Pedal Choice

domdom1980

As per a thread I have started on the Workshop page, I am about to attempt a self build based on Campagnolo components on a Condor Frame (when it finally turns up!) I've got the rest of the finishing kit (mainly all Deda to keep the Italian theme) however I do not yet have pedals.

My main bike runs Shimano, so my shoes have their SPD-SL cleats - however I realise that it would be shame to sully the Campag kit with Shimano when I have the opportunity for something new, so looking for an alternative. I have purchased a new pair of shoes so that part is taken care of!

My choice is between Campagnolo Record Pro-Fit Plus which keep the Campag vibe of the bike, which come in at £160, but I cannot find much in the way of user experience - it seems they are very well built though.

The other option is Time Xpro 10, which I can get for around £120. These seem a good option as I do suffer from a bit of knee pain on one side (one leg longer than the other) which I understand they are well suited to alleviate with good levels of float/ease of use

Question really is, does anyone have any decent user experience of the Campag pedals? Are they good for entry exit of cleat, float etc, and are they easily serviced so as to prove a good long term option?

Thanks!

singleton

Have you considered speedplay? Especially if you want good levels of float.

domdom1980

Thanks singleton, I had considered speedplay (especially for the float and adjustability they offer), but I was a bit put off that they required a fair bit of upkeep/regular greasing.

That said, this bike would only be used in good weather so the pedals would not be as battered by damp and dirt, so not sure the speedplays would need as much servicing as I think?

singleton

I ride with people who do 100 miles+ per week and swear by them, and who have not even mentioned that they need maintenance....

domdom1980

Well that is good to hear, I can pick some up for around £100 which is definitely worth considering!

Thanks for the suggestion.

imposter2.0

Personally, I'd leave the Shimano pedals on, just to pi55 off the purists. BUt if you are determined to spend money unnecessarily, then maybe go for Look Keo...

domdom1980

Well I had considered staying with Shimano, nothing wrong with the Ultegra I have on main bike, but as like everything else they have rocketed in price (I paid about £95 last year seems like over £120 now) it seems a good time to try something different.

arlowood

I don't understand your logic in saying that you could not put Shimano pedals on a Campag equipped bike. You then state that you are considering Time X-Pro and possibly Speedplay.

If Shimano is going to sully the integrity of you build then any brand other than Campag will do the same.

IMHO I'd stick with the Shimano pedals. Nobody is going to be scrutinising the pedals and shaming you for using Shimano.

domdom1980

Nothing more than I originally started looking at Campag to keep everything the same, it then led me to looking at different options having only ever used shimano.

I do get a bit of knee niggle and was interested in those offering more float (hence the Time consideration).

Back to the original post, I was wondering if anyone knew much about the Campag, and as ever with these things it's floated other options for considering - as I've got a chance to try something different it might be a good time to have a go!

pblakeney

I've had Shimano pedals fitted to my Campag equipped Italian bike since I got it 13 years ago. In that time only one person has commented. And that was because they are SPD 😱, not because they were Shimano.

imposter2.0

domdom1980 said:

I do get a bit of knee niggle and was interested in those offering more float (hence the Time consideration).

Unless you have an actual diagnosis for which 'more float' is the remedy, then I wouldn't be assuming that changing pedals would make any difference..

domdom1980

imposter2.0 said:

domdom1980 said:

I do get a bit of knee niggle and was interested in those offering more float (hence the Time consideration).

Unless you have an actual diagnosis for which 'more float' is the remedy, then I wouldn't be assuming that changing pedals would make any difference..

Probably right! I had a bike fit a couple of years ago and they diagnosed an imbalance between leg lengths (never noticed for 38 years) and they installed a stacker under my left cleat and advised not to go any tighter than Shimano yellow cleats, but that's all I have to go off. Certainly helped things!

imposter2.0

domdom1980 said:

imposter2.0 said:

domdom1980 said:

I do get a bit of knee niggle and was interested in those offering more float (hence the Time consideration).

Unless you have an actual diagnosis for which 'more float' is the remedy, then I wouldn't be assuming that changing pedals would make any difference..

Probably right! I had a bike fit a couple of years ago and they diagnosed an imbalance between leg lengths (never noticed for 38 years) and they installed a stacker under my left cleat and advised not to go any tighter than Shimano yellow cleats, but that's all I have to go off. Certainly helped things!

\leg length imbalance is not unusual. It's rare for people to have two legs of identical length anyway, and most people compensate for it naturally. In that sense, fitting a stacker might have made things worse, not better - especially if you'd already been compensating for it for 38 years.

domdom1980

No, not at all imposter, hadn't been cycling for long (less than a year st the time) but was getting a fair bit of pain in my left knee, so thought I'd check on a bike fit.

Turns out that the fitter spotted it, fixed most of the issues on the bike, and then an orthopedic surgeon confirmed the problem and advised a stacker and a bit of physio for off bike as well.

I'd always had odd pain on and off and never knew what it was or bothered getting it checked - strange I know, but the fitter spotted it and helped out off the bike too as a result.

Anyway, only get the minor niggle now on rides over 60k, hence wondering if increased float might be worth a try.

But again, was only really asking if anyone knew much about the campag pedals as is too easily done I got side tracked with other options!

flasher

Don't think Campag pedals are much of a thing, very, very rare. Just get some Shimano ones and acetone off the decals and I'm pretty OCD about these things!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I've been using XPro 10s for almost two years now, besides making a mess of initially fixing the cleats at a silly angle on my shoes and upsetting my dodgy knees, they've been great.

williamac

domdom1980 said:

Thanks singleton, I had considered speedplay (especially for the float and adjustability they offer), but I was a bit put off that they required a fair bit of upkeep/regular greasing.

The new "Wahoo" based speedplays have sealed bearings and in theory need no regular maintenance anymore. Not tried as don't have issues with a little bit of grease every now and then in the current pedals

William

cookeeemonster

williamac said:

domdom1980 said:

Thanks singleton, I had considered speedplay (especially for the float and adjustability they offer), but I was a bit put off that they required a fair bit of upkeep/regular greasing.

The new "Wahoo" based speedplays have sealed bearings and in theory need no regular maintenance anymore. Not tried as don't have issues with a little bit of grease every now and then in the current pedals

William

This. I just converted to speedplays and I really wish I'd done it years ago as every speedplay user I knew suggested to me. Knee/leg pain gone overnight and the double sidedness of them is fantastic. They are so small they don't detract from the bike either

Cleats are slightly more faff to attach and they need breaking in - basically sit on your bike and clip in and out for a little while...and thats the only downside for me. I may even replace the spds on my commuter...

pippi_langsamer-2

Interesting to hear your issues with leg length and knee pain. I had this years ago which manifested itself in ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome). Basically, I'd get very, very sharp pain in the side of my right knee if I rode over 50m (it was almost this distance to the mile in many cases, oddly).

Anyway...was diagnosed with leg length discrep' and advised to shim the shorter leg, whilst more importantly, doing ITB stretches pre/ post .....and sometime mid ride to stretch the ITB out.

I later moved to Speedplay for the float it offered. Basically, my right hip was dipping to "reach", the bottom of the pedal stroke which was tilting my pelvis and putting pressure on the ITB....which led to the pain. The ITBS gradually eased, and now hardly ever suffer it, even though strangely I don't use the shims anymore.

On the subject of Speedplay, they take a little maintenance but nothing like ppl make-out. I think I greased the pedals thru the port maybe once every 2/3 months (they start to spin very freely when the grease is on it's way out so you know its time to pump with grease). Cleat springs need a drop of dry lube every few hundred miles. Takes seconds.

They're not the best if you're a cafe stooper or walk about lots. The cleats are susceptible to dirt n grit and can stop working if you get soil or grit in them.

Only thing I didn't really like about them is that because you have to lube the cleats, they do tend to be quite dirty/ oily, so it's quite easy to end-up with an oily ring on your calves LOL (kind of 4th Cat Tattoo with the chainrings).

If you did end-up going down the Speedplay/ shim option, I've a set of the shims you can have (if I can find them).

ibr17xvii

cookeeemonster said:

williamac said:

domdom1980 said:

Thanks singleton, I had considered speedplay (especially for the float and adjustability they offer), but I was a bit put off that they required a fair bit of upkeep/regular greasing.

The new "Wahoo" based speedplays have sealed bearings and in theory need no regular maintenance anymore. Not tried as don't have issues with a little bit of grease every now and then in the current pedals

William

This. I just converted to speedplays and I really wish I'd done it years ago as every speedplay user I knew suggested to me. Knee/leg pain gone overnight and the double sidedness of them is fantastic. They are so small they don't detract from the bike either

Cleats are slightly more faff to attach and they need breaking in - basically sit on your bike and clip in and out for a little while...and thats the only downside for me. I may even replace the spds on my commuter...

What makes Speedplay better for knee pain or leg length discrepancy?

I get a bit of knee pain (not a lot by any means but still fairly noticeable on most rides) that I can manage with stretching & foam rollering but never really considered changing pedal systems.

Currently use Look & fixed cleats but the reality of that is they are far from fixed, there is quite a bit of float, probably equivalent of the blue SPD-SL's I used to use. I used the yellow cleats as well with SPD-SL's & hated the "sloppiness" if that makes sense.

I've always fancied a go with Speedplays, the double sided clip in appeals but changing to them on all my bikes certainly doesn't appeal to my wallet.

domdom1980

Thanks Pippi, what you experienced is exactly the same as me, a couple of shims and some recommended exercises sorted it right out, but I still get a tingle on longer rides, but nothing that lasts after I'm off the bike.

Interesting the speedplays had the desired effect, they were certainly not under consideration previously, but I think I might now give them a go - I'm fortunate enough to have two sets of shoes so can keep shimano on one for now, try the speedplays on the new bike and if it makes some noticeable difference I'll swap the main bike too when I can afford to, if not, I'll just sell them.

I think the increased float may work as I certainly don't feel the need to be fixed tight (I barely get out of the saddle or put down massive power) and I like the idea of the natural movement offered and double sided entry.

Also, wiggle still sell the original (pre wahoo I believe) for pretty much the same price as shimano 105 now, so no massive increase in outlay as I have to get a new set of pedals whatever I decide on.

cookeeemonster

ibr17xvii said:

cookeeemonster said:

williamac said:

domdom1980 said:

Thanks singleton, I had considered speedplay (especially for the float and adjustability they offer), but I was a bit put off that they required a fair bit of upkeep/regular greasing.

The new "Wahoo" based speedplays have sealed bearings and in theory need no regular maintenance anymore. Not tried as don't have issues with a little bit of grease every now and then in the current pedals

William

This. I just converted to speedplays and I really wish I'd done it years ago as every speedplay user I knew suggested to me. Knee/leg pain gone overnight and the double sidedness of them is fantastic. They are so small they don't detract from the bike either

Cleats are slightly more faff to attach and they need breaking in - basically sit on your bike and clip in and out for a little while...and thats the only downside for me. I may even replace the spds on my commuter...

What makes Speedplay better for knee pain or leg length discrepancy?

I get a bit of knee pain (not a lot by any means but still fairly noticeable on most rides) that I can manage with stretching & foam rollering but never really considered changing pedal systems.

Currently use Look & fixed cleats but the reality of that is they are far from fixed, there is quite a bit of float, probably equivalent of the blue SPD-SL's I used to use. I used the yellow cleats as well with SPD-SL's & hated the "sloppiness" if that makes sense.

I've always fancied a go with Speedplays, the double sided clip in appeals but changing to them on all my bikes certainly doesn't appeal to my wallet.

I didn’t mention leg length discrepancy.

I believe it’s the extra float they give which helps with knee/leg pain? Ultimately if you know a good bike fitter and they do a good job on you you should be able to use whatever system, but there was a big wait when I was considering it and good ones cost ££££ too….plus I wanted double sided pedals as I hate single sided systems anyway

pippi_langsamer-2

For me at least, the leg length difference was meaning one leg was extending further than the other and thus skewing my pelvis.

As a result of this "dip", the feet want to move differently- the shorter leg foot rotating heel-outwards to kind of "reach", while the opposite leg foot rotating slightly heel-in to counter the opposite if that makes sense? The additional/ tunable float in the Speedplays meant this was easier to accommodate. Worked for me anyway....