Triathlon - Help me decide on new pedals!

I'm currently running some old shimano (not ultegra or dura ace) pedals and I'm thinking of upgrading when my new bike comes in. I've got shimano carbon tri shoes if that makes any difference.
So, I'm looking at speedplay zero, look keo, and shimano dura ace. Of these does anyone have experience? Which is best for iron distance?

My concerns are as follows: Speedplay creates hot spots, or so I've heard (I have no known knee problems). Dura Ace is 270g, much heavier than the other two, but has a very wide platform. I haven't heard anything about the look keo's, but I'm wondering if it is any better than dura ace (to justify my switch).

Any input would be greatly appreciate! Thanks!

I use Shimano SPD-SL's on all of my bikes (I actually have Dura-Ace, Ultegra, and 105 versions). Obviously, I like them.

I know a few people who like their speedplays but the definitely have a hard time trying not to slip & fall in transition.

These are the peddle systems I have used.

Shimano PD7401 – 1988’ish and Out of production but still works great.

Sampson Stratics Ti - 1989’ish and Out of production. The Good - Supper light and close to the axle for good road clearance. The Bad - Tall cleat makes walking very hard and hard to align for re-clip.

Speedplay Zero - Current System. The Good – Very light, very good road clearance and very secure. The Bad – Hotspots, a layer of cardboard underneath the inner sole will help with this. The cleat spring needs oiled. The cleat is fairly slippery which makes difficult alignments for re-clip. I will be selling them on eBay.

Look KeO Carbon – New Current System. The Good – Light, good road clearance, very secure, adjustable tension and decent price. The Bad – None for me so far. They are a tried and true peddle system.


My advice go with the Look or Shimano and match the peddle system to your budget.

I was up on the Bikesport webpage last year and based upon a very favorable review they had of Time RXS pedals, I decided to give a pair a go. They are similar to Look pedals (what I used to use), but they have a better feel in my opinion. I have since changed all my road bikes to Time RXS pedals and I'm very happy with them. I just use the plain Time RXS pedals and not the titanium or carbon ones. I'm too heavy for the titanium ones and the carbon ones only weigh about four grams less than the regular ones, so I saved the money instead. I'm able to click into them very easily; the cleat system they use is easier to walk in than all but mountain bike type cleat systems; I have never gotten hot spots and I have sensitive feet; and they are more reasonably priced than most other pedals.

Here's the Bikesport link: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/rxspedals.shtml

There was a knock against them a couple years ago with them coming apart from their spindles, but that has been fixed and I haven't had any problems with them whatsoever. Although all the old pre-recall pedals are probably out of the supply chain, here's a link on what to look for should you decide to give a new post-recall pair a go: http://www.timesportusa.com/rxsrecall/

I was bored so I did some research for you. The price is the link. Good luck. ;)



Time RXS Pedals weight 265 grams - $130 (http://www.pricegrabber.com/search.php/form_keyword=Time+RXS+Pedals+/topcat_id=18)

Look KeO Sprint weight 160 grams - $110 (http://sporting-goods.pricegrabber.com/bicycles/m/61848180/search=Look+KeO+Sprint+/st=product/sv=title/)

Time RXS Pedals Carbon weight 235 grams - $170 (http://www.pricegrabber.com/search.php/form_keyword=Time+RXS+Pedals+/topcat_id=18) or 2007 Non-Recall model $135 (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-07-Time-RXS-Carbon-Road-Bike-Clipless-Pedals-Cleats_W0QQitemZ170196237853QQihZ007QQcategoryZ36138QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Look KeO Carbon weight 115 grams – $155 (http://cgi.ebay.com/08-LOOK-KEO-Carbon-road-bike-pedals-NEW_W0QQitemZ320220671011QQihZ011QQcategoryZ36138QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

I was bored so I did some research for you. The price is the link. Good luck. ;)



Time RXS Pedals weight 265 grams - $130 (http://www.pricegrabber.com/search.php/form_keyword=Time+RXS+Pedals+/topcat_id=18)

Look KeO Sprint weight 160 grams - $110 (http://sporting-goods.pricegrabber.com/bicycles/m/61848180/search=Look+KeO+Sprint+/st=product/sv=title/)

Time RXS Pedals Carbon weight 235 grams - $170 (http://www.pricegrabber.com/search.php/form_keyword=Time+RXS+Pedals+/topcat_id=18) or 2007 Non-Recall model $135 (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-07-Time-RXS-Carbon-Road-Bike-Clipless-Pedals-Cleats_W0QQitemZ170196237853QQihZ007QQcategoryZ36138QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Look KeO Carbon weight 115 grams – $155 (http://cgi.ebay.com/08-LOOK-KEO-Carbon-road-bike-pedals-NEW_W0QQitemZ320220671011QQihZ011QQcategoryZ36138QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Those weights don't seem correct. I checked up on the Weight Weenies web page and they list the following weights (first is the claimed manufacturer's weight and the second is the actual weight):

Time RXS 265g, 260g
Time RXS Carbon 259g, 257.5g
Time RXS Ti Carbon 195g, 200.45g
Look KeO Sprint 250g, 262g
Look Keo Carbon Ti 190g, 195.3 (2007 model)

I still have a boxed pair, so I'll weigh them tomorrow and let you know what weight I come up with.

Weight Weenies link: http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings/components.php?type=pedals

Thanks fzrdave, for the correction. :)

I think I was looking at the individual pedal weight for the Looks.

Weight Weenies show the Look KeO Carbon CrMo at 230 grams a set with out cleats for the 07. That’s the set I have.

I like the Times very much - very low stack height, much easier to walk in that many pedals out there.

They're not as durable as some, however.

Look / Shimano style offer the largest platform, either is a great choice..I have both

Anyone have whole system weights?
I've never compared weight of pedals with cleats but imagine it makes a difference between some brands.

I was a loyal old style Dura Ace but love my new, wide Dura Ace pedals and new Shimano shoes. I used to add padding but now am comfortable on metric centuries.

I have Look Keo Sprint or Classic, I can't remember.

All I know is that I like them and the pedals work. I use the zero-float cleats, fwiw.

I switched to the Dura Ace because they are the widest platform. I supinate so the wider base allows more power transfer to the pedals instead of to my ankles and metatarsals. These pedals worked perfectly to correct my problem. I weigh 250 pounds so a few grams of spinning mass is no concern to me. I also like the free play in the system. Some of the ones mentioned have little to no free play.

chevy57

As promised, I did weigh my Time pedals today. These are a brand new pristine pair that have never been installed or used on any bicycle and they are destined for my Quintana Roo Kilo. I had forgotten that I actually bought the Time RXS Carbon pedals for that bike; every gram counts should I ever choose to do a full Ironman one day. The scale that I used is a State certified scale in a US EPA certified lab, so the weights are very accurate. Here's exactly what I found:

Left Pedal: 114.3 grams
Right Pedal: 114.2 grams
Left Cleat: 39.3 grams
Right Cleat: 39.4 grams
6 total screws (3/cleat): 13.2 grams
Each cleat also has a small detachable metal plate and each weighed exactly 4.0 grams: 8.0 grams total

Pedal pair weight: 228.5 grams or 8.06 ounces for the metrically challenged
Total system weight: 328.4 grams or 11.6 ounces

What’s interesting is that the weights that I found were significantly less than the manufacturer’s claimed weight of 259 grams or Weight Weenies’ 257.5 grams by 30.5grams and 29 grams or 1.08 ounces and 1.02 grams respectively. I can’t really explain the discrepancies in measured weights, but I am very confident in the weights that I obtained. No pedal or cleat was more than 0.1 grams from the other, so there is probably not much variation in these pedals. All I can ultimately say is that I have much more confidence in a certified laboratory scale than I would have in a scale at my LBS.

Here is another vote for the Time RSX. I have used Speedplays but did not like the unlimited float or unclipping or walking on the cleat without the covers. The Shimano's are heavy. I have a pair of the cheapest model Time's on my steel Atala and RSX Ti's on my other bikes. One set was a recalled set but I had no problem with it except time off the bike. They are very low total weight, the float is great, they clip out easily only when you want to, they have a very low stack height, you can walk on the cleat and they do not have to be cleaned and oiled like the Speedplays. The only downside is that the cleats are generally more expensive than the Keo cleats.

It is great to see fzrdave's complete assembly weight measurement. Anyone have similar Shimano data?