Speedplay versions?

[addictR1]

A buddy of mine gave me a set of speedplays that he got from a trade. He bought some cleats for it but it’s a PITA to rotate out of.. like over 90 degree.

I have a pair of speedplay X and I tried my cleat on it and it wouldn’t rotate out; without me having to remove my cleat covers and using some force.

How to tell which version of speedplay is this?

Thanks.








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[BeeBee30]

Well the ones pictured are X series, maybe you've tried using Zero or Light Action cleats on them?

[addictR1]

Ahh.. thanks for the info. Will try my cleats again and see.

The spindles are worn, which J&L or other brands of Ti would you guys recommend that will fit on this?


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[froze]

Those SpeedPlay Zeros are highly rated and come in TI called the Nanogram but I think they're ridiculously expensive, but Speedplay are idea for someone with fragile knees, plus I found them easily to get in out of but I ride on Frogs not the Zero.

Or you could check into Look's Keo Blade Carbon Ti pedals which gets high reviews too.

Or the odd duck on the planet is Nikola ZIVO Titanium High Performance Pedal, I don't know anything about these and I couldn't find any reviews, but they have a weight limit of a 200 pound rider which doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me.

[bilwit]

Ahh.. thanks for the info. Will try my cleats again and see.

The spindles are worn, which J&L or other brands of Ti would you guys recommend that will fit on this?


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The pedals in the picture are definitely X-series. If you try to use Zero cleats with them you'll be able to clip in but will have to twist pretty much 90 degrees to clip out (yes, I have tried this), so from the sounds of things, you're using a non X-series cleat. Not sure how compatible the newer X-series is with the older stuff but I'd assume they're compatible too but look it up to be sure.

J&L spindles work fine for me, I've had issues with Toronto-cycles spindles but some people have said that they've worked better for them than J&L so I guess it's a toss up.

Those SpeedPlay Zeros are highly rated and come in TI called the Nanogram but I think they're ridiculously expensive, but Speedplay are idea for someone with fragile knees, plus I found them easily to get in out of but I ride on Frogs not the Zero.

yes, but it's also well documented that you can basically half the price by buying the alloy version and then using aftermarket Ti spindles & bowties

[froze]

Ahh.. thanks for the info. Will try my cleats again and see.

The spindles are worn, which J&L or other brands of Ti would you guys recommend that will fit on this?


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The pedals in the picture are definitely X-series. If you try to use Zero cleats with them you'll be able to clip in but will have to twist pretty much 90 degrees to clip out (yes, I have tried this), so from the sounds of things, you're using a non X-series cleat. Not sure how compatible the newer X-series is with the older stuff but I'd assume they're compatible too but look it up to be sure.

J&L spindles work fine for me, I've had issues with Toronto-cycles spindles but some people have said that they've worked better for them than J&L so I guess it's a toss up.

Those SpeedPlay Zeros are highly rated and come in TI called the Nanogram but I think they're ridiculously expensive, but Speedplay are idea for someone with fragile knees, plus I found them easily to get in out of but I ride on Frogs not the Zero.

yes, but it's also well documented that you can basically half the price by buying the alloy version and then using aftermarket Ti spindles & bowties

I'm not sure if I would trust a third party replacement TI spindle since Speedplay has done all the engineering necessary to make sure they hold up to the stresses and keep a close eye on quality control, material specs, processing, and certification process. So to trust some Chinese made knock off to handle the stress that a pedal spindle has to go through won't work for me; yes I know there is an American company making them too but Ward is no longer making them for Speedplay, but again Speedplay has done all the homework so there is an issue of doubt with anyone else manufacturing it. I own a TI bike, and it's great, but there are some things Ti isn't great at, and I would rather trust steel in the area of pedal spindles than to save weight and go with ti, in addition ti has a bit more flex than steel and that flex puts more stress on the bearings which wears them out faster, and this is why TI pedal manufactures put low rider weight limits on them.

[addictR1]

Thanks guys.. yea I have bad knees.

I just tried on my current cleats for x series and it works. Was able to clip in and out easily.

Now just need to replace the spindle and all good to go.


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[Nixster]

I'm not sure if I would trust a third party replacement TI spindle since Speedplay has done all the engineering necessary to make sure they hold up to the stresses and keep a close eye on quality control, material specs, processing, and certification process. So to trust some Chinese made knock off to handle the stress that a pedal spindle has to go through won't work for me; yes I know there is an American company making them too but Ward is no longer making them for Speedplay, but again Speedplay has done all the homework so there is an issue of doubt with anyone else manufacturing it. I own a TI bike, and it's great, but there are some things Ti isn't great at, and I would rather trust steel in the area of pedal spindles than to save weight and go with ti, in addition ti has a bit more flex than steel and that flex puts more stress on the bearings which wears them out faster, and this is why TI pedal manufactures put low rider weight limits on them.
[/quote]

Seriously?
I have Speedplay Zero pedals on both my bikes, Lynskey and Cannondale, with both original stainless and aftermarket J&L spindles. Speedplays are great, their prices are borderline criminal and the aftermarket J&L components are just fine. Paranoia or xenophobia I don't know which but there's plenty of positive experience on here for J&L to refute your point.

And Ward did (or do, or maybe you just need to ask right) make Ti spindles until Speedplay got all litigious on them. Allegedly. Although why them being 'merkin means they're any better I don't know.

[kode54]

i've never had any issues with non-Speedplay axle replacements. nor with the bowties.

Ahh.. thanks for the info. Will try my cleats again and see.

The spindles are worn, which J&L or other brands of Ti would you guys recommend that will fit on this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The pedals in the picture are definitely X-series. If you try to use Zero cleats with them you'll be able to clip in but will have to twist pretty much 90 degrees to clip out (yes, I have tried this), so from the sounds of things, you're using a non X-series cleat. Not sure how compatible the newer X-series is with the older stuff but I'd assume they're compatible too but look it up to be sure.

J&L spindles work fine for me, I've had issues with Toronto-cycles spindles but some people have said that they've worked better for them than J&L so I guess it's a toss up.

Those SpeedPlay Zeros are highly rated and come in TI called the Nanogram but I think they're ridiculously expensive, but Speedplay are idea for someone with fragile knees, plus I found them easily to get in out of but I ride on Frogs not the Zero.

yes, but it's also well documented that you can basically half the price by buying the alloy version and then using aftermarket Ti spindles & bowties

I'm not sure if I would trust a third party replacement TI spindle since Speedplay has done all the engineering necessary to make sure they hold up to the stresses and keep a close eye on quality control, material specs, processing, and certification process. So to trust some Chinese made knock off to handle the stress that a pedal spindle has to go through won't work for me; yes I know there is an American company making them too but Ward is no longer making them for Speedplay, but again Speedplay has done all the homework so there is an issue of doubt with anyone else manufacturing it. I own a TI bike, and it's great, but there are some things Ti isn't great at, and I would rather trust steel in the area of pedal spindles than to save weight and go with ti, in addition ti has a bit more flex than steel and that flex puts more stress on the bearings which wears them out faster, and this is why TI pedal manufactures put low rider weight limits on them.

[2lo8]

I've had problems with J&L though. Their machining quality is hit and miss, sometimes parts simply won't fit. Then when you tell them that, they claim it's user error, tell you to ship it back for a refund with a shipping method that looks like it has tracking but stops tracking in China, then pretend they never received it and take your money and get their defective item back to send to some other sucker.

[froze]

I've had problems with J&L though. Their machining quality is hit and miss, sometimes parts simply won't fit. Then when you tell them that, they claim it's user error, tell you to ship it back for a refund with a shipping method that looks like it has tracking but stops tracking in China, then pretend they never received it and take your money and get their defective item back to send to some other sucker.

China does do that. I read on a forum where a guy bought a Chinese made titanium frame from a recommended site for a lot less money than anything here, he got the frame but when he went to install the fork it wouldn't go in so he took it to an LBS and they found out the head tube was a bit ovalized, so he emailed them and they told him to send it back and they would exchange it, sounds great so far. Except he waited and waited, tracking showed it got to China, emailed them got no response, after many emails he finally got a response saying that the head tube was fine and they were sending it back. Long story short he never got his frame back and there wasn't a darn thing he could do about it, they kept the money and the bike, and like you said probably sold it to the next dumb American.

[addictR1]

I’ve had my share of bad experiences with China sellers on eBay. The most annoying part is they claim they are in Taiwan and then say it’s being shipped out of their China factory.

When I check my paypal on whom the money was sent to, it’s clearly they are China.

So I’m a bit on the fence about buying from eBay.


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[Rick]

Speedplay's own website has some pretty clear comparison charts, pictures of the different versions, and cleat-compatability explanations.

The "X Series" is what you have. They have very frictionless "slippery" free-float, and require a bigger ankle rotation to exit. The cleats are a little less robust.
The "Zero" series are newer and an improvement, with adjustable float and less ankle rotation required, but the float has a little more friction.

As far as aftermarket parts: I understand why SP wants to defend its proprietary designs. I just figure "why bother to try to save money on questionable aftermarket parts"?
But if you are willing to do the work and take the chances, good for you.

[nex]

You can write to Ward/Ti-Spindle about titanium spindles. I ordered some and they were easy to swap out and work great so far.

[kophinos]

I second the Ward/Ti-Spindle reccomedation. I use them on all of my bikes without issue.