Road Cycling - Speedplay/ LOOK most popular pedals? WHY?

i got a 199$ 5.1 look pedals for 65 bucks, its okay but it seems heavy. I notice a lot of people use look pedals, so im guessing i made a good decision? Also i hear a lot of people like speed plays. I hear for racing, ppl tend to use pedals with bigger surface area?

Speedplays are good for people that want/need float in their pedals. With my bad knee it is much more comfortable riding that with a fixed cleat. Speedplays also tend to be either a love or hate pedal. I have yet to find someone neutral on them that has ridden them. Love or hate, nothing in the middle.

Speedplays are good for people that want/need float in their pedals. With my bad knee it is much more comfortable riding that with a fixed cleat. Speedplays also tend to be either a love or hate pedal. I have yet to find someone neutral on them that has ridden them. Love or hate, nothing in the middle.

Well, I love 'em! :D

Ditto. I like them. As far as float goes, my Zeros have independent adjustable float for inboard and outboard directions and I can adjust them all the way from 15 degrees to totally fixed (with user-settable centering) if I want. I find that they're simple and robust pedals. I disregarded all the Look-style pedals simply because they're single-sided. I prefer double-sided pedals. Also, the Speedplay road cleats are metal with a steel bottom plate that won't get damaged if you walk on them. I've had my cleats for about two years now and walk around on gravel all the time with them.

The single sided design is not a hinderance, because the pedal rests in the easiest position to enter it.

I would be on the love side of speedplay. The speedplay cleats can be a pain, but on Time shoes (and other shoes designed for Time pedals without attachments) they are awesome.

I actually pulled out of a look pedal during an uphill sprint and wrecked. I'm sure this is a rare occurance, but that was the end of look pedals for me.

i've ridden both for some time, but only ride look-style now (the new shimano pedals, actually).

the float and double-sided entry of the speedplays is nice feeling for some, and they have a low q-factor, but the larger surface area and lack of float with look pedals leads to a connection to the pedals, power transfer and feeling of control that you can't beat.

also, speedplay cleats are horrific to walk in.

also, speedplay cleats are horrific to walk in.

And Looks aren't? I find them equally annoying to walk with.

Every time I see a Speedplay pedal the word lollypop comes to mind! Sorry! nothing personal. Yeah I know, they have a big cleat system it plugs into. But Look gets my vote here 100%! Been using them for years with no problems, and have never pulled out of one. Even though they are onesided the entry is always pointing up at the same position; with just minimal coordination it becomes second nature. And cost of the cleats are fractional in comparison!

Why so popular? cause they are the best, except Look is just a little better..........lol

There's also a pedal with infinite side entry that weighs only 50 grams per pedal. It's just a titanium rod. Walkable cleat too.
Free Float: +/- 5 degrees
Self-Centering Float: +/- 15 degrees
Q-Factor Float: +/- 3 mm
Pedal Release: 22 degrees
http://www.m2racer.com/products.php?entry=products&id=11&PHPSESSID=bb5cd1cdfd04d48f9044685c5cca114a

And Looks aren't? I find them equally annoying to walk with.

I damn near slipped and killed myself in my room when I first had look's on my shoes.

That pedal is unlike anything I've seen.. I used SPD then switched to LOOK and there much easier to get in and out of.. However recently my LOOK pedals sqeauk really bad, no matter how much I grease them.. So im thinking of upgrading to Speedplays...

That pedal is unlike anything I've seen.. I used SPD then switched to LOOK and there much easier to get in and out of.. However recently my LOOK pedals sqeauk really bad, no matter how much I grease them.. So im thinking of upgrading to Speedplays...

You can also upgrade to the 'stick'.

don't forget bebops. so far I like them better then speedplay. sealed bearings all metal and simple cleats. more walkable then regular speedplay's the float is a bit stiffeer so people won't copmplain about the icecyle feel of speedplay's.

I like those orb pedals.. I just don't like the price...

I like those orb pedals.. I just don't like the price...

they look like they wpuld be hard to fidn the right place to step on.

That pedal is unlike anything I've seen..

Want to see more like them? Check out the Speedplay online road pedal museum (http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=pedalmuseum.clipless)

we've come a long way i see..

Want to see more like them? Check out the Speedplay online road pedal museum (http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=pedalmuseum.clipless)

Seems like LOOK hasn't changed for 20 years.
Hahaha... "Campagnolo SGR 1987 Italy The Italian component company’s in-house entry into clipless pedal design. Slide in entry. Twist to release. Possibly the heaviest clipless road pedal ever."

However recently my LOOK pedals sqeauk really bad, no matter how much I grease them.. So im thinking of upgrading to Speedplays...
I used to ride only Look pedals. Because I wanted more float I've been riding Speedplay Zeros for 3 months. I'm still not convinced that they are better than Looks. They're difficult to clip into sometimes. And they squeek too.

Tried Speedplays...didn't work out. Never had Looks.

I like my Time Impacts. The cleats are EASY walkers...

That pedal is unlike anything I've seen.. I used SPD then switched to LOOK and there much easier to get in and out of.. However recently my LOOK pedals sqeauk really bad, no matter how much I grease them.. So im thinking of upgrading to Speedplays...

Use Armorall on the cleats and pedals to get rid of the squeak, works for me every time.

Regarding float, my looks have more than enough float for me. There may be a bit of resistance to float when the look cleats are new, but I feel no resistance now. I see no reason to switch.

-murray

I will defiently try it..

Have used Shimano (old Look style), SPDs and now Speedplay X2s. Since I have right knee issues, the X2s are superior (for me) to the SPDs. I'm using SIDI Energys right now (works fine). If you Speedplay:

[a] Get the "coffee caps" for walking around
[b] Carry a small nail or other dirt-extrusion device as the cleat spring can get clogged with junk which makes it hard to clip-in. I carry mine in my cheapie cycling wallet.
[c] Lube either the clip assembly or the pedal weekly. I use White Lightning on the pedal (BTW, this is the only place I use WL; drivetrain gets Rock-n-Roll).
[d] Regrease the pedal annually.
[e] Don't mash the pedals or you'll have that pedalling-on-ice feel. Spin ... just like Lance.

Best.

i love my speedplays... i had looks and couldn't unclip! of course.. i'm a small/short female.. and it's apparently a known fact that i shouldn't have bought the looks in the first place.... amazing what a little reseach will teach a person!

i just placed an order for a set of road shoes and look cx6....

hope they live up to their expectation...

Look has introduced new pedals in France. The KEO comes in two versions: chromoly axle (230g/pair) or titanium axle (190g/pair). The chromoly retails for 139 euros.
The Keo has a carbon body and has a longer axle (53mm). It uses the new Look cleats that are a bit smaller than the current ones. The new cleats are built using two materials in order to prevent squeaking.

Look has introduced new pedals in France. The KEO comes in two versions: chromoly axle (230g/pair) or titanium axle (190g/pair). The chromoly retails for 139 euros.
The Keo has a carbon body and has a longer axle (53mm). It uses the new Look cleats that are a bit smaller than the current ones. The new cleats are built using two materials in order to prevent squeaking.


http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/6214.0.html