"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Speedplay Zero Ti v. Look Keo Carbon HM

Thoughts on each of these pedals?

speedplay. save your $ go with stainless. better cornering, two sided, good pedal system.

speedplay. save your $ go with stainless. better cornering, two sided, good pedal system.

+1

The double-sided feature may save you during the start of a race. My Keo Sprint pedal turned wrong side up on me at the start of a race and I couldn't get clipped in before most of the pack past me by. For the same reason, I hate using the Keo Sprints for commuting. More often than not, you're on the wrong side of the pedal when hurrying to get clipped in.

My only dislike of the Speedplay is that the cleat plate retaining screw's heads wears pretty quickly from being scuffed time after time as your coming to a stop (i.e., like for commuting). I try not to drag them at all, but I'll have to be even more careful, I guess.

Love the grease port on the Speedplay.

I've heard that speedplay cleat maintenance is kind of a pain in the ass. input?

I have used both systems and prefer the KEO. I was getting pressure points on the ball of my feet with the Speedplays that I don't get with my Keo's. Maybe I just have sensitive feet...

A bunch of my teammates are on Speedplay's. Since the cleat has the tensioner things (I want to say spring, but I'm afraid someone will correct me harshly :rolleyes: ) and lots of places for dirt to get into and muck up, regular cleaning and inspection would be a good idea. Old tooth brushes and tooth picks seem to work well.

I've heard that speedplay cleat maintenance is kind of a pain in the ass. input?

I do nothing special for cleat maintenance (yet). I've only had one time where I got muck into the cleat and I couldn't get out of the pedal. I finally worked it loose.

What I may do in the future is put something over the cleat screw heads to protect them.

I've been on speedplays for years. If you get the cleat dirty walking in loose dirt or mud they get a bit finicky. I've found a spray with a water bottle solves it.

Speedplay reccomends regular lubing, but I never bother. In my experience, if they're set up right, the cleats aren't a problem.

If you have a 4 bolt shoe, and don't need the adapter, they are lighter, and the stackheight is virtually non existent.

The speedplay website has a nice comparison tool to compare pedals, that you might find helpful.

And they're great for crits. The outside of my shoe will rub the ground before the pedal does.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/bobstewart/rocket7-tops.jpg

I've heard that speedplay cleat maintenance is kind of a pain in the ass. input?

grease gun to the pedals monthly, takes about 2 minutes. gotta do this or the bearings will sieze, I know from experience. chain lube to your cleats weekly, takes about 5 seconds. never had a problem with grit or grime getting in the cleats, this is for the zeros, x-series might be different. also, only cleaning I do is with a rag, more than sufficient.

I've been on speedplays for years. If you get the cleat dirty walking in loose dirt or mud they get a bit finicky. I've found a spray with a water bottle solves it.

Speedplay reccomends regular lubing, but I never bother. In my experience, if they're set up right, the cleats aren't a problem.

If you have a 4 bolt shoe, and don't need the adapter, they are lighter, and the stackheight is virtually non existent.

The speedplay website has a nice comparison tool to compare pedals, that you might find helpful.

And they're great for crits. The outside of my shoe will rub the ground before the pedal does.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/bobstewart/rocket7-tops.jpg


If your shoe is rubbing the ground you are doing it (cornering) wrong

I have used both systems and prefer the KEO. I was getting pressure points on the ball of my feet with the Speedplays that I don't get with my Keo's. Maybe I just have sensitive feet...

+1. Keo cleats are simpler, pedal has a much more sold feel, just as easy to click into. Rode X-1s for 10+ years, but I've had Keos since last September, just loving them, I have two sets now. If you get off your bike to take a whiz in the snow or mud the Speedplay cleats get all jammed up with crap, that's a pain. Not an issue with Keo cleats.

PLUS they just changed Keo cleats, and while they raised the damn price from $20 to about $30, they put cool rubber pads on the bottom that will greatly extend the life of the cleats (which wear out from walking, not so much riding) AND make your bike shoes almost like walking in regular shoes. HUGE improvement. Far easier to walk around in than the old Keo cleats or Speedplay cleats.

y'all aren't making this decision very easy.

y'all aren't making this decision very easy.

don't you still get a speedplay deal from EVO?

don't you still get a speedplay deal from EVO?

i dunno, do I? guess it's worth asking on the listserv.

I've heard that speedplay cleat maintenance is kind of a pain in the ass. input?

Takes a minute or 2 every once in a while, which isn't much in the scheme of things. I have the Zero Stainless on one bike and Ultegra 6620 on another. While I prefer the Shimanos overall, I don't dislike the Zeroes enough ... yet ... to where I feel the need to ditch 'em.

Only issue I find is the snugness of the 4 plate bolts. Too tight and the spring jams up, making entry difficult. Too loose and the cleat shifts laterally. Even looser, and you risk losing a bolt. I've seen other users have to dremel out the little plate bolts as the phillips head(s) get disfigured over time if there's a lot of ground contact.

I've heard that speedplay cleat maintenance is kind of a pain in the ass. input?

awful actually. I've rebuilt more than one set of cleats for stranded cyclists on the side of the road. For whatever reason the spring cleat thingie tended to snap on me, usually when I was a great distance from home. Go with Time pedals.

I only use Look Keo Carbon Ti. I've tried all the others and these just have a nice solid feel to them some of the others don't give...

If your shoe is rubbing the ground you are doing it (cornering) wrong

Not a recurrent problem, but pedaling through a sharp corner, if anything touches its the outside of the shoe, rather than the bottom of the pedal. Point being is that there is a lot of cornering clearence in the pedal.

awful actually. I've rebuilt more than one set of cleats for stranded cyclists on the side of the road. For whatever reason the spring cleat thingie tended to snap on me, usually when I was a great distance from home. Go with Time pedals.

In 20 years, I've never had the spring snap. I do replace them about every 5,000 miles

I have however had Look cleats fail in a sprint. (admittedly the cleats were worn.)


Problems with Speedplay cleats occur from:

1) overtightening the screws;

2) bending the cleat on the shoe bed;

3) dirt.

1 and 2 are very easy to take care of once you know how to set them up.

And as for dirt, if I can ride them without problems given my fastidious approach to bike maintenence, it can't be that big of problem.

If your shoe is rubbing the ground you are doing it (cornering) wrong

Actually, he may be doing it right -- very right -- by starting to pedal sooner out of the corner and hence gaining a jump on his competitors.

I seriously doubt that merlin is doing what you think he's doing, which is cornering with his inside pedal in the 6:00 position.

I've been riding Speedplay X-5s (so a little different from the Zeros you're asking about, but much of the details are the same) for years. I carry cleat covers with me and put them on anytime I'm off the bike for more than a few steps or if I'm walking on soft ground. I've put well over 10,000 miles on one set of cleats with no problems whatsoever from wear, debris, etc. I'm at probably 6,000 miles on another set, also with no trouble at all.

Because I keep them so clean and use the cleat covers almost anytime that I'm walking on them, I've had no trouble with cleat screws or baseplates wearing. Cleat maintentance- Speedplay recommends lubing the cleat springs occasionally, but I've never actually done this. I think because I keep them so clean, there hasn't been any need to lube them in order to keep them moving well.

I do grease the pedals themselves occasionally- my test is to spin them by hand; if they spin more than a revolution or two before stopping, they need fresh grease.

I love the pedals for their comfort (no spring trying to center my foot, screwing with my knees in the process) and for their good cornering clearance. First couple of rides feel funny, kinda like walking on ice since your feet can pivot more easily than in most other pedals.

I really like my Keos. Speedplays seem like a huge pain in the ass for anyone who doesn't mind performing frequent maintenance or using cleat covers religiously. Still, with all the cleats I've bought to replace a worn cleat on my stopping foot, I think my next set of pedals will be Shimano SPD-SL. I'm about to try out the new Grip cleats, though. maybe they will help improve the Keo experience. Two-sided pedals would be easier, but I'm not that concerned about that. Maybe if it really mattered to get clipped in right away every time, like on a fixie.

Taking into account both the pedal and cleat, the Keos are lighter as with Speedplays you will be obligated to use the 48 gram 3-hole adaptor plate due to the lack of 4-hole shoes, save for customs such as the Rocket. The whole idea of having to have an adaptor plate is a drag. You would rather not have the plate, but you must because shoe makers don't offer four holes.

The new Keo cleat with the rubber is great, as there is no need for cleat covers, and it is quite easy to walk on. The Speedplay, with its huge cleat, is terrible to walk on. Maybe you figure the ability to walk on the cleats is of secondary importance, but you'll still probably find yourself buying Speedplay cleat covers, because the Speedplay cleats are expensive, and walking on them will wear them out prematurely. So with Speedplay you've got two pesky cleat covers to purchase, keep track of, carry around, hunt for on the bottom of your bag. Its a nuisance. Go with Keo's, they are lighter, work great, and you can scoff at cleat covers, clumsy clomping and adaptor plates.

http://www.comobike.com/ul/resources/ct_articolo/KEO%20GRIP%20pic.jpg >> http://www.nytro.com/v/vspfiles/photos/11111-1.jpghttp://www.speedplay.com/images/zerocvr.jpghttp://www.performancebike.com/product_images/250/19-1264-NCL-TOP.jpg

I never had to 'perform frequent maintenance' on my Speedplay cleats. They'd last 5K miles or so and then the springs would break. But they were a considerable pain if you got off your bike and got snow or ice or dirt in them. The Keos have a much nicer feel overall. Really prefer them.

Maybe the people I know with them get too much dirt in them and have to lube and clean them a lot. I dunno. At least one of them uses the covers religiously. I think she will even carry them with her for a road race, just in case she gets stuck out there or something.

I carry mine in some races. Crits, no, but long races with questionable support, yes.

Taking into account both the pedal and cleat, the Keos are lighter as with Speedplays you will be obligated to use the 48 gram 3-hole adaptor plate due to the lack of 4-hole shoes, save for customs such as the Rocket.

There are a few 4 hole shoes other than Rocket 7's. I believe Lake makes one.

However, the combination of Rocket 7's and speedplays really is nice. There is virtually no stack height. It likes having your foot directly on the pedal,and it'a a very light combination, and very comfortable.

Admittedly a bit pricey.