belowzero

Finally got to ride the new road bike for over an hour a few days ago, had the zero speedplays stainless. I'm still having a hard time getting the cleats on even though i've got it exactly horizontal riggling right to left then a bit of pressure, sometimes they click in, sometimes they don't. Not sure if you need the dry grease or not...

either way, after my ride I was on a slight slope leaning down to the right, left leg was out off the cleat (seated), then I kicked right to get out the right foot cleat and the slope/force moved my weight a bit too much. Because I was seated and I may have kicked a bit too hard, my whole weight 75kg + the bike and new shoes came hurtling down like an earthquake. I managed to stop most of the impact with my wrist which took most the impact, my shoe clip got smashed a fair bit along with the new peddle, chipped the brake leaver and dérailleur is scratched (luckily not bent). Couldn't move my wrist for a couple of days but its now coming back to good health.

cmcenroe

Wow, that is the most brutal tip over story. What kind of brake levers are they?

theopowers

Well, except for the one where the guy tipped over and a truck ran over his head...

belowzero

When its a new bike with not a scratch on it (used to be), very brutal!
Shimano Ultegra brake leavers on a The 3T handlebars.

khuon

Check the four mounting screws of your cleats. If they're too tight, they will bind the C-clip spring and make it harder to engage/release. Also, like many clipless pedal cleats, Speedplays take some time to break in. One way to accelerate this is to spend about an hour repeatedly clipping in and out. Bring your bike into your living room, position it next to a wall or doorframe, turn on the TV and while using the wall to steady yourself, just clip in and out for about an hour.

cs1

WOW, I'm really sorry to hear about that. I've had my share of seriously embarrassin tip overs also. In my case they were more humiliating than painfull. In your case they were both. I have been using Look since about 1989 with great results. If you don't get used to your present system think about switching. Good luck and remember a bike is a lot easier to fall over with than a 700 lb Harley. LOL


Tim

RonH

Glad you're ok. Are you sure the wrist is ok?

My take on Speedplay pedals/cleats is they suck. I tried Zeros in 2004. Rode with them for ~3 months. I could never get clipped in on the first attempt when pulling away from a stop light. Usually took 3-4 tries. Occasionally couldn't get unclipped and had a few scary moments. I adjusted everything on the cleat but nothing helped. After 3 months they went back in the box. They'll soon be on craigslist, along with lots of other bike paraphernalia.

belowzero

Thank you, yeah I think it's alright. Didn't swell much just think the nerve, cartildidge were in shock + some bruising near the veins upon impact. After every night I feel the recovery, I should be able to ride tomorrow if the healing trend continues.

...makes you wonder how team CSC handles them from day to day, guess they don't do many redlight / city rides. Also I remember them going through quite a few crashes, included a 1/2 the team almost in a team trial at the Tour de France, I don't think its related to the cleats but maybe the speedplays made them more nervous . I was looking at the new LOOK Titanium peddles, might be a better option... I haven't got much cleat experience at all, been riding a mountain bike and previously road bikes with strap ons.

Trev Doyle

I have used Ti Zero for a few years on all my bikes and I have never had a problem. the only thing I would do is like you said, use a dry lube on the cleats and that will keep them clipping in and out smoothly. But you should never become unclipped.

ZXiMan

I went for my first clipless ride yestareday and within 10 minutes, fell over. I unclipped the right side, no problem but unfortunately for me, I leaned left and fell over and most of my weight was over the seat and my seat rails popped out of the plastic base. I knew I needed a seat to sit on to clip in so after a little thought, I grabbed my spare tube and wrapped it around the front of the seat and it worked. I finished my ride with no more problems and the only "bruise" I got was on my ego...heh The seat really wasn't that uncomfortable and my LBS actually swapped my seat out for me, no charge...

bluecd

ive had zero problems with my speedplay x2 pedals.

read the installation instructions for cleat screw tightness & lube them. i use a couple drops of pedros ice wax on the cleat rings every so often. easy in easy out.

there is a learing curve with all clipless pedals, dont give up so easily.

SoonerBent

I've used SPDs, LOOK and for the last few years Speedplay. I'll never use anything else. Speedplays are the easiest to get into, most secure while in and easiest to get out of. This is most important on a highracer 'bent and I could'nt feel more comfortable about using my Speedplays. You do have to keep the cleat mechanism lubed and I coat the pedal platform with White Lightning once in a while.

SB

rfctx

My SS X-2's unclip at times, most problematic! I cannot isolate the issue. Yes, I’m a big guy, maybe that it???

rickkko

Been running X1 Ti Speedplays for last 2000 miles. Fallen twice but neither case my fault (events transpired way too fast!).

I've had no problems clipping or unclipping but I shoot a quick spray of dry lube on the cleats about every third or fourth ride.

Also, its easiest to unclip if pedals are in 3 o'clock position. At 6 o-clock its OK but hardest in the 10 to 2 range.

I've found clicking-in is easiest if you slightly point your toes inward first before applying full pressure. This all becomes second nature pretty quickly if you practice like someone suggested earlier.

A sidebar: Speedplay tech-support highly recommended the pedals get lubed internally whenever the rotate more than 1 1/2 revolutions by flicking them with your finger. I bought their custom lube-gun and follow that advice as well.

Oh, Speedplay recommends you be 185 lbs. or less when using Ti's. That became my incentive to lose weight! I was 193 at the time I installed them but now hover around 174. I'm shooting for 170.

Good luck!
..rickko..

thad

The other posters are right, people who have problems clipping into the zeros have the cleats on too tight. I just got them, did it hand tight and then backed off a little bit, they work great. The other complaint people have is the "I feel like I'm ice skating". With the zeros, much of this can be limited by playing with the float adjustment, BUT, they may have had the cleats on too loose. In any event, how tight/loose you attach the cleats to the mounting plate determines the ease of entry and to some extent the float tension.

shawneebiker

I had zero's for about 6 months. At some point I lost one of the screws that hold the bow tie piece to the pedal. Eventually the other one worked its way loose and I was unable to unclip. Fell over and cracked my knee good. Needless to say I was p*ssed. I called speedplay. They said they would send me out a couple of the star screws and the bow-tie piece. It never showed. I called again they said they would send it right out. Never showed up. As far as I'm concerned Speedplay talks the talk but doesn't deliver....After the whole thing I decided its time to switch.

I know own Look Keo Carbon Ti and love them. I think the limited float ended up being easier on my knees than the zero's. Any periodic numbness went away with the Keo's. They seem to be much more solid.

Found them on ebay brand new for $240.00. At 190 grams with lighter cleats than speedplay they are a bargain.....

I found that if you limit the float on the zero's, any sideways movement you'll start to unclip. Zero's don't seem to work well unless you use alot of float. They say you can use zero float but it doesn't work very well.

Duke of Kent

My speedplays work flawlessly. Beat them to hell, and now on my second pair of cleats, but they work like the day I bought them still. First, you don't want to wiggle your foot around from side to side when getting in. STRAIGHT down. You might actually be inhibiting the cleats and pedals from interacting properly by doing that. I'm on X2s right now, and will soon be getting Zero Stainless. Mainly because I twist a lot when really putting out the power. Want to stop that and make my pedal stroke more efficient.

C4Byke

As a sidenote/question about non-zero speedplays; Weight-lifters say that nothing is better than free weights because, in addition to actually moving the mass of the freeweight, you are forced to control it with small (muscle memory) mov'ts. Just wondering if having the X series pedals would better define leg muscles because of the unrestricted movement?

fsor

Three sets of Frogs and one set of Zeros...flawless experience. Something is wrong. Make certain that if the sole of the shoe is curved, that you use the correct shim (that should have come with the pedals). As the others have said...if you tweak the cleat installing it to the shoe, it will be very hard to get into and out of. There is something wrong with your setup...correct the problem before you ride. Sorry about your fall but zeros are great pedals.

khuon

One thing I've noticed from the people I know personally who have used Speedplay Zeros is that the ones who have quite a bit more MTB experience and MTBing clipless pedals tend to like Zeros more than those attempting to transition from Look-type pedals. I also notice that these folks tend to be a bit more aggressive when engaging and disengaging from their pedals. Perhaps that's the secret. I know that I tend to use a pretty forceful positive snapping motion when disengaging and when I go to get in, I also use a forceful stomp. I think the Zeros respond to these types of actions better than a gradual pressure.

fsor

My take on the clipless thing is that time/look did a pretty fine job long ago building off ski step-in binding experience and so the whole clipless pedal design window started from a rather enlightened perspective. There may be some truly crappy executions of exsisting designs, but I think that all of the major manufacturers have a pretty good product IF it is installed and adjusted correctly. The consequences of a bad product would cause a biblical legal assault. I think it boils down to what you got used to and accommodate to and not so much one being a bad product over another. It is a real pit if you are starting out with a product and the installation or set-up isn't what it should have been. Over and over I have been told that Frogs have an accidental release problem or a sensitivity to grit or the cleats wear out......I have NOT EVER had any of those problems. Same thing with the one copy of Zeros that I use.....I really like being able to limit the float in two directions. But that is me....I would never criticize another persons' preference in pedals....I havent walked that mile.

MaxBender

eggbeaters, man, eggbeaters...

Raketmensch

I've got zeros on both my bikes -- one set steel and one set Ti -- and I like them a lot. An important thing about Speedplays is that they seem to be a bit more susceptible to contamination-induced problems than most other pedals. I had problems both clipping in and twisting out shortly after I got them, and it was because I wasn't keeping them sufficiently cleaned and lubed. I started having a quick go at the cleats with a toothbrush after each ride, and I also spritz both pedals and cleats regularly with dry lube. No problems since then... they've been great.

And I sympathize with the tip-over! Did one of those in LA a couple of decades ago, instinctively stuck my left hand out to break the fall, and broke my left wrist instead. Hope your injury turns out to be more minor!

rjtokyo

I have Speedplay Zeros on both my training bike and my race bike, and both sets work flawlessly. They have by far the easiest entry and release of any pedal system I've used. I just ordered a third set for a new build in progress for a friend. Like a couple of posters wrote above, the key to having them enter and release smoothly is making sure the mounting screws are not torqued down too tight. Here is a short checklist to be careful about:

1) Make sure the metal engagement clip in the cleats didn't inadvertently get mounted upside down. The beveled edge should be faced down.
2) Don't overtorque the cleat mounting screws (common mistake).
3) Lube the cleats with a dry-type lube (dry chain lube is fine).
4) Keep dirt out of the cleats (coffee shop covers recommended).

Do these things and a simple twist of the ankle should get you out very easily.

Cheers! - RJ

RonH

+1

I have Eggbeaters on my commuter.

I like them so much I took the Look pedals off my Litespeed and put on a pair of Quattros.