted to Shimano after using mine.

The float on look is SO slippery that it does give that 'dancing on ice' feeling. Shimano is a lot stiffer so the cleat can twist but it doesn't 'wobble' it just smoothly twists to match your foot position.

ride_whenever

what are you using them for.

thegreatdivide

coriordan wrote:

Used Look and Shimano. Would never use Look again - my housemate also converted to Shimano after using mine.

The float on look is SO slippery that it does give that 'dancing on ice' feeling. Shimano is a lot stiffer so the cleat can twist but it doesn't 'wobble' it just smoothly twists to match your foot position.

Basically what you're saying is you didn't have them set up properly and you weren't using the correct cleat colour.

Gabbo

ride_whenever wrote:

what are you using them for.

Just general riding. I'm not racing or anything of such. Would like a decent pair, though

ride_whenever

speedplay, they're the kookie left of field option...

But the shoes are far more important than the pedals in my experience. I'd rather ride a set of m520 mtb spd pedals paired with some top end sidis than the best road pedals with something floppy.

Gabbo

Footwear is a more complicating one imo. Obviously depends on the shape of our feet, but I have considered some Bont A2's. My feet are a little wide, but not excessively so. I hear that the Sidi's are quite narrow. The Specialized Comp shoes and Expert are not, as they've fit me quite well in the past. They seem a little high though

iPete

XT SPD. Bombproof, smoother than the cheaper but also bombproof m520 and will go for many many thousands of miles.

Am also using Ultegra SPD-SL but only because I wanted Bont A3 shoes. Kind of wish I got Bont Vaypor XC to run SPDs.

ride_whenever

But riding fixed you want spds as they're more tolerant for skidzors.

My point was you need a decent pair of shoes first and foremost so buy some decent shoes and then chose the pedals.

northpole

My current joint favourites are:

Shimano Dura-Ace - good platform, bomb proof reliability, significantly more robust cleats than Look

Look Keo Blades (Carbon/Ti) - These are my favourite pedals - slightly better platform than the DA's, freer spinning bearings (longevity not yet tested but my previous Keo Carbons were fine). The only down side with Look that I have found is that the cleats are not nearly as robust as Shimano.

If you are having to accommodate alot of commuting with your pedals, I'd go for the more robust Shimano; otherwise the Look Blades get my vote.

My previous criticism of Look pedals was that I found them a sod to clip into away from the lights - the blades are now as easy to use as the DA pedals.

Peter

MattC59

Ultegra spd on my winter bike, Ultegra carbon spd on my nice bike. They just work.

Why didn't you add shimano to the poll ?

Gabbo

MattC59 wrote:

Ultegra spd on my winter bike, Ultegra carbon spd on my nice bike. They just work.

Why didn't you add shimano to the poll ?

Sorry, completely forgot!

Gabbo

Added shimano to the poll!

iPete

ride_whenever wrote:

But riding fixed you want spds as they're more tolerant for skidzors.

My point was you need a decent pair of shoes first and foremost so buy some decent shoes and then chose the pedals.

Fixied my sig

Echo the above, my perfect combo would be SPD and super stiff shoes.

crikey

Pedals have a hard life, so I never bother with top of the range ones; they just get as battered as any other.

Shimano 105 seems to suit me.

mroli

Shimano spd sl 105s. Can't justify spending more as these are great. In fact, the entry level SPD SLs are good as well!

TheHound

Chainreactioncycles has Ultegra SPD SL pedals at 45% off. Just ordered some myself.

stueys

Shim dura ace for me. Spin nicely, light and fairly bullet proof.

waterford123

Been using Speedplay since 2002, they are great for me as my left leg is a bit stupid ergo my left foot turns in with the heel pointing outwards, with the float the pedals offer my foot lies where it feels the most comfortable and i'm not pushing against springs like I used to with Looks. Time were good but Speedplay are the cats pyjamas for float.

wishitwasallflat

Speedplay Zero - there is no alternative!

Rod11

Look keo blades for me, but as was previously mentioned, the cleats don't last nearly as long as shimanos. For a cheaper alternative, I used the shimano R540s for years and they were great.

Markjaspi

Mistake there, I meant speedplays, just bought some after using SPD for months and they are awesome.

bernithebiker

Look Keo Blade Carbon/Ti, 185g, work very well.

But the bearing s need regularly attention - mine squeak a bit if I don't grease them up every few months.

Fortunately, it's very easy to do, the whole axle just slides out and you can access the cartridge and needle bearings.

Wheelspinner

I vote Speedplay for all reasons above, BUT they have some downsides:

Cleats are seriously expensive, so if you plan on doing any walking about at all, get the Coffee Stop covers. Walking in them without the covers is dodgy anyway, very slippery.

They do need more cleaning and maintenance than most pedal/cleat combos to work best.

They have a 4 bolt mounting, so for *most* shoes you need the adaptor plate to fit them to a 3 bolt sole. No big deal, but just something to keep in mind. Also, I found them a bit less than a perfect match in terms or sole curvature on the shoe. They do provide you some shims to help it fit as closely as possible, but still can be a bit iffy on some shoes.

But functionally I love them on the bikes.

I've had various Look and Time models, Ritchey too, but never used Shimano ones.

goonz

Markjaspi wrote:

Mistake there, I meant speedplays, just bought some after using SPD for months and they are awesome.

I am thinking of making this switch too, what was the reason for your switch and did you have any knee pains with your SPD?

Has this now been relieved by the Speedplays?

racingcondor

Personally I've been very happy with the Speedplays I'm using now. They're expensive to buy and take some care (regular lubing of the bearings and pedal/cleat interface) and I expect to rebuild them every 18 months but I've found the cleats last pretty well and the adjustability is just better than everything else.

It sounds a bit like your useage will be less than mine though so I think SPD's and a set of good shoes would do you well unless you get knee pain when I'd suggest the more stable platform of a road setup. SPD's are much less fuss than road pedals/shoes as you can do odd things in them like walking and doing the shopping on the bike if you want...

goonz

racingcondor wrote:

Personally I've been very happy with the Speedplays I'm using now. They're expensive to buy and take some care (regular lubing of the bearings and pedal/cleat interface) and I expect to rebuild them every 18 months but I've found the cleats last pretty well and the adjustability is just better than everything else.

It sounds a bit like your useage will be less than mine though so I think SPD's and a set of good shoes would do you well unless you get knee pain when I'd suggest the more stable platform of a road setup. SPD's are much less fuss than road pedals/shoes as you can do odd things in them like walking and doing the shopping on the bike if you want...

I've also read that Speedplays require a lot more maintenance than other pedals. what do you mean by 'rebuild'?

I get knee pain in my right knee either over exertion but mainly when climbing. Do you suggest road pedals will help with that?

waterford123

The main bit of maintenance I've given my Speedplays over the years is keeping them full of grease. Get a decent grease gun and I use this stuff http://www.rocklube.com/super_web.htm.

EPO Delivery Man

Ive been using Time iClic 2's since they came out, been great. Found them easier than Shimanos for getting in and out off, but its all relative to how confident you feel about riding clipless.

HasselHough

wishitwasallflat wrote:

Speedplay Zero - there is no alternative!

^ this.

TOM14S

I wrote my opinions about pedals in the topic below.
Includes more info for you:
viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12898946