Keepon Kovers Z3 mini review

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superdx
Posts: 524
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:27 pm

by superdx

This review is kind of a follow up to the post I did about the Speedplay Zero Aero Walkable cleats. To summarise, they didn't work out so well and I was about to get on a bike trip where I may have been forced to walk on some gravel if the road suddenly ended. Anyhow, the Keepon Kover Z3 (latest version) from Amazon arrived 1 week before the flight. I had a spare set of brand new V2 cleats laying around and installed those along with some Shoe Goo around the edges of the Kovers so they wouldn't fall off. Installation basically consists of snapping them in place, no tools necessary.

The Z3 Kovers are an improved and slightly lighter version than the original, and they're made for Speedplay cleats (Zero or Light action). This is maybe the 2nd or 3rd iteration from the original Kovers? They have a indentation in the shape which means a small bit of weight savings and supposedly stay on a lot better. They're also supposed to last longer, though I guess that depends on how much walking you do.

So I'm back from my trip, about 150km of rides later in a foreign country, and the short conclusion is: They stayed on! They never fell off even when I had to walk on some gravel roads and protected my cleats from sharp little stones. That was really the only thing I was after. They don't interfere with clipping in at all and for the most part I forgot they were even there.

For walking purposes, they are definitely slippery especially on smooth surfaces like tile or marble (which my hotel had plenty of). In comparison the Speedplay Aero covers had good grip and walking around, even up and down stairs was just like walking in normal shoes. The Kovers you do need to be a little careful or you may end up sliding or slipping. In terms of wear the Kovers do seem to be holding up but maybe after 3-4 months we'll see what happens.

For reference, I also had a set of the original Keepon Kovers and I lost both sets, including the free replacements sent by the owner Scott. So I'm very happy to say that the Z3 versions not only stay on, a little lighter, and I'll be using these permanently from now on! The Speedplay Aero cleats are now sitting in my spare parts box, probably never again to see the light day.

Z3 Kovers installed on Giro Empires 150km later
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bikewithnoname
Posts: 1736
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:29 pm
Location: Paris

by bikewithnoname

Nice review. Anyone have any idea where I could pick up a set of the Kovers in the UK/Europe? Postage/customs from the US of A is a pain.

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by Weenie


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Dman
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

by Dman

My right one fell off somewhere after a month. I think some sort of glue is essential. Also, I had to Dremmel where the axle touches the cover in the middle (lots of squeaking before).

Otherwise I rate them
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sclim
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:39 am

by sclim

I too have the new Keep On Kovers Z type, and have nothing bad to say, except that the KOKs are a bit of a challenge to remove when you want to take them off, which I now see as a huge advantage, considering all the grief that has been experienced with the Speedplay Aero Walkable Cleats.

As a Newbie, and having already lucked into a good product, why would I want to tempt fate by even considering a product that many have found grief with?...

OK, here goes -- if you found the KOKs slippery to walk on, some correspondents have noted that the SP Aero Walkables are noticeably less slippery to walk on. My first thought would be less slippery = more deformable neoprene/plastic = easy to deform probably means easy to fall off, other things being equal, so there may be a correspondence here.

I have old Speedplay Zero Titanium pedals with the old cleats (pre-V2) mounted on SIDI 4 bolt T3 shoes. So I have a pretty low stack. It is hard to get a fix on exactly how high the stack on each new product is, but can anyone enlighten me on whether the Speedplay Aero Walkable cleat mounted on a 4 hole shoe system like the SIDI T3 is any lower than what I have? If it's no lower, than I would be stupid to risk any grief by trying the Speedplay Aero Walkable, when the KOKs work so well, even if they are not advertised as "Aero" and have no "dimples" which I wonder about relevance at a Newbie's speed, and slippery or not when walking on smooth surfaces.

sclim
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:39 am

by sclim

I have another Newbie general but pragmatic question on this topic: I have left the KOKs on my SPZ 4 hole cleats mounted on my race SIDIs for convenience ever since I put them on the first time and got used to riding and walking in my race SIDI shoes. I love the ease of walking on them etc. Now that my first big race is over, I am considering taking them off and putting them onto the SPZ cleats on my training shoes, which seems like a no brainer. More to the point, would it be reasonable to omit putting them back on my race SIDIs for my next Tri race (Half Ironman in late July), given that I pre-mount the shoes on the bike for T1, and, fate willing, there will be no reason to unclip or walk during the race ( I leave the shoes clipped in when I dismount at T2), and the KOKs, other things being equal, add a small amount of rotational mass to the components that I need to push around the BB when I'm cycling. I have no idea if the KOK's smooth out the airflow around the cleats in action, but the effect can't really be significant.

Any critiques on my reasoning?

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ricey155
Posts: 122
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2013 11:10 am

by ricey155

Good to hear just on the look out for some myself and reviews have helped seal the deal

For ref Comtat sell them £16.99 plus £2 post Z3 version LATEST :-)

Then again the screws are cheap on ebay :-) not sure I'm saving a lot :unbelievable:

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