Roadie pedals. Time for change, but to what?

greg66_tri_v2.0

I use Merckx Podio pedals. Yeah, you've never heard of them. Nor has anyone else. They went out of production about ten years ago. I managed to corner the market in pedals, cleats and shoes. Then.

I've ridden them for over 20 years. I'm now within a couple of years of running out my stocks. And as I *hate* change, I thought I might want to try to ease myself into a new <shudder> pedal system. Slowly. Really slowly.

So, what I'm after is informed pluses and minuses of road pedal and cleat systems. I should confess that I've ridden some SPD-SL pedals a fair amount, and they're ok (subject to one disadvantage they have compared to the Podios, hinted at below). I've owned some Speedplay Zeroes, but sold them on before using them (I'm nothing if not adventurous).

To help focus the pros and cons offered up, it might help to know what I like and dislike about Podios:

Pluses:
Very low cleat stack (about 6mm)
Easy to walk on cleats
Cleat can be adjusted fore/aft and left/right on the shoe (a benefit on initial set up)
Can apply full downward pressure whilst unclipped without clipping back in. The cleat engages by sliding forward and clipping in either side, not by pressing down and clipping in front rear. This is *very* useful in heavy traffic.
Big platform
Impossible to pull out of by accident unless pedal spring has snapped or cleat busts

Minuses:
Boat anchors
Shoes are boat anchors
Shoes are pre carbon sole days (potentially flexy)
Cleats can bust


I don't know of a pedal system on the market at the moment that doesn't clip in downwards fore and aft (except maybe Keywin, but they're fire to the Podios' frying pan). So my perceived best benefit of the Podios may get left behind. I'm interested in Speedplays, but I'd have three bolt hole shoes so would need the adaptor plate. How much stack does that create? And how badly do Speedplay cleats really wear?

So, what's good and (more importantly) bad about your pedals and cleats?

napoleond

I went from look to speedplay recently. Stack height much lower even with adaptor plate. And they're fab!

greg66_tri_v2.0

OK - but balance: what isn't good about them? If you're riding in conditions where you have to clip in and out a lot, and push off from standing starts, how do they perform? And have you tried them with the grimly named Keep On Kovers in place full time to reduce cleat wear and aid grip on the ground (whether for walking or pushing off)?

napoleond

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

OK - but balance: what isn't good about them? If you're riding in conditions where you have to clip in and out a lot, and push off from standing starts, how do they perform? And have you tried them with the grimly named Keep On Kovers in place full time to reduce cleat wear and aid grip on the ground (whether for walking or pushing off)?

Not happened upon owt bad yet. Not used the keep on kovers. I tend to track stand at lights/junctions.

cattytown

Even with the plate, stack is low with Speedplays.

Good about speedplays- Double sided (clip in whichever way the pedal is), Adjustable float (zeros) Low stack.
Bad - not cheap, cleats expensive, bulky cleats to walk in.

The Keep On Kovers are good - they work well, less slippy but do add to bulk. I like to think that engagement is easier.

Paul.

crankycrank

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

I'm interested in Speedplays, but I'd have three bolt hole shoes so would need the adaptor plate. How much stack does that create? And how badly do Speedplay cleats really wear?

Stack height is still minimal with the adapter. Actual thickness can be found but I'm too lazy to do the search. Speedplay cleats seem to last more than almost any other types that I've seen except for the recessed SPD types. SP cleats are not the easiest to walk in and on smooth surfaces are very slippery. You can carry around the special cleat covers for providing more traction (I do) but it's another thing to have to carry around. I'm a very happy SP user mostly due to the free float they provide and don't mind putting up with the walking issues plus they are very durable. Some complain about the cost of SP pedals and cleats but for performance, durability and weight they compare very well to everything else out there. Having said all of that they are not for everyone and maybe not the OP due to the walking issues. Have you looked at the Crank Brothers pedals? Some have wide platforms for staying unclipped and use SPD type cleats which also provide an adapter for road shoes making them a little easier to walk in. They have in the past had problems with durability but possibly the newer versions have fixed this.

trek_dan

Just for balance I hated Speedplays. Impossible to walk in, have to keep checking the screws in the bottom as they can slacken off over time (was a bit paranoid about this after loosing a screw on first ride), plus due to the small surface area of pedal you cant half clip in if your in traffic. In the end I settled for Time Xpresso which are basically the same as SPD-SL but a bit easier to get in and out of and offer more float.
As poster above says sounds as though your best bet may be something like Crank Bros Egg Beaters or just normal SPD.

daviesee

SPD.
You can walk in them.
And clip in and out no problem.
The answer is clear. You just dont like it.

rolf_f

Give Greg an S, give him a P, give him a D.

S P D... G'oooooohhhhhhhh Greg!!!!!

Just get on with it. £20 for the pedals and they are the best option. Doesn't matter where you post this thread, the answer will be the same (unless maybe you post it on Speedplaypedalsarefabforums.co.uk)

cattytown

SPDs are a nice cheap easy option that will do most people quite well. They are not the answer for everyone though.

djhermer

Speedplays. To be fair I've only tried SPD and SPD-SL previously and everything beats SPD-SL which are frankly a ridiculous design and concept.

Speedplay PROS: Double sided, adjustable float, light (if a few grams bothers you), easy engagement/disengagement, easy walking when using covers, don't have to be too expensive if you buy the Chromoly which can be had for around £80 - I have a stainless pair as well as 2 pairs of Chromoly and wouldn't notice the difference.

Speedplay CONS: Cleats are a tad fiddly (and I'm being picky) to fit, bit of maintenance required over other systems (greasing), shit to walk in without the covers.

Conclusion: I've used them for about a year. Very happy. When pushing off I do note that I use the very tip of my shoe so as to avoid pushing off on the cleat. Whereas with Shimanos I just used them as a push pad. Not sure why as I've never experience anything bad, I think i'm just wary that the cleats may be easily damaged. Never have done though.

greg66_tri_v2.0

cattytown wrote:

SPDs are a nice cheap easy option that will do most people quite well. They are not the answer for everyone though.

Daviesee and Rolf F are having a little running joke at my expense. They know I would rather saw off my feet at the ankles with the handle of a knife than ride SPDs. But it's a gag that just seems to keep giving...

dusk

if you want easy to clip into/out of then you want spd's not spd-sl or any other road pedals

greg66_tri_v2.0

dusk wrote:

if you want easy to clip into/out of then you want spd's not spd-sl or any other road pedals

Easy clip in/out isn't the issue. I'm looking for something that I can unclip from but still apply reasonable pressure to the pedal without accidentally clipping back in. In other words, a pedal that doesn't require downward force to clip in. Like Podios. But not Podios.

I'm going to end up with a set of Keywins. There's a grim inevitability to it. I can tell.

FatTed

Mr Keywin is a nice guy, cycled with him a couple of times in 2010.

northpole

I have used two different dura ace spd-sl pedal generations and a pair of Look carbon blade pedals. They both clip in the way which you would prefer not to ie downward pressure. The Looks required a greater/ more positive force applied to click in than the Shimanos.

The Looks provided the slightly greater platform and their bearings appeared to spin more freely (not sure if that actually makes any difference over a ride). Against that, the cleats and pedals squeaked in the most irritating fashion when it was wet - apparently this may have been because I was using the cleats which have a little non slip strip built in. The Look cleats are not durable, wearing out much quicker than the Shimano alternative. My pedals lasted only a few months until I accidentally clipped a road edge and snapped the carbon body in half. A friend currently has his pair back to the retailer to try and have his bearings made good. May just be two unlucky incidents but enough to put me off.

The Dura ace have been incredibly reliable - the older ones are the 7800 generation and have been used daily since 2007 without any servicing (shame on me) and I have experienced no problems other than when trying to take them off! The newer carbon model has a much more postive click in which I suspect is more to do with the wear and tear on the older ones. The Shimano cleats are relatively durable but no better than the Look ones for walking in. I suspect if you have to stop for a pee at the side of the road, the Shimano cleats can better handle a mucky path than the likes of Speedplay (particularly if you are caught short and don't have time to faff about with cleat covers!). I found the Shimano pedals easier to clip into moving off from lights - happens alot on my daily commute in central London.

Haven't tried the Speedplays yet - would be a bit concerned about the cleats and difference in overall height because my best bike has an integral fixed seat post and I wouldn't want different pedals on different road bikes.

Hope some of the above is useful to you.

Peter

bernithebiker

Look have a new Keo Blade coming out with the blade now bigger and 'inside' the pedal body so better protected.

They've increased the contact area again (by over 50% I think) but not sure if this does much for you.

I've been running Keo BLades for 3 years now. Good pedals, very light and work well, but not the best for reliability. Bearings seem to be poor, and I had a body crack on me which Look replaced with a new set of pedals.

Don't ever get the non-slip cleats - they squeak like crazy. The others don't.

The new pedals looks nice, but the Ti's are 225 quid, so too pricey for me.

racingcondor

SpeedPlay are fiddly but good (they're best if you pump grease through them every couple of weeks). I've binned two cleats now in 10,000 miles and next spring I'll rebuild them with new pedal bodies. Better adjustability than any other system though.

Dura Ace have a reputation for just working. Minimal to nil maintenance, great pedal. Like most Shimano they don't look all that wonderful on paper but use them and you'll find they just do the job well, for a very long time.

It really depends if the added adjustbility of SpeedPlays is a benefit to you. Personally I like them.