davida

Hi

I have Look pedals but am thinking of changing to speedplays.

They look very fiddly to set up -

https://www.speedplay.com/pubs/instru...ns20100713.pdf

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ight=speedplay

Are they?

davida

PS I just basically screw new Look cleats in when I replace the old ones. It's pretty hard to go away from such an easy system.

Forza

Having switched from Look to Speedplay, I'll say:

1. No, it's not that complex...I found it very easy, the cleats mounted natively to my Sidis via the adaptor, just be sure to use a torque wrench
2. Be sure to use a Teflon based dry-lube on the cleats to aid in break-in
2. The performance of the Speedplay, float and double sided entry, made point #1, insignificant for me.

Don't get me wrong, Look's are great too...different pro/cons.

Carbon Unit

I have both Speeplay and Look pedals. I use Speedplay on my road bike and Look in a spin class. They are both good pedals systems but for easy of entry and exit, I much prefer Speedplay.

I have changed Speedplay cleats twice in six years and I had no problems adjusting the cleats. Put some Blue Loctite on the screws and don't over tighten them, just snug them and you should have no problem.

rbart4506

I've got the X-2's and much prefer them over my old Time RXS....

Setting up the Speedplay is a breeze and switching cleats is so easy.

The biggest issue I had with the Time cleats and setup was getting the fore/aft, lateral position and rotation the same after switching or when making adjustments. With the Speedplay your fore/aft and lateral are independent, because of the adapter plate, and the rotation is irrelevant. So when switching cleats you are only concerned with lateral position.

Campag4life

Have owned both Look and Speedplays as well and prefer Speedplay for the float. To me Speedplays are more fiddly for engagement...screw torque as mentioned is a big factor...do NOT overtorque the cleat screws and blue loctite is your friend.
All said the reason I went speedplay is because of the relocation plate that allows more of a mid foot spindle position. I got into this after struggling with Morton's Neuromas in my feet and wanted to get the pressure off the front of my foot. Mid foot pedaling has allowed me countless hours of cycling without pain and don't feel I have lost any speed..perhaps a couple of RPM of cadence but I am a spinner and not masher naturally.
So Speedplays have worked well for me. I miss certain aspects of Look pedals however...but not the lack of float which has some adjustabilty thru different cleat selection. I like the solid click of the Look pedals when you engage them. I am sticking with Speedplays however as they are secure and place the cleat where I want on the bottom of my shoe.

WhyFi

I didn't find it to be too fiddly the first time around. Two main thing to watch for -

- If you need the 3-to-4-hole adapter plate, and you likely do, find your shoe on their chart and use the appropriate wedge-shaped shims. If your shoe isn't listed, just eyeball the shim combinations to be sure that it adapter plate is sitting flat, and not flexing.
- Don't over-tighten the cleats - it may prevent you from clipping in.

Phil85207

Don't let them intimidate you. It's a piece of cake. They do take a little break in though.