mawashi

Lots of guys here use speedplay but I need some more help before deciding on which new pedal to get.

The main issue is float and shoes. I hate needing an adapter if the whole point of the speedplay is to get as close to the pedal as possible. Secondly, even though I have serious knee issues, I'm uncomfortable with a lot of float, I didn't like.

I had these a long time ago:


If I was to get a speedplay I would be looking for a stainless zero but I need help with knowing how I can reduce the float aka sliding on ice feeling and affordable 4 hole shoes.

Thanks.

motorthings

The "whole point" of speedplays is not necessarily getting the pedal axle closer to the shoe...it can be one advantage, but is certainly not the main one for me.
With the zero cleats, you can dial down the float to as little as you want with the setscrews on the sides.
I too have serious knee issues (5 surgeries since 1979), and have been totally happy with speedplay zeros in three hole shoes, after spending years on Shimano SPD, and then Look pedals.

Mayberry32

I have knee issues, too and didn't like the float at first. The ice skating feeling was horrible. However, they did allow me to find the angles my knee liked, so I could lock down the float and not tweak my knee. I have the left and right adjusted differently for comfort. I also have the float limited, which takes away the ice skating feeling. It took a week or so, but I really do like them. I have the Zero's, also.

Bunyanderman

You can eliminate float completely, screwing in those two adjusters allows the user to lock in a certain position if they wanted to.

Either 3 bolt shoes for a "better feeling", or 4 bolt with a small adapter. Can't get around that.

nemeseri

Ok. So first of all the answer to your question is that AFAIK it's fairly easy to adjust the float of the zero cleats. There is a small animation here, look at the screws:
SPEEDPLAY ULTIMATE FIT VIDEOS

Also it's worth to mention that even with adapters the stack height of the speed play pedals + cleats is lower than most of the others' out there.

==========

Here is my personal opinion though. Why do you want to change to new pedals? If you have been satisfied with time, I feel like it's quite meaningless. There are multiple problems with new pedals: finding the right shoes, finding the right cleat position, it costs a lot, etc. etc.

If I were you I'd buy a newer time pedal + cleats. Also speedplay is one of the most expensive type of pedals. Combined with the typically high-end 4 hole shoe prices you are looking at a lot of money.

mawashi

Thanks guys for the speedy reply. I do agree with the high costs which is why I'm balking at any purchase however, if it's as comfortable, light, user friendly as the guys have said, it might be a purchase that'll pay itself back shortly.

I no longer have the time pedals anyway and have been using shimano mtb spds which imo are great as commuting or weekend ride but I'm looking for something more race specific.

Fyi, both my knees are shot, torn meniscus in the left, right isn't doing too good, decades of soccer, tennis, all sorts of injuries in the military have made my knees closer to that of a 60 year old.

Anyway, it's great to know that the speeds are very adjustable, I think if I do get them, I'll cut some thick rubber soles and glue/screw them for walking around.

Other than the speeds, what other pedal systems would have a very good amount of clearance as well as walkability? I was thinking that the Shimano a600 would be a decnt pedal system as well.

I <3 Robots

Speedplay has "walkable" cleats.



or you can get the Keep on Kovers for the standard cleats

nemeseri

So here are my two cents. I used to have speedplays, but the old pedals developed some lateral rocking and it might have been related to my knee issues (Speedplay Pedals Rock!). AFAIK it's not happening with the newer versions (zeros). My fitter recommended to switch to SPD-SLs with 7 degree float. Since then, I use SPD-SL 5800 / 6800 pedals + yellow cleats and I love them. Probably I will never switch to anything else (Look pedals look sexy though).

For me speedplay means expensive cleats, dealing with adapters, regular greasing and maintenance, you definitely need covers to walk around comfortably. And while I know that speedplay has a HUGE fanbase for a reason, I still think that there are great alternatives. You can get a pair of 5800 pedals for $68 from merlin with cleats. Replacement cleats cost $15. In the case of speedplay you are looking at $130+ for the pedals and $47 for replacement cleats.

mawashi

Thanks again guys, hmmmmm.... yeah points to consider : \

The greasing, maintenance aren't the real issue, rather if it's worth the price & performance. I don't need the latest gadgets, just something that will work and work very well. I do however, like the float adjustability and good clearance.

Campag4life

One principle reason I ride Speedplays aside from copious float is I run their extender base plate and can run the spindle position just behind the ball of my feet a bit more toward but well away from mid arch. This is why I ride Speedplays...that and great latitude for float. If I could find a better pedal for what I like, I would be on it. They aren't perfect and maybe even slightly more fiddly than Look pedals or others I have used but they work best for me and why I ride them.

Lazyass

I started out on '98 Time Carbon's, I've had all kinds of pedals and I've had the same Speedplay X3's for 7-8 years now. I never understood the "sliding on ice" feeling people talk about. Yeah, they have lots of float but after a couple of rides I didn't even think about it. I spend 5 minutes regreasing them about every 6-9 months and I'm still on the original bearings with many, many thousands of miles. I like never having to look down or flipping the pedal over with my toe to clip on. They're no harder or easier to walk in than anything else I've had. Keep the cleats lubricated if you want to prevent rocking. Lubricating the contact points should be common sense.

mawashi

What I'm looking for in a pedal system is the lowest stack height between pedals and cleats, good durability and for walking.

Apparently Time Xpresso's cleats are easy to wear out as with their bearings, Shimano's float is rather mechanical in feeling, look cleats are harder to walk about with etc etc. Sigh why is it so difficult to design something that works without all the other issues lol?

Lazyass

Any cleat on a road shoe will suck for walking. If you're concerned about walking get MTB shoes.

nesdog

FWIW, I use Speedplay Frogs. Does have tons of float, which I got used to very quickly. Easy walking and didn't have to change out mtb shoes.

I <3 Robots

If you're looking for low stack. Look for a Speedplay specific shoe. There are several companies that make a shoe that has a four bolt mounting system specifically made for the SP cleat.

My GF recently got a pair of Northwave shoes. NW uses its own SP mounting system. The stack on that shoe has a noticeably lower stack than her Sidis that used the three hole adapter.

cydewaze

I'm in a shoe/pedal funk too. I have a leg length problem, so I use the speedplay shim kit, which obviously adds a lot of stack height. I also use the same fore/aft plate that C4L uses, but the other day I found a missing screw. Turns out one of the holes in that plate (the plates I JUST bought) is stripped out. I took one shoe apart and found that the screws only make it 1/2 way through the holes in the plates. Why are they so short?

Anyway, between the 3-4 hole adapter, the fore-aft adapter, and the spacers on the right side, I'm basically pedaling on stilts. So I'm pondering whether I should switch pedals to a 3-hole design, or trade my (pretty nice, Specialized BG Comp) shoes for a 4-hole shoe - a shoe I might not be able to try on before buying because I can't find them locally.

The latter assumes that the 4-hole specific shoes won't need the fore/aft adapter, which might be completely wrong.

mawashi

Thanks again guys... more things to ponder lol!

I found this review on a torpedo plus

"I bought this shoe and the speed play adapter for the speed play features but was disappointed. The cleats was suppose to be replaced by ones that came with the adapter but the sole was "glued" to the base of the shoe. I tried to pull it out but it wouldn't. Worried that I might tear the sole, I left it alone and used the ones that came with the pedals. Therefore, the feature that I purchase the shoes for which was the thinner speed play adapter did not materialized. I am also left with an opened and unused adapter!"

Can some verify if indeed the sole is glued to the adapter from your other shoes?

motorthings

I use a speedplay 5mm shim plate to make up for a 6mm leg length diff, and had to get a few different lengths of screws from Speedplay (and the hardware store) to get the best thread engagement, but no problems other than that.

cydewaze

Yeah. This kit came with new (longer) screws, but apparently not long enough!

motorthings

same here...there is a fine line between a screw that is long enough to engage properly and one that goes through the base plate and starts pushing the plate away from the sole of the shoe.

MileHighMark

I've been on various Speedplay pedals for more than 15 years, and just installed a pair of SYZRs. The pedal/cleat interface is incredibly secure, but clipping in/out is very easy. Micro-adjustable float, and they're walkable (I'm using Pearl Izumi X-Project 1.0 shoes).

JohnJ80

Speedplay simply has way more adjustment possibilities than any other pedal and cleat system. Cleat fore and after and side to side is better. Ability to add shims under the cleat is better (screw length changes) and the big one for me - Q factor - with spindle changes is unmatched. So if you have a fit issue, there is more adjustment with Speedplay than any other pedals.

I started off no liking the float and the "skating on ice feeling" so I adjusted it out. Then I decided to give it a try and opened it back up. After a while, knee issues I had got much better. My knees have similar issues as yours - torn meniscus in my left and blown ACL in the right AND I am 60 years old for real. So, the knees need some tender loving care.

The two sided-ness of the pedals is nice. After a while, and when the cleat gets broken in a bit, it is easier to clip into these than the Look style of pedals I had ridden since the '80s. That said, it's not a make or break difference but it is a difference and valuable if you are riding in an urban environment where you have to unclip more often.

Finally, Speedplay's new walkable cleats are really nice. They are the most walkable road cleats out there IMHO.

I have these on my cross bike. The float is less than on the road pedals and not much different than with the Time ATACs I used prior. The big benefit is that the entire connection is between the metal on the cleat and on the pedal and does not depend on the shoe for side to side balance at all. I find that they are nice pedals but not a significant upgrade over the Time ATACs but I do expect them to wear better. Also, because I need a cant (wedge) side to side on the left these will ultimately be better than the Time's when Speedplay releases the shim kits. Also, my Q factor issue will be accommodated when the come out with the spindle replacements - all scheduled for the end of this year last time I checked. Again, this is where Speedplay will have the biggest range of fit capability in the pedal industry. In the MTB world, there really is little adjustability for cleat shimming (canting) or spindle Q factor adjustment.

J.

mawashi

Looks like the speeds are very well liked here. I'll need to try one on but the high costs and shoe compatibility is what's holding me back. I really hope to get shoes below $100

MileHighMark

The 3-to-4 bolt adapters that come with the pedals aren't that bad. In all my years of using their pedals I've never felt the need to pay the extra $$$ for shoes with Speedplay-specific soles.

JohnJ80

They come out of the box with adaptors to support 3 hole bolt systems.

^this. Would be better if all shoes came in 4 hole mountings but they don't. It's not a huge deal for most cyclists to use the adaptors and I'd bet the vast, vast majority of Speedplay users do this. It's not a huge deal and I don't think the stack height with the adaptors is any worse than with Look or Time by themselves and maybe better. It's not noticeable for me. In point of fact, I'd probably buy 3 hole shoes anyhow just so that if I ever wanted to switch, I could. There are no 4 hole to 3 hole adaptors (i.e. going from 4 hole shoe to 3 hole cleat) that I know of.

A 3 hole shoe especially now at the tail end of the season, you ought to be able to find a pair of shoes on sale in just about any brand. The shoes are not the limiting factor.

J.