Sy Reene

Cost? Sponsorship? Or I've heard lots of cyclists were putting their feet thru their front wheels when using Speedplays, though can't recall where I read this.

bruce19

Well, let's see, an American company with a patent since 1989 and doing quite well to this day.....they must really suck.

RiceAWay

Are you saying that you were sponsored by another pedal manufacturer or that you couldn't afford Speedplays over Looks or whatever? Exactly what is this supposed to be? I told you what happened to me. And pulling out was common enough that people all stared using them and very quickly went back to Looks which at that time were pretty damned heavy pedals.

noodle soup

I suspect Sy Reene smells BS. I've used Speedplay pedals since the mid 90s(worked in the industry since the late 80s), and have never heard of the pulling out rumor.

WhyFi

What?! You haven't cut a finger off yet? Ha - you must not be much of a woodworker.

topflightpro

Yes. Buy new cleats. And if you can no longer read the R and L on the pedal bodies, it's a good sign that the bodies are worn out.

slowgo

I originally bought the Ultra Light Action because I’ve always adjusted my shimano pedals to the lowest possible tension. I tend to internally rotate my left foot when I’m riding and I came out of the pedal a few times when pedaling hard. I switched to the Zeros and haven’t had the issue with them. So I have a pair of Ultra Light Action’s with about 50 miles on them sitting in my garage.

RiceAWay

Well, I just went out onto Craig's List and there were 20 sets of Look pedals advertised. 18 sets Shimano pedals, 7 sets of Wellgo and 1 set of Speedplay and it is 80 miles outside of the bay area. They sure must be popular. I suppose because they are so outstanding that no one ever wants to upgrade to newer pedals.

Hey, I have a set of Campagnolo clip-in pedals and a new set of cleats to go with them. Maybe they would sell faster than Speedplays.

bruce19

Correct.

Sy Reene

Exactly... mine are 16yrs old.

Fourbtgait

Love my Speedplays, bought them 10 years ago but always had trouble unclipping as I had smashed my right heel and hence that ankle doesn’t pivot as easy. Now with left knee issues from running/age leary of them, wondered if spd/sl are a better option.

WhyFi

Try some Light Action Speedplays.

Fourbtgait

adjustments in them or just easier to unclip?

WhyFi

Easier in and out (supposedly, I've never tried them).

RiceAWay

The cheaper Shimano mtb SpDs are good. They are a little harder to get into and a lot easier to get out of. The higher end SpD's are just the opposite. They are easier to get into and much harder to twist out.

Now we can wait for all of the experts here who have never known how to ride tell us how that ain't true. That you can take the cheap one's and do flips and jumps just like the expensive racing XTR's that are easy to get out of so that you could slip out in a flip.

MoAlpha

If there are calisthenics are there also cacosthenics and are they what I'm doing in my basement?

Nachoman

I agree with wifi's recommendation on the light action speedplays. When my daughter first went clipless she found it extremely difficult to get in and out of the x series, but with the light action pedals she has no problem whatsoever.

woodcraft

I looked at the tread before, but this time I read it as

zero unclip (i.e. never) as I stand,

& thought the OP had changed his mind...

topflightpro

My wife and I have ridden Speedplay Zeros for 10 years or so on a dozen bikes. I've never accidentally unclipped from them. In fact, as the cleats age, I find it increasingly difficult to get in and out of them - that's usually my tell-tale signal I need new cleats. I've also raced on the track with them - regular Zeros and Track Zeros - and have pedaled at more than 200 rpm on the rollers with them.

The pedals do require a bit more maintenance than Looks. You need to routinely grease the bearings - you do not need to buy expensive Speedplay grease. Rather any basic bike grease works, and a cheap syringe from a drug store is sufficient for pushing it in to the bearings. The bodies do wear out over time and need to be replaced. When the R and L are gone, that's often a good sign it's time to replace the bodies. Speedplay sells replacement bodies, but in my experience, it's better to just replace the whole pedal. Removing the bearings from the old pedals is kind of a PIA. I've also had issue with the screw that holds the bodies on getting locked in place. If weight is a concern, you can buy CrMo spindle pedals then buy $35 ti spindles off Ebay and sway the bodies over.

Sy Reene

Not just done for weight reasons.. also for custom (eg. longer spindle) and cost saving. I was looking at the Zeros, but want a 56mm spindle (which is what I after-market installed on my old X pedals). The Excel price for the 56mm spindle Zero stainless was I think $285 (not listed on their site any longer though). The CroMo version is $144, and the ebay Ti spindles as you say about $35.. quite a price difference. For the Zeros, is the pedal body identical between CroMo, Stainless and Ti versions?

burnthesheep

I only race in my Speedplay Zero Aeros. I'm not coming unclipped ever, hopefully. So it doesn't matter.

I find Speedplay has systematic manufacturing or tolerancing issue with the c-clip that bends to clip you in. Some are so small you pretty much have to bend them open a touch to ever use them new out of the box. No amount of "wear in" will get you into them. No amount of "learning the Speedplay engagement" either.

To me, that's shyte. It should work 100% out of the box the first time no matter what. Like an SPD-SL or SPD. Those just plain work.

Never tried a non-zero model for comparison, but droves online post about not being able to clip into them after initial install. Sure, wrong torque on the screws on the shoe.....yada yada. Sometimes that's bull hockey. I installed mine perfect torque and 100% per instructions and had to widen that c-clip. Then it was a matter of figuring out how wide to make it so I could sprint or dig in them without coming out.

I personally don't like them for general road riding. They only go on the TT bike for races for the extra aero and extra advantage in hip angle/stack height. Otherwise, I swap the SPD-SL's onto the TT bike.

Also, for any system, pros can use whatever as they shouldn't really be unclipping for 100+ miles per stage in the race......ever. So that wouldn't matter a whole lot. They aren't commuting.

topflightpro

Yep. Pedal body is the same among all the models. The Spindle is the difference. To swap out, simply remove the small Philips head screw on the end of the pedal, pop off the plastic cap, remove the Torx screw, slide off the body, put it on the new spindle, then put the Torx in the new spindle, pop on the end cap and screw in the Philips head screw. Takes about 5 min.

Digger6255 

I have always been diligent with maintenance on the pedals and cleats although I did walk a bit in the cleats but not like I was off hiking in them. The lack of strength in the right cleat C clip is real and you can open it with your finger. There was no distinct "pop" when releasing like the left pedal or when it was new.

I ordered new cleats and a set of Ultegra pedals. I think I am going to try the Ultegras and see how I like them and if I do I'll return the Zero cleats to REI.

bbbean 

I have no reason to doubt that your story is true, but the "happened to a lot of people" and "not become a big hit" make this a misinformed statement. Speedplay Zeros are one of the two or three pedals you see in substantial numbers at races of every level, and have an excellent reputation.

BB

bbbean 

Honestly, it rivaled Covid-19 for the way it ravaged entire communities.