andrewluke

So a search has yielded DTM and Lake as making a 4-bolt road shoe that is directly compatible with Speedplay. The papers with the pedals said there were others like Adidas and Bontrager that make them but that appears not to be the case anymore. Are there any others that I'm missing that are not a custom solution? I'd like to try them on before I buy so I either need to find a dealer online that has a Zappos.com kind of return policy or a brand that I can pick up in Los Angeles.

Dr. Banzai

Northwave makes em. I have a set of their Evolution shoes. Great shoes. Sitting in the closet since they are the wrong colour for my bike.

I used them anyway fr a long time until a good deal on a pair of white shoes came my way.

https://www.northwave.com/

kimconyc

Any reason why you don't want to use the standard 3-bolt adapters? Is the 1-2mm stack-height going to really make that big of a difference?

But to answer your question:
Besides Lake take a look at DMT (DMT Prisma).

andrewluke

Just a personal preference. I figure if I can find a decent pair to use them natively, why not? And DMT was what I was referring to in the OP... little typo on the DTM.

Right now I have some cheap Specialized road shoes with around 1,500 on them but I've killed the super soft pad on the heel and I'm eating away on the sole of the shoe now. I've been looking at some of the Sidi carbon soled shoes with the replaceable heel pad but figured I'd look this direction too. I want to find one really good pair that will last me for a few years.


And Dr Banzai... I looked on their site and they're all showing three holes... are yours an older pair?

Dr. Banzai

Yeah, picked them up a while ago. They don't have anything speedplay specific anymore? Too bad.

The only real advantage to this is to get the stack height down by 3mm. The adapter I use with my Garneau Tri Air carbons is very thin and I cannot feel a stack height difference at all.

I recently tried out some mtb spd pedals since the sole is carbon, no hot spots. Put the speed plays back on and fell in love with them all over again. Again, I would say that I felt no difference using the adapters and would encourage you to find a shoe that fits well and try to skip over the adapter issue.

Carbon Unit

I would will buy DMT when I need new shoes. Miy shoes are not dead yet so I will wait.

andrewluke

The whole adapter thing was partly just me knowing that working as a mechanic has taught me loctite sucks when used with plastic and a metal screw going into a metal hole in the base of the shoe means a lot less risk of losing a screw. I just bought these and they seemed to loosen up quite a bit over the course of my ride this morning. Otherwise, I'm 90% a happy convert once I get a real long ride with some better hills in on Sunday. Compared to my Shimano pedals, they definitely feel more disconnected and floaty so I'll see how they hold up under more power but my knee discomfort post-ride was nowhere to be found and I felt almost no foot fatigue.

Dr. Banzai

Loctite (blue) is essentially thinnned blue permatex gasket maker. A little dab of permatex blue works great with the plastic.

There is no loctite on my speedplay setup and it works flawlessly. Now to just make them stay clean with no grease/grime on my calves...

merlinextraligh

I'm not sure its a huge difference, but they're nice without the adapter. Just feels better connected to the pedal. And it saves a bit of weight. (whe people say Speedplays with the cleats are heavier than Looks, they're throwing in the weight of the adpater).

I've got Lake CX 401's and like them pretty well. Not wild about the dial closure system, but they're comfortable, relatively light, and have a heat moldable heel cup.

If you buy them from Competitive Cyclist you can return them as long as you don't mount a cleat on them first or mark them up.

Dr. Banzai

I've been sprinting a lot more lately and REALLY found that the speedplay X pedals allowed my knees and legs to work compared to the SPDs I was trying out.

Again the stack, the weight, the clearance. All minimal issues when it comes to clip in/out and the float. The adapters are an average 2mm thick chunk of plastic with a potential shim or two. Not a big deal and there is no perceived flex or stack issue for me.

Try it out. Really, just take the plunge and judge for yourself. Nothing I say or Member X will say will truly make up your mind. Take the plunge. If you were local and a 45 you could try mine out and see if you liked them and compare.

andrewluke

Well I wear a tight 46 but I'm thinking I'll hit up CC and order a pair in the next couple days. If I can just try them on and return them for a different size without a hassle, I think i'll be ok. If they don't feel right, I'll just get the Sidis.

Thanks for all the opinions.

Carbon Unit

I haven't lost a screw since I started using blue locktite. Works fine for me.

Carbon Unit

Do you prefer velcrow? DMT makes a Speedplay version with velcrow for $265.00.

shovelhd

I would not choose a shoe based on having a native 4 hole Speedplay cleat setup. The adapter is NBD. Fit is more important.

merlinextraligh

I'd agree with that. I also need a wide, high volume shoe, and the Lakes tend to both of those, so I got agood fit, and speedplay specific.

shovelhd

FYI I have Lakes now. I don't like them, and I use Speedplays. They are loaner shoes from my LBS while I wait (and wait and wait) for some shoes that fit me to come in. I can't complain as the price is right.

merlinextraligh

which points out that shoes, like saddles, are a matter of what fits you, and personal preference.