Austinite

Wondering if anyone else has had this experience.. Now, in my case I went from SPDs on my road bike and mountain shoes with the cleat slightly recessed to Speedplay Zeros and true road shoes with a super-smooth shiny sole (allegedly carbon). First ride home from work today was a challenge! Nevermind the float - THAT wasn't a problem oddly enough. I hadn't realized how often I was riding up to a stoplight with one foot clipped in and the other half-pedaling on the *back* of my shoe ready to set down. I *cannot* do that with these road shoes and these pedals. Slips right off like butter!

And forget starting up from a stop on an uphill! I used to start with the one side clipped in, catch the other pedal with the middle of my other shoe until I had a little more momentum, and THEN clip in. No more! I'll have to learn to get both feet clipped *immediately*.

Anyway, just my observations on a first ride.

AEO

you'll get used to it

urbanknight

Yeah, I think that has nothing to do with the pedal and everything to do with the shoe.

Flatballer

With road shoes and larger pedals (Shimano or Look) I'm able to pedal away from lights without clipping in when I need to. You have to use the rubber grippy part on the back of the shoe to keep your foot on. You also can't use your whole pedal stroke, just the down stroke. Everything else will slip off when you aren't clipped in. The smaller size of Speedplay might make this harder to do though. I've never ridden Speedplay.

On another note, I commute short distances to class (< 2 miles each way) with tennis shoes on my Shimano and Look pedals. It works fine.

wideAMG

austinite i'm going to fast forward one week for you.

now your post is going to say
"wow i can clip in and out of these speedplays so fast, no more looking down. i am clipped-in in less than a quarter stroke. i beat everyone in my group ride after a stop. race me from the lights! anybody. no wonder the best team in the world, CSC, has been riding these for years and now i won't have to worry about knee problems"

you will see the light. many have switched to speedplay, none have switched back.

RacerOne

I feel your pain here. I recently went from a pair of SPD touring shoes to 'real' road shoes but I retained my SPD's. I find it much harder to clip in and have slipped off a couple of time trying to get hooked up with a bloody shin as evidence. I'm begining to understand why SPD's aren't that great for roadie use. I'm considering switching over to Looks for the larger cleat area.

brian416

once you learn to step onto the pedal correctly, you'll be able to clip in immediately. Try stepping where the cleat is rather than the center of your foot.

chunt

Before stopping, downshift to easy gear. Keep one foot clipped in at the stop. When ready to take off, start pedaling with one leg and clip in the second shoe as/after you get going a bit. Speedplay Zeros are among the very best pedal/cleat system available; you'll adjust after some practice and ride time with them.

travkat

+1 (you will get used to it). It doesn't take a ton of practice to get the hang of it. If your shoes are too slick to stand in at lights or on hills, take a small piece of rubber and glue it to the heels of each shoe. This will make sure you are not slipping when putting your feet down. As to starting from stop or on an incline. A good cyclist shouldn't really be missing the pedal too often, with practice and due to the double sided nature of the speedplay you will soon be starting from a dead stop on a 23% grade...or better yet you will be track standing at all lights.

travkat

addendum and disclosure: I have used Shimano/Look/Time and was given a pair of speedplays to try out and have never gone back. The Zeros are my favorite pedal bar none.

Rohc

It's a feel thing. You will get used to it. As some of the other guys have said, give it some time and your feet (the cleat) will automatically hit the pedal, you wont even have to look for it.
TRUST ME!!!! Same thing happened to me. After about 2 weeks it was like I had been using them for years. I clip in seconds before the other guys have clipped in.
Speedplay's the only way to go!!!!!!

Carbon Unit

I often ride on the pedals while not being clipped in and then after I get moving I clip in. My shoes do not slide off. Maybe it depends on the shoes you are using. I am reading with Shimano R-151 carbon shoes.

I will never ride with any other road shoe other than Speedplay, unless there is some major break through in clipless road pedals.

mista_chewey

i know of one example that did switch back...
patentcad and everyone here knows how he's the fastest thing on the planet

steaktaco

It's actually easier to pedal off unclipped with the cleat on the pedal instead of the heel. The cupped-shape of the cleat will hold a decent amount of purchase, it won't slip.

thump55

Be sure and use some dry lube spray (teflon) on the cleats as well. It will help keep them working smooth. +1 on what steaktaco said above as well.

Austinite

OP here.. So I've ridden on these Zeros for a little bit - one 38-mile ride being the longest so far. I love the pedals and I'm surprised at how little the float bothered me even in the beginning. I have noticed (has anyone else?) that even with the heel-out adjusted pretty much all the way open, I can only move my heel out a tiny amount before it unclips but I can move my heels IN toward the chainstays all the way to touching the chainstays with the heel-in not even adjusted that far open. I've confirmed that I've got these right because I left my shoes attached to the pedals and pushed the heel out to see that the spring stops on the "heel out" screw, which is already dialed all the way out. Not a big deal, but I do wish they centered these things a bit better. The cleats are lined up with the guidelines on the bottom of my shoe perfectly, so I doubt that's it.

Creakyknees

I know several guys, real racers not newbs, who tried 'em and switched back. No disrespect to anyone or their pedals intended.

OP - get some of that tape that's textured for traction and put it on the bottom of your shoes. Slippery road shoes are stupid - eventually you're going to walk into a c-store, or put a foot down on wet asphalt and bust yer ass.

hornytoad

get a pair of the 'cafe covers' and don't bust yer ass.

i use zeroes on my road bikes (i really like 'em). i think i am about due for a re-build on oldest pair. is this easy? does speedplay u.r.l. provide re-build directions/manual?

fwiw, i thot speedplay light action would be nice on my commuter. the light action are advertised to click in and out of easier (ie, recreational riders) than zeroes. this is correct, but i had no idea how easy they would be to click out of. short story long --- do not consider these on any bike if you stomp hard or spin fast.

MONGO!

Learn to pedal with one leg until you get used to the clip in.

hornytoad

aka = coffee shop covers

https://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?f...me.merchandise

furiousferret

Not sure what the issue is, sounds like you just need to get used the new pedals.

Carbon Unit

I ride with Light Action pedals and I typically spin over 100 rpms and never had a problem. I have also stomped hard to get in but don't usally need to do this.

Vireo

Wrong!

Too general of a statement. For the record, I have tried them several times, on the insistence of our Speedplay vendor, and every time I have hated them even more than the last.

jake8

I love mine granted they were also the first road pedal I ever used, but so far nothing but praise in the last three years I have used them. They are difficult to walk in but that really isn't an issue as they are never walked more than ten yards.

DScott

Love mine... no problems clipping in or out, no hot spots, and I really like the double sided entry.

If your float settings are off like you describe, I think yours aren't set up right. The cleats must be just a little bit crooked on the shoes for this to happen. What shoes are you using, and who installed them for you? Got pics of the cleats on the shoes?

I'd highly recommend taking them in to a bike shop that knows how to install them correctly.