Speed Play Zero Cleats
 

Looking for feedback on experience with old design Zeros compared with new Zeros with Walkable covers.
Main thing is difference in durability.

No difference in durability, IME. It took me 8-10,000 miles to wear out the old cleats, and roughly the same miles to wear out the new cleats. I like the walkable. Saves me the trouble of carrying the coffee shop covers I used to carry.

BB

A relatively unrelated question.. Has anyone moved from X-series to Zeros, and found a benefit or advantage?

Yes and yes...

The zeros have walkable cleats have covers that don't come off and get lost (unlike Kleat Kovers that always do). AFAIK Speedplay has yet to give the same treatment to the X pedals, which is rather dumb IMHO...they're also adjustable down to whatever spec you want WRT release angle. They're much better with power transfer if you lock-in the heel-in/out compared to the angular slop of the X.

Thanks! I've seen the walkables, but never had a problem with the Keep On Kovers staying on; though of course I still walk like a duck.
As to the release angles, I've always been curious about this. I've ridden X series since I started cycling -- they were just a choice at the time off the shelf availability at the bike store about 15 yrs ago. I find them fine; at the same time, thinking that if there is less "float" set, then that might mean I'd always accidentally keep releasing my foot from the pedal when I didn't intend to, only because I turned my foot just a little bit too far inadvertently. Is this the case?

I use Speedplay Zero after having used X Series for many years.

I switched about two years ago when after starting to use SPD on other bikes. Unrestricted float was leading to poor form when I was tired at the end of long rides and I found that I enjoyed the narrow range of float with both SPD and Zero.

As a practical matter it would be difficult to unclip Zero's inadvertently. You have to really give them a twist. It shouldn't be a concern.

I'm not sure about the Light Action pedals however, how easy it is to unclip. There are some who try to pass off Light Action as Zero's on the used market/Craigslist so be careful if you are looking at used.

Also, walkable cleats do come off. I've lost one.


-Tim-

I'm still waiting for speedplay-specific 4-bolt shoes to come down to a reasonable price.

Over the years Keep on Kovers existed...I probably lost one right (dominant foot) Kover per season or two...which adds up given that some injection molded rubber/plastic costs as much as it does. Once I found one had dislodged during a clip-out on my commute route at a city crosswalk on the MUP...fortunately being a bizarre thing to look at that basically no one has a use for NVM even know what it is--it stayed there for a day before I found it.

The X and Zero cleats are quite different internally. Whereas X uses a wire-spring ring-clamp...the X is a thin plate of metal IIRC. Result is the Zeros have a more positive action. There are two adjustable float stop set-screws (think toe-in/toe-out). You can set there to be float or not, and how much and where it centers on--or none at all at any off-angle or center you want. If I remember right the Zeros have a bit less max float than the X, but not much.

I used X-2 for years and then switched to light action back in 2010 or so. I find them VERY easy to unclip and yet, I've never accidentally unclipped. You have to rotate your foot pretty far, but it's not hard.

The float is really not adjustable on either model but is on the Zeros if that's important to you.

I have recently switched to Look Keo and find the experience to be more pleasant on long rides... but clipping in is no longer the stab and go experience I enjoyed with speedplay.

TrojanHorse - Someone posted a picture of what must be new Light Action aero cleats that had float adjustment like Zero cleats. I looked on the Speedplay site and didn't see them. Not adding the float limiting adjustment to Light Action seems kind of dumb to me. It's like Speedplay has decided that riders who need easy clip in and don't race don't need or want float limits. Maybe they just figure Light Action is a lower level product and if you want those features you have to pay more for Zero.

I use both Zero and Light Action and love them both. I have never had an accidental unclip from either. Speedplay says not to use Light Action for racing and I assume it is because they aren't as secure as Zeros. Light Action cant be as secure as Zeros if the float isn't limited because the float transitions to release without any stops. That and the spring retention is stiffer on Zeros.. With my non professional power I doubt I'd ever encounter a situation where I'd create an unintended release with Light Action, but maybe in strange sprinting or unbalance recovery situations it's possible. I'd certainly rather race in Light Acton pedals than with slotted cleats and straps.

I pair my pedals with riding conditions, and use Light Action during rides where I will have to uncleat a lot, Zeros on rides where I can mostly stay clipped in. The Light Action are wonderful for city riding, sometimes when approaching intersections I'll rotate my foot out in a position almost uncleating, being at the ready for uncleating if needed. If uncleating wasn't needed, I just rotate my foot back in and am ready to continue pedaling. Light Action seem pretty ideal for city riding and touring that doesn't require much walking.

I also use Frogs and they don't have float adjustment like Light Action except there is a stop that limits float heel inward. It is nice to set up the Frog cleat so that the heel cannot touch the crank arms. It would be nice to have at least this heel inward stop with Light Action pedals.

Personally, I haven't noticed any difference in durability regarding the spring's longevity. I got keep on covers for my original Zeros when I switched to SP, so I have yet to wear out a plate. The walkable are a little lower profile, so they are more comfortable to walk in. Obviously better traction than uncovered originals, and IMO, better traction than keep on covers as well. I have had both keep on and walkable covers come off, but the walkable seem to hold up better and I've seen several shops in my area that sell replacement covers, whereas the keep on's I have to order online.

Hope it helps.

I have use both the old X and Zeros for many years and found the Zeros wear much better than the X's . Just recently switched to walkables due to availability of old Zero cleats.
The new cleats look like the springs were redesigned slightly. The new Zeros with cover make clipping in slightly more difficult than the old design IMO.

Thanks for feedback even with minor diversion. .

Yeah, sorry about that. I posted a big long thing and didn't address your question at all. :innocent:

Me too, except it's light action for really, really hilly rides (so easy to clip in on a steep hill) and keo for everything else (obviously, the light actions are on my bike with the compact crank and the keos are on the other one. Obvious, right?)

as for the original question, I used to wear keep on kovers with my speed plays and they did wonders for the longevity of the cleat in terms of wearing through the top metal plate. Doesn't affect spring life. That tiny little extra bit of grip from having plastic underfoot instead of aluminum is also outstanding. The "walkable" cleats are basically a significantly improved version of the keep on kovers and seem to stay attached much better.

Surprising Speedplay didn't ever make an attempt to offer 2-3 models of shoe themselves (with varying pricepoints). Not sure how much longer they can hold out on their patent protection.. at least the X series design has been around a long time now; a product-line extension might help keep them established.

Would be nice if the patent expired....for what they are-Speedplay cleats are stupidly expensive.


Don't get me wrong, love the system for my road bike....but I groan whenever I have to spend $50USD on another set of cleats.

Another nice thing would be different spindle lengths you could buy without morgaging your house. I was told, at a recend bike fit I should widen my Q factor. The suggestion was about 1/4 inch wider...then I heard the price for new spindles..........

Yeah.. I wanted 1/8" wider steel spindles just to avoid toebox squeak against crankarm (I have large feet).. A good bit over $100 for the spindles. Crazy. Went and bought some titanium ones off ebay.. quite happy with them. I think about 1/4 of the price.

Hey Sy,
Do you know what the stock length is on the spindle. Thanks for the tip I'll need to check it out.

I believe the stock length of the spindle is dependent on whether you have the Titanium or Steel pedal version to begin with (at least this is the case for the X series). I think the stock Ti spindle is 50mm, and SS is 53mm.
Here's one (rare) place that seems to sell all of the options for Zeros; these seem to be official Speedplay versions.
https://www.i-ride.co.uk/products/co...ku=03024100607
I don't believe Speedplay sells any spindles longer than the stock size that are made out of titanium. OTOH, it seems to be a lot easier to find aftermarket spindles on Ebay that are made of Ti than it is to find them out of stainless; not sure why.

No question about it, Light Action model is considered by many as the entry level, non performance cleat arrangement. When fitting, we always recommend Zero pedals for the adjustability. Not sure if it is an "upsell" feature/benefits thing, but it is how our shop treats the models.
Personally, I dislike the cleat design of Speedplay and after experiencing clogged cleats from changing a flat on the side of the road, I no longer use them.