Help with my Speedplay Zeros
 

Hi guys, I need some help please.

I bought some Speedplay Zero pedals, installed them on the bike and the cleats on my Specialized BG Pro full carbon shoes exactly as advised in the instruction booklet and the Speedplay website.

Try as I might, I simply cannot clip in! I backed off the four screws thinking I may have overtightened against the spring following posts on BF. Still no good - they were backed off so far that if I backed them off any further then the yellow/gold plate would be able to move on the black baseplate.

So for now I have refitted my Look Keo Easy pedals so I can ride. I really want to use the Speedplays, but at the moment I am stumped and cannot think what I am doing wrong. I know you have to stomp down, but the force I was trying to put on the pedal was way too much for my liking.

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks

Ben

Could be a couple of things. Zeros are known to be hard to clip into, enough that I've heard Speedplay offers broken in springs for sale. I doubt this is the problem though, I'd be willing to bet you've either installed them backwards or you're using the wrong shims and the base plate is very warped. I know it sounds ridiculous that you might have installed them backwards, but I've done it once or twice when I was in a rush.

What side of the shoe is the play adjustment set screw on, the inside of the shoe or the outside?

If it's a warping issue you're going to have try other shims or do what I did, go at them with sand paper till the base plate is level before you install the cleat. Mine weren't too warped so for two years I just used them as is, but recently I sanded down the shims under the baseplate so I got the top perfectly level and it was worth the 30-45 minutes of work.

Shims. Other thing is not the 4 screws but the other ones before that. Either flat heads or round heads. Make sure its the flat heads.

Thanks for the input fauxtonick.

It looks like I'm disregarding your advice here, but I'm not. :-)

They're not on upside down. Left on Left and Right on Right and the springs fitted as they were in the box.

Would the baseplate be warped if I used the 1R and 1F shims as listed on Speedplay's website for my particular shoe? It didn't look warped.

Ben

Both sets of screws are flat-headed, just two different lengths. I wonder if I need to use the shorter screws? I didn't see any protruding screw head, but I'm willing to try anything!

Ben

they won't work if they're too loose.
go on the tighter side.

they're really hard at first, but they do break in and get easier.
speedplay also offers broken in cleats for free.

Another thing that I had problems with is that the flat head screws on the base plate stuck out and pushed into the cleat and caused it not to engage properly, it took some manipulation and breaking in before it started working right. It doesn't take a lot of warping to cause the cleat to not engage or more likely cause it to pop out easily when it is engaged.

I doubt there's anything wrong with your cleats or shims. I couldn't clip in either when I first got my Zeros, I think partly because I'm very light (~51kg). After some practice though I've got the knack for them and only occasionally mess up on clipping in.

I find that it's easiest to clip my right foot in with the pedal slightly behind the bottom of it's stroke. That way I can push down and backwards whilst holding the bars. The second foot is easier because you are rolling and have something to push against. The angle at which you push the cleat against the pedal is important but you'll soon get a feel for it.

I really like the freedom of movement the Speedplays offer but I think clipping in could be easier without compromising their security. I can get in and out of my SPDs with minimal effort but I've never unclipped by accident even when pulling really hard on my fixed.

Matthew

Matthew,

Thanks for the comments. I maybe need to do a few practise laps of the housing estate and try and get used to it - I suppose in a natural pedalling stroke, the clips engage "automatically" as you roll? Is that what you mean?

Oh and hello to a fellow Brit!

Ben

You need to push hard - no trick to it. Maybe you are pushing into the pedal at an angle -- your foot is either pushing slightly to the outside or to the center of the bicycle? I use to be a fan of pedals with light engagement but now I love the security of pedals like the Zero. I know when I am clipped in and when I am not.

Also: I hope this is not insulting your intelligence but did you mount the cleats on the proper shoes? (Left cleat on left shoe, right cleat on right shoe)

I need to have a few more goes following the advice I have had here this afternoon/evening. I will push hard and make sure my feet are level and square,

Don't worry, no offence taken (we have thick skin here in Northern England :thumb:), but yes the cleats are (or were - Looks currently back in play) on the correct shoes.

works best when you put all your weight on one foot.
use some PTFE or silicone dry lube on the cleats even if they're clean.

it's pretty hard to orientate the cleats in reverse or upside down due to the design.

I'm only 59kg, and they were tough at first, but it wasn't impossible and they did get easier to get in to after a while.

You may have done everything right. There's simply a learning curve. I still have trouble with mine sometimes, especially with the second foot.

I've mounted dozens of zero cleats, and still once I managed to get them on upside down. Couldn't figure out why I couldn't engage... :p

The screw holes are different distances apart top and bottom, but there is still enough room on the cleat "slot" to get the screw through to the hole when it is upside down like that.

I just finished installing my Speedplays on a pair of Specialized (plastic soled) shoes and it was impossible to install the baseplate without it warping slightly even when using the recommended 4R and 4F shims.

What are the symptons of a warped cleat? The float feels friction free so I would guess everythings OK and nothings warped?

I find the easiest way to clip in is to lower your heel slightly and wiggle your foot a little bit while pushing down.

This works well. I initially bought a used pair (thanks UrbanKnight! :thumb: ) and since they were broken in, so to speak, I had no problems clipping in or out - and I'm pretty light @ 125 lbs.

I liked them enough to pick up a second pair, and the new ones definitely took a while before clipping in became as easy as on the older ones. Dry lube on the cleats helps.

I see now that this was already covered before I posted as well. Whoops!

speedplays have a totally different engagement "feel" than look type pedals, step on the pedal and put your full weight onto it, with your foot aligned front to back. rock your momentum to "bounce" on the pedal and i'll bet you click right in...

It took me several minutes in the trainer when I first got mine. The trick is, as a few other people have said, to use your body weight. A lot of times when I'm doing a fit, I find that people coming from other pedals systems try to click in at the top of the pedal stroke - that's not going to happen with Zeros. Clipping (and unclipping) happen at the bottom (to just after the bottom) of the pedal stroke. It's easy once you get used to it.

I meant it's easier because you have resistance to push against - big gears may help here by the way. As others have tried to describe, you may find a slight wiggle aids clipping in as it makes it easier to get the cleat over the pedal.

Really, it's all about practice. Fear not, it get easier very quickly. :)

Matthew

I talked to (production manager) at Speedplay about that spring clip that you're refering to, he said he's never heard of such of thing like that. He said there's only one spring clip they only offer and it's the one type on the Zero pedals as they come in a pedal kit or with the cleats. No springs clips are available separately.

I had these Zeros for about three months now and after heavy lubrication on the cleat they still don't seem to be any easier clipping in. Yes, the advantage is they do have two sides to clip into, but it's hard at times and sometimes you can slip off them as you're trying so hard to push down on them. I just ordered a new set of Shimano PD-7810 as I'm getting rid of these. I found the SPD-SL in the past were much easier for me to clip in and Shimano also offers cleats with no a float.