Road Cycling - clipless: Look, Speedplay, Shimano?

After reading many posts I am convinced that adding clipless pedals will be beneficial. Which clipless pedal system do you all use/recommend? Thanks in advance!

Just got Shimano R600 Ultegra Pedals off eBay,New in Box for 90 bucks. They are awesome little pedals.

Check out this thread, moab posted a real good response on clipless pedals.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31755

I replaced my SPD's with the new Dura Ace and I really like them.

I love speedplay!! I used Look p396 for a year, and they were okay, but the Speedplay X2's that I bought are much easier to get in and out of .

I vote for Speedplay.
Very easy on the knees,
probably one of the easiest pedals to clip into (double sided)
easy to clip out and in 2 years of using them I have
never released unintentionally.
Going to them for first time is a bit disconcerting
with the standing on an icecube feeling but
after a few rides I don't even notice it anymore.

Hey if they're good enough for Tyler they're good enough
for me.

Marty

Go for Look pedals. Speedplays are great if you can get used to the float (i can't) but they cost way too much. Unless you have knee problems or are prone to poor biomechanics, Looks will be just fine. They work for something like 80% of all roadies.

I run the Speedplays, and like them very much. My knees like the nearly unlimited float. Moreover, coming from a mountaing bike, the double sided entry made for an easy transition.

I think it's mostly about personal preference, though.

I've tried Look, shimano, speedplay, but I always come back to Time pedals. I think pedal choice is mostly personal preference. One thing I've found with pedals though is that you get what you pay for.

I've got some speedplay's on my roadie (x-2's) and as mentioned a very easy pedal to get into/out of. Weight is minimal, although cleat wear is a problem if you do a lot of walking around in your shoes without cleat covers.

I like to call them "lollipop" pedals!

L8R

Quick question on the X-series from Speedplay: Would they be compatible with a Shimano R214 carbon shoe? Based on all the reviews I wouldn't even consider another pedal, but I'm concerned I won't be able to mount them.

Thanks!
Mike

Originally posted by meltable
Quick question on the X-series from Speedplay: Would they be compatible with a Shimano R214 carbon shoe? Based on all the reviews I wouldn't even consider another pedal, but I'm concerned I won't be able to mount them.

From what I Understand, they adapt to a Look 3 hole pattern.

they come with 2 adapters, one for sidi and one for everyone else. Apparently they fit better if your shoe is flatter on the bottom. I am just repeating what i've read, so take my advice with a grain or 2 of salt.

Also, I've been reading online reviews of pedals, and its hard to get a good idea of what is good or bad.

Anyone have any pedal horror stories or "avoid these at all costs" stories on pedals, maybe if i can figure out what i don't want, it'll be easier, hehe.

take care,

Jester

any one of the pedal system you'e interested are good. None will have bad bearngs (except in a 1 off case) and the mechanisms are pretty sorted.

My personal favourite is the Time system. They were invented by the same guy who inventd the Look pedal but obviously a further developmentof his idea's

They great for people with poor bio mechanics,(probably around 80% of us), they're reasonable Light when compared to the LOOK's and Shimano pedals and I just live the Name.

I have used Look pedals and liked them quite a bit, then converted to Campy pedals which are very similar to looks and they feel a bit better to me personaly. Then I run time pedals on my MTB and Cyclocross bikes. I have not checked out the time road pedals yet I might have to sometime to see how they feel.

I found a compatibility chart on the Speedplay site (http://speedplay.com/pubs/cleat.pdf) that should be helpful for anyone else deciding if these pedals will work with your shoes.

For my Shimano Carbon shoes - it says they aren't compatible. Apparently the cleats can be mounted, but these shoes are too wide to release safely.

My shoes aren't huge (size 42, or 8.5) and the width doesn't look too bad, at least not to the point where the shoe would hit the crank. Maybe only the very large sizes won't work, or the shoe has been redesigned since 2000?

Mike

I have the new Ultegra SPD-SL Shimano Pedals they are great so easy to clip in and out of, nice big cleats to reduce hotfoot. I have the RD-R600 version. the RD-7750 are the ones Lance uses, they are the Dura Ace version, basicaly just lighter and more $$. I have mine set on the lowest tension and have never poped out. MAke sure you don't get sold the older versions, they are not near as good. Lots of them on EBAY

vote for speedplay X series here, love them, and will never go back to spd, or look

I too have the ultegra spd sl pedals and absolutely love them. Once you do 3 or 4 rides, or just constantly click in and out on a ride, the cleats are worn in. They have a wide base and you can definetly feel your pedal strokes going straight into the bike and moving you forward. I got mine off of ebay to for something like 87$. I came from a pair of welgo knock off spd-r's. Boy those sucked compared to the spd sl's. Just my opinion.

I've used both the Look and the SPD interfaces for my road bike. The reason I used both is that the SPDs put my feet to sleep. Dunno how or why or anything but after about an hour in the saddle, my toes go numb. So, I switched to Looks and it went away.

Another vote for Speedplays! - what other (road) system allows you to click in on both sides?

After putting 20,000+ miles on 3 sets of SPD's I have switched to Speedplay Zero's. I now have 1500+ miles on them and I absolutely love them! They have a more solid platform and lock in completely. The float on the Zero's is adjustable, however I had no trouble getting used to them. They are one of the most significant improvements I have made in all my equiptment upgrades.
If you choose Speedplay's make sure you get the covers!

Originally posted by Rippin
Another vote for Speedplays! - what other (road) system allows you to click in on both sides?

Bebops, Coombes and some people even consider Eggbeaters to be appropriate road pedals. Having said that, I stand by my Speedplay Zeros.

Originally posted by cyclefoever

If you choose Speedplay's make sure you get the covers!

Ditto on that one. I beat up my cleats pretty bad before getting covers. I had a hard time finding the right covers since they (Zeros) were so new when I got them. I eventually got tired of waiting and bought some X-pedal covers which I had to trim out the sides to fit around the float adjustment screws. They fit okay but not as good as Zero-sepcific covers. I have yet to buy the correct covers however.

The one thing I learned is that once you start going faster (higher cadance) and farther, pedal fit is absolutely critical. I would've never thought that I would need Q-factor, float, or camber adjustment. After I start riding and got better I noticed things never felt "right." I broke down and traded in my standard LOOKS for the LOOK CX7's and it made all the difference in the world to my rides. For instance, I noticed that for whatever reason my left foot naturally toes out a bit and needs to be set with camber lifting the outside of my foot up a bit. I would've never thought in a million years I could benefit from such a thing, btu think about how many times your foot goes around in a ride... it suddenly becomes clear, at least to me, just how important "foot" fit is.

cindy- if this is your 1st pair of clipless pedals, then the larger platform LOOK's is a good starting point. the pp396 line is good and you have a large choice of shoes that are compatible.

IMHO stepping up to speedplay or eggbeaters from regular platform pedals is overkill. these are fine pedals, but for someone just getting into the clipless line for the first time, LOOK's with shoes for between $150-$175 is a great deal on a very good system.

Another Speedplay fan here! I will never ride anything else (unless something better comes along of course). I love the double sided entry feature and the fact that they never and I mean never release unexpectedly. You cannot say that of any other pedal out there. They are easy to maintain and with less moving parts than other pedals they will last longer. Great cornering clearance is another valuable feature.

Speedplay X-2 and buy the coffee shop covers.