My thoughts on Speedplay pedals

I bought Speedplay X2 Road Pedals to replace my aging Time pedals. This is
my report on my new pedals. I've ridden them about 600 miles.

Good:

flotation/rotation is great
feel fine as a platform
they've never clicked out unexpectedly

Bad:

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click" like the Times.
they also don't have much of a click when you click out
you can't have any dirt on your cleats -- so if you walk through dirt or
mud and get some stuck in the cleat, you can forget about getting connected
it's almost impossible to pedal if you're not clicked in

The short end of the stick: I'm still not sure that I'd choose these over
the new generation of Time pedals. While I like them, I find myself biking
one-half to one mile before I get them clicked in. And, if you walk through
any dirt, you cannot get the cleat to mate with the pedal. How important
are these? Not that important, as I rarely unclick or walk through dirt.
Nonetheless, the times I do this, I wish I would've bought Times. I do
like the rotation/floatation, though. If I had it to do over again, I'd
probably buy Times instead.

--
Bob M in CT
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"Bob M" wrote in message
news
I bought Speedplay X2 Road Pedals to replace my aging Time pedals. This
is
my report on my new pedals. I've ridden them about 600 miles.

Good:

flotation/rotation is great
feel fine as a platform
they've never clicked out unexpectedly

Bad:

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click" like the Times.
they also don't have much of a click when you click out
you can't have any dirt on your cleats -- so if you walk through dirt or
mud and get some stuck in the cleat, you can forget about getting
connected
it's almost impossible to pedal if you're not clicked in

The short end of the stick: I'm still not sure that I'd choose these over
the new generation of Time pedals. While I like them, I find myself
biking
one-half to one mile before I get them clicked in. And, if you walk
through
any dirt, you cannot get the cleat to mate with the pedal. How important
are these? Not that important, as I rarely unclick or walk through dirt.
Nonetheless, the times I do this, I wish I would've bought Times. I do
like the rotation/floatation, though. If I had it to do over again, I'd
probably buy Times instead.

Why didn't you stick with the Times anyway? If it ain't broke, don't break
it.

I am new to Speedplays too, but I find just the opposite...

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click"

Mine have a very reassuring "CLICK".

it's almost impossible to pedal if you're not clicked in

I find it easy to pedal un-clicked -- I often stand up with one cleat
un-clicked starting out at an intersection.

-Bob

On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 11:37:47 -0400, Bob wrote:

I am new to Speedplays too, but I find just the opposite...

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click"

Mine have a very reassuring "CLICK".

it's almost impossible to pedal if you're not clicked in

I find it easy to pedal un-clicked -- I often stand up with one cleat
un-clicked starting out at an intersection.

-Bob




How do you do it? My problem is that I start on a hill, go down it and
immediately go up another hill. Even on flat ground, I find my foot
slipping off the pedal when not clicked in.

--
Bob M in CT
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They are not hard to click into, if the cleats are installed correctly. I have
used them for about 6 years and I snap into them in about 2 seconds virtually
every time.
BUT, if I overtighten the cleat screws, or once when I installed the cleats on
a shoe with a curved sole, the cleats would not engage easily. I suspect that
a slight bend in the cleat will greatly affect clip-in.

Steve Scarich

I bought Speedplay X2 Road Pedals to replace my aging Time pedals. This
is
my report on my new pedals. I've ridden them about 600 miles.

Good:

flotation/rotation is great
feel fine as a platform
they've never clicked out unexpectedly

Bad:

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click" like the Times.
they also don't have much of a click when you click out
you can't have any dirt on your cleats -- so if you walk through dirt or
mud and get some stuck in the cleat, you can forget about getting
connected
it's almost impossible to pedal if you're not clicked in

#1: Speedplay cleats are *very* picky regarding their interface with the
shoes. You should make sure that your shoe is on Speedplay's approved list
(found on their website) and installed properly, with the correct shims.
This is something that wouldn't be a bad idea to have done by the shop that
sold you the shoes & pedals, since they've probably been through it many
times before.

#2: Make sure you use some dry lube, like White Lightning, on the cleat
spring. Makes a world of difference in terms of ease getting into them.

#3: Buy some Speedplay "Coffee Caps" that snap onto the cleats when you're
walking in them, and keep dirt out.

I really think they're the best pedals on the market, providing you stay
away from their least-expensive model (the X3), which has pretty poor
bearing life.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Bob M" wrote in message
news
I bought Speedplay X2 Road Pedals to replace my aging Time pedals. This
is
my report on my new pedals. I've ridden them about 600 miles.

Good:

flotation/rotation is great
feel fine as a platform
they've never clicked out unexpectedly

Bad:

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click" like the Times.
they also don't have much of a click when you click out
you can't have any dirt on your cleats -- so if you walk through dirt or
mud and get some stuck in the cleat, you can forget about getting
connected
it's almost impossible to pedal if you're not clicked in

The short end of the stick: I'm still not sure that I'd choose these over
the new generation of Time pedals. While I like them, I find myself
biking
one-half to one mile before I get them clicked in. And, if you walk
through
any dirt, you cannot get the cleat to mate with the pedal. How important
are these? Not that important, as I rarely unclick or walk through dirt.
Nonetheless, the times I do this, I wish I would've bought Times. I do
like the rotation/floatation, though. If I had it to do over again, I'd
probably buy Times instead.

--
Bob M in CT
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snip
Bad:

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click" like the Times.
snip

Lube the cleats with a dry lube. Practice getting in and out. I get
a click and step in, first try, without looking.

snip
they also don't have much of a click when you click out
you can't have any dirt on your cleats -- so if you walk through dirt or
mud and get some stuck in the cleat, you can forget about getting connected
snip

Walk through mud with any road pedal and it's gonna screw things up.
But yes, it does make it more difficult than with other pedals.

For what you get for your $165 (X2's) you can't beat the value (and
200 grams!). My X2's are 5 years old, I've lubed them once (this
year) and they are still smooth as silk. I plan to lube them more
frequently as this schedule (obviously) will not prolong their life.
The biggest drawback is that cleats wear out in about 5 - 8,000 miles
and aren't cheap ($30 at lickbike.com, more elsewhere).

App

Bob M wrote in message ...
I bought Speedplay X2 Road Pedals to replace my aging Time pedals. This is
my report on my new pedals. I've ridden them about 600 miles.

Good:

flotation/rotation is great
feel fine as a platform
they've never clicked out unexpectedly

Bad:

I find them hard to get into, and they really don't have a reassuring
"click" like the Times.
they also don't have much of a click when you click out
you can't have any dirt on your cleats -- so if you walk through dirt or
mud and get some stuck in the cleat, you can forget about getting connected
it's almost impossible to pedal if you're not clicked in


Hmmm, I have many more miles on X/2 and X/3 pedals (5 figure range someplace).
I have no difficulty in clicking into them, and neither do any of my
numerous friends who ride with them. I can stab into them immediately
even when starting on steep uphill grades. If you are having difficulty
I would suspect you have the cleats overtightened; this is a FAQ on the
SpeedPlay website, BTW.

And you are correct that they are sensitive to debris in the cleats. The
answer is to get the cleat covers and put those on whenever you get
off into the dirt.

- rick

That's your problem. I have the X-Zeros. My LBS installed the pedals and
cleats when I had my new bike built up. For the longest time I had terrible
difficulty clicking in and out. Until I read the instructions and found the
shop had used the incorrect shims for my Sidi shoes. So make sure you not
only use shims, but you use the ones appropriate for your shoe. Since I
fixed the problem, the pedals are a breeze to clip in and out of and would
not trade them for any other pedal system.

Good Luck.

"Bob M" wrote in message
news
On 28 Aug 2003 16:28:41 GMT, FlashSteve wrote:

They are not hard to click into, if the cleats are installed correctly.
I have
used them for about 6 years and I snap into them in about 2 seconds
virtually
every time. BUT, if I overtighten the cleat screws, or once when I
installed the cleats on
a shoe with a curved sole, the cleats would not engage easily. I
suspect
that
a slight bend in the cleat will greatly affect clip-in.

Steve Scarich


I'll check my cleats when I get home. I did not use the shims.

--
Bob M in CT
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On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 16:55:58 GMT, Mike Jacoubowsky
wrote:

Hmmm, I have many more miles on X/2 and X/3 pedals (5 figure range
someplace).

Rick: OK, I've got to know... what's your secret for long mileage on an
X3?
I find it exceptionally rare to see those pedals with multiple thousands
of
miles and not really sloppy. X2s last *forever* but it's rare for us to
ever see an X3 that gets lots of miles and hasn't needed a rebuild
several
times.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Rick Warner" wrote in message
om...
[cut]

Hmmm, I have many more miles on X/2 and X/3 pedals (5 figure range
someplace).
I have no difficulty in clicking into them, and neither do any of my
numerous friends who ride with them. I can stab into them immediately
even when starting on steep uphill grades. If you are having difficulty
I would suspect you have the cleats overtightened; this is a FAQ on the
SpeedPlay website, BTW.

Where does the FAQ say something about overtightening cleats? I cannot
find this section. I installed the cleats per the instruction manual, my
shoes aren't on the list of bad shoes, and the shims did not fit (without
cutting anyway).

And you are correct that they are sensitive to debris in the cleats.
The
answer is to get the cleat covers and put those on whenever you get
off into the dirt.

- rick




I don't know -- I still think I should have bought Times. I never had to
worry about shims or overtightened cleats or dirt on the cleats or getting
my feet in or out or wondering whether my feet are in or out or anything.
In fact, next year I'll likely replace the Speedplays.

--
Bob M in CT
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