Speedplay back to Looks - May have solved my problem

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fio
in the industry
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Madison, WI

by fio

After reading this thread, I critically evaluated my Speedplays ended up selling them. I realized how much slop there was with the cleats (especially with the left one--the one that I clip out with at stoplights and such), and it really started to bother me. I was having some issues with my left knee and I thought I'd try to sort out the problem. Not to mention the expenses related to having to replace the cleats so often.

So what I ended up doing was getting a set of Keo Blades and I am seriously impressed with these pedals. The stability is great! Feels like my knees are far less prone to side-side movement, and I just feel a greater sense of being locked in (which is a good thing). And the ease of adjusting the cleats is very nice. However, I feel like a total novice as I have to learn to clip in again! I am so used to just not looking at my Speedplays and stepping down on them. I fumbled around at the beginning of a crit the other day because of this. Just another learning curve I suppose :lol:

leosantos
Posts: 115
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:41 pm

by leosantos

Im still on physiotherapy, but improving my condition on the condromalatia. I found that moving the right cleat a bit forward (the one with the bad knee) helped a bit, since I have a larger left femour (yes I did try the speedplay leg length shim in the past but didnt like the results).

also, to the people complaining on the cleats wearing fast, google keep on kovers and be happy. I leave them on always and have never (and will likely never) change a cleat.. you do have to change these kovers every six-nine months depending on how much you walk around with them though, and they still cost half what a cleat itself does.

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Wingnut
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:41 am

by Wingnut

I hope I didn't offend KWalker, I come off a bit brash at times... :wink:

I used Speedplay pedals for years and when I went back to trying my old TIME RXS's it was like night & day, the change in stability was considerable. The amount of side to side rocking in the Speedplay cleats is awful and just got worse the longer they were used, I never had any physical issues caused by using Speedplay. I really think Speedplay need to do some extra development on their cleats, that's where I'd focus any future improvement.

I've now moved onto ShimaNo Dura-Ace, even more stable again but also more restrictive when compared to TIME...have to wait & see if I develop any issues...

pasowicka
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:36 pm

by pasowicka

ARG! I totally hear you! I actually strained the calf muscle on my left leg making the transition to SPs. I had to really lower my seat and it through my entire geometry off. I had my handlebars slammed do I had a nice inverted position. Once i lowered to seat, that was gone. I found that my knees NEED a little guidance and free float and stability issues drove me nuts. Testing them for 2 weeks (borrowed). We will see if I can get used to it. To throw a complication into the mix, my "bad" leg is 1/4" shorter, so now i must look at a shim. In my old spd's, i simply through an orthotic in. But with SPs, your shortest foot MUST reach with the bottom of the shoe or you won't have stability. I want to like them. I really do. But i don't know...

highdraw

by highdraw

I like speedplay zeros with their extension plates so I can ride about 14mm behind the pedal spindle. Lennard Zinn does the same thing and so I am in good company. :)

I don't think the debate about a lot of float versus little float for stability will ever go away. I come down on the side that more than not have a less than good pedal stroke and less float side loads the knees on every stroke versus having more float. Its really why I switched to zeros from Look pedals many years ago.
Also I change up my foot orientation on the pedals as I ride a bit and I have a pretty clean pedal stroke. Further when I am out of the saddle and sprinting I tend to point my toes more out. All the different positions for me don't comport with a very limited amount of float.

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

by superdx

I've only ever been on Speedplay Zeros and I love the float. I don't have any problems with pedalling whatsoever. Different people, different needs. If the Look pedals don't give you pain, then use those!

User avatar
Rick
Posts: 2034
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

Longtime speedplay user here; but I switched to DA, then Looks, then back to SP, then back to DA.
So I am obviously just plain nuts.

But if you worry (or just wonder) about "rocking" and are using Looks: just take your foot of of the shoe while it is still clipped in, and then try to rock the shoe laterally and observe. You may be in for a big surprise. On mine, the rocking of the Look cleat/pedal was WAY more than I ever observed on even a well-worn speedplay cleat/pedal. (Referring to Look Keo Blade 2)

Wingnut
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:41 am

by Wingnut

I'm now on TIME Xpresso's...not as durable as Shimano but they feel so much better with float and stability wise than Speedplay...

wojchiech
Posts: 405
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:33 pm
Location: bay area, california

by wojchiech

I had the same problem - rode sp**dplays for a season, started noticing knee pain, went over my whole setup to see what was causing it. I had worn the pedal bodies so much that they were rounded on the ends, and caused my cleat/pedal contact angle to be off a bit - enough to cause my knee pain.

Went back to Looks, which have a nice metal cleat contact area, and I haven't had knee problems since. I actually only use Looks on my track bike now, and have been running bebops on my road bike for a majority of this year. Took a while to get used to the float, but now I hardly notice the difference in float between them and Looks, usually only when I make a conscience effort to notice. And with the resilient needle bearings and metal contact area on both the cleat and pedal, they will hopefully last a while.

I

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