clipless pedals recommendation needed
 

Hi all! I will be picking up my new Felt Z85 sometime next week and need some recommendations on clipless pedals. I have some nice giro shoes, but not sure what pedals to get, as I'm a first timer to clipless.

Look Keo.

Speedplay all the way.

I got ultegra spd-sl pedals on Amazon for $106 ($200 pedals). Nice pedals, good platform, not overly heavy. Speedplay if you're all about float, but I didn't like the cleat.

Speedplay or SPD for easiness to first time clipless riding.

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-M52...1543252&sr=8-1
I had these for a while.

best thing about Speedplays is the ability to just step on them and go. You can't miss.

This is also true with Crankbrothers Eggbeaters. You just put your foot on there and push down and it's going to clip in no matter what angle the pedal is at.

They are officially mountain pedals, but they're cheap and work for me on all my bikes.

What Giro shoes do you have. Are they road or MTN?

+1 Got these in August as my first clipless pedals. I've had a few skinned knees (ok, 5) getting used to them, but they are great. If you want to save even more (at a "cost" of a bit more weight), the 105's can be had for less than $65.

Time RXS

You can get some pretty good deals on these at www.ribblecycles.co.uk

Giro Treble road shoes

I'm a fan of Crank Brothers because I like to be able to walk in my shoes. Cheap, 4-sided entry, 2-bolt, rebuildable.

Speedplay, but I guess, seeing all the different recommendation, that it really comes down to the one you prefer.

Crank brothers eggbeaters they are 4 sided entry. You cannot miss and they are light as most road pedals. I just upgraded to a Shimano m087 shoe perfect combo. You can walk around and I never have unclipped yet. I could not ride faster in any road shoe I am pretty sure.

+1, look keo's are great.

I guess I'm the only one who isn't happy with the speedplays. I came from a mountain bike shoe (Shimano M086) with Shimano SPD M520's on my road bike. This system I NEVER had to looked down and never missed. Clipped in, tried and true. As soon as I switched to my new Pearl Izumi Tri Fly III's and speedplay light's, I have a hard problem clipping in.

The issue is that the pedal needs to be in the same plane as the shoe/cleat. If they don't perfectly align, you can't clip in. This is my first problem, but its totally a user preference thing. Another issue (which is the 2nd user preference issue) is that the float is TOO MUCH. I went from 6* or so to the speedplay and find my self the 'chicken feet' syndrome where my feet are moving all over the place during climbs and riding.

I've gotten about 100 miles on them now and have adjusted to the 2 issues above, but they're still not ranked high in my book and feel no different in power output/comfort than my SPDs. Another thing that killed the placebo for me was that the speedplay pedal itself is very light, but that's only due to design. The excess weight is in the cleat itself. So when you weigh the entire system together vs. a spd-sl or spd system, they're actually very similar in weight.

Lastly,When I get into my other bike with a regular set of knockoff SPD-SL type cleat and pedal, it's easy as pie. I think I will be looking to buy a set of 105's or ultegra's for a permanent new pedal system.

^^ Speedplays can feel like you're clipped into a can of Spaghetti-o's at first, but after a couple rides, I found the freedom of movement was amazing. I've been riding them for 8 years, and was a Look/Shimano guy before them. When I ride my winter bike with SPD's I really don't like how my foot can barely move.

I don't have anything to compare to as my first and only set of clipless pedals on my road bike are SPD M520's. Like blcknspo0ln, I also like how fast and easy they are to get in and out of and I also don't have to look before clipping in. I am clipped in with both feet before any of my teammates are with their road pedals and I don't have to clip one foot in when I push off. I've been riding on them for a year (and 3,000 miles) and haven't had any problems with them. I have ridden with friends that have Speedplay pedals and have had problems unclipping if they accidentally stepped in sand and didn't clean the cleats before clipping in. It doesn't happen all the time, but often enough that I won't use them. I also ride with a buddy that uses Eggbeaters and they are very fast and easy to get in and out of.

However, since you already have the road shoes, if your shoes don't accept the two bolt SPD cleats, then you are pretty much destined to choose from the pedals that accept the cleat pattern of your shoes. Good luck with your search and hope you find the right set of pedals and cleats that you are comfortable with.

You will get lot of opinions and there is no one correct answer.

However, I will offer one bit of advice. In doing your research and reading forums, take into account that all pedal systems are fine for new clipless users. You may read here and there that one type is easier than another, but don't buy into that as a purchase factor. All clipless pedals take a learning curve but are all easy to use.

So after doing lots of research and watching youtube videos, the eggbeaters and speedplays look nice. On the speedplay pedals, the light action and X5 chromoly are the same price, but the only difference I can tell is the float. The light action is 15* and the X5 is 20*, so I'm not sure how to approach this. The Shimano SPD are 6*. More float seems like it would be more comfortable and easier on the knees, but less seems like it would keep you more locked in place for consistent pedaling. Hmmm.... discuss.

That is true because the ONE correct answer is no longer available: Shimano PD-7401

Helpful tip: the base model Eggbeater is pretty damn good. The higher models are marginally lighter and even more marginally better bearings.

And it's really cheap at Nashbar: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...0052_512515_-1___

You cannot get a new Speedplay + road shoe combo for anywhere near as cheap as Eggbeater + mtn (or road, but I suggest starting with mtn) shoe combo.

Agreed. Cost is another reason I went and stuck with Crank Bros.

I prefer more float, as I have bad knees and don't want to get too locked-in.

True, but it's tough to argue that 4-sided entry isn't easier than 2-sided which isn't easier than 1-sided. I think it depends how often you think you'll be clipping in and out - I believe more commuters use 2-bolt systems because of that.

I had been using Looks for 22 years and switched to Speedplay Zeros 2 years ago. I cannot believe I waited that long. I absolutely love these pedals! First of all, mounting them is a breeze because your for-aft, your left-right, and your rotation are 3 separate settings. You simply mount the base plates where you want them fore-aft, then you mount the cleat bodies where you want them left-right, and then the built in float takes care of the rotation. With Look, all 3 axis are taken up in a system of oversized slots with washers. Adjusting anything one criteria (for-aft, left-right, or rotation) will very likely mess up the other 2. Since switching to Speedplay, no more fiddling with oversized rectangular holes and washers trying to get the Look delta cleat "as close as possible" to where it should be.
The double sided entry is great and I love the rotational float. After 22 years I still felt the need to look down at a stop light with Looks to click in, which takes your eyes off the road. After about 2 weeks of Speedplay, I don't look down at all. Feel it align below the ball of your foot and just push down. On EITHER side of the pedal.
And they make a model called Light Action that is easier to clip in and out of, which you may find preferable at first.

I have these. They are great!

If you don't mind used, you can get them from scambay, typically 15-20 bucks/pair.

And they use look delta-based cleats, which are still readily available.

That said, if we keep this up they are going to relegate us to the Classic & Vintage forum.