Pedals (Dura-Ace vs. Speedplay) ???

[timzcat]

I can confirm the previous weight for the Dura-ace, I got 250 on mine without the cleats.
I also concur how great the pedals are.

Ironic everyone was mad about Speedplay stopping customers from replacing bearings when Dura-ace just work no need to replace bearings.

[2ndgen]

I can confirm the previous weight for the Dura-ace, I got 250 on mine without the cleats.
I also concur how great the pedals are.

Ironic everyone was mad about Speedplay stopping customers from replacing bearings when Dura-ace just work no need to replace bearings.

Yep. I love that. Buy. Mount. Ride. Forget.

[robsc]

Thanks for that great review 2ndgen.

[Mario Jr.]

After 8 years on Speedplay, I swiched to DA 7900 this spring. I have no regrets. They are much more stable. No rocking like the Speedplays had when just a bit worn. The bearings are in a different league as well. Set and forget.

[2ndgen]

Thanks for that great review 2ndgen.

[2ndgen]

After 8 years on Speedplay, I swiched to DA 7900 this spring. I have no regrets. They are much more stable. No rocking like the Speedplays had when just a bit worn. The bearings are in a different league as well. Set and forget.

Speedplay was my other choice before I went with the DA's.
But, I went with DA's because to be honest,
I never read/heard anything bad about them.
It's hard to argue with that kind of reputation.

[maxima]

The Pro riders that use speedplay uses the fix cleat which very similar to the track version. This defeat the purposes of using speedplay except the pro have no choice due to sponsorship.

[BdaGhisallo]

The Pro riders that use speedplay uses the fix cleat which very similar to the track version. This defeat the purposes of using speedplay except the pro have no choice due to sponsorship.

Are you sure about this? In my chats with SP about the Track Zero pedals, they always state that the difference lies in the pedal body and not the cleat. All the Zero cleats are the same, be they for the Track Zeros or the regular Zeros. They can get to zero float on any SP pedal that uses the Zero cleat by dialling down the float to zero.

[mclaren]

I had a pair of look KEOs and the bearings did not last me a year. Moved over to speedplays and found the engagement to be a joy. However, I now can't keep the bearings from clicking without greasing every few hundred km. I hope to move over to DA in the spring. If DA pedals are as good as everyone says then I look forward to the maintenance free use.

[konky]

As you'd be going steel not titanium for speedplay weight obviously isn't a major issue. DA pedals are a no fuss and low/no maintenance choice. So for you to choose DA is a no brainer. But if low weight is important it has to be speedplay.

[maxima]

My bad in explanation, is the pedal body differences, but paint in a difference color that looks like your usual SP. It's actually a track version

The Pro riders that use speedplay uses the fix cleat which very similar to the track version. This defeat the purposes of using speedplay except the pro have no choice due to sponsorship.

Are you sure about this? In my chats with SP about the Track Zero pedals, they always state that the difference lies in the pedal body and not the cleat. All the Zero cleats are the same, be they for the Track Zeros or the regular Zeros. They can get to zero float on any SP pedal that uses the Zero cleat by dialling down the float to zero.

[roselend]

The Pro riders that use speedplay uses the fix cleat which very similar to the track version. This defeat the purposes of using speedplay except the pro have no choice due to sponsorship.

When I first read this I thought it was BS, but...

The difference between a regular Zero and a Track Zero is indeed only in the pedal body. The metal inserts in the body of the track version are gold-colored and have a more aggressive shape, that's why the release tension is higher.




Then I started looking at pictures of pro bikes.. and guess what: while they appear to be regular Zero's lot's of them have gold-colored metal inserts.
maxima seems to be right, nice catch!

[maxima]

Well, what I try to drive at is: if u have knee or whatever issues and u need float, lots of free float, speedplay the pedal for you. I think no pedal is better in free float than speedplay and time ulteam pedal. But since the buyer is looking fuss free reliability, nothing beats the 7900 Dura Ace pedal. Pick what's your priority..........

[Rick]

Just as a data point:
I am a long-time Speedplay user. Most recently I have been using Zeroes. I have been very happy with Speedplays for many years.
I just switched to Dura Ace, and I like them a lot. Very secure and smooth.

It seems like all the alleged benefits and all the alleged negatives of both pedal systems are true, but are minor issues.
I never had appreciable "rocking" on Speedplays, but there was a very small amount of cleat-pedal clearance that would create some annoying clicks and creaks when doing long climbs at slow RPMs. At higher RPMs, or if there were other cyclists around, the noises were unnoticeable they were so slight. But they were annoying me when silently climbing alone.

The DA are tight and secure (and absolutely silent so far), but you pay the weight penalty, and they are a lot harder to clip into quickly because the pedal has to be rotated in the right position. Speedplays were idiot-simple in that regard.

Even with the "Float cleat" the "float" of DA seems virtually nonexistent compared to speedplays. So if you need any significant float, better go with Speedplay. I had already experimented with locking out the float on my Speedplay Zeroes and even then you have some "float" just due to the flex in your shoe body. The DA "float" doesn't seem much different than that because the ±3° of float is not really very much, has friction, and the cleat provides a recentering force. Sppedplay float is completely free until you reach the release angle.

Luckily, my knees seem OK with little or no float as long as the cleat is centered on my natural foot position carefully.

If there was a ±6° (or anything greater than 3°) version of the DA cleat, I would buy it. I wonder if there is a way to modify the cleat for a little more float. Maybe I will try a dremel ?


.

[11.4]

As a long-term trackie, with many riders on Speedplays, I should perhaps clarify a small point here. There's no additional tension in the "track" design. The ramp from the float region on the pedal to the clip-out region is gradual on the road pedals so you can feel it and clip out smoothly; on the track version it's very abrupt so you bump against it more noticeably. This feels like more tension, but if you twist your foot you come out just the same and with the same amount of force applied in the twist, and you are out suddenly without any transition to warn you that you're in that dangerous range. Many track riders buy the "track" version because it's labeled thus, but switch to the road pedals (or warn others to do so) because with the road pedals you at least get the kinesthetic warning when you start to twist your foot. There's really no reason except a difference in feel -- no difference in actual tension or resistance to release. Many pro riders get fitted well and don't need float, so they like the abrupt feel with minimal float. That's all.

The Pro riders that use speedplay uses the fix cleat which very similar to the track version. This defeat the purposes of using speedplay except the pro have no choice due to sponsorship.

When I first read this I thought it was BS, but...

The difference between a regular Zero and a Track Zero is indeed only in the pedal body. The metal inserts in the body of the track version are gold-colored and have a more aggressive shape, that's why the release tension is higher.




Then I started looking at pictures of pro bikes.. and guess what: while they appear to be regular Zero's lot's of them have gold-colored metal inserts.
maxima seems to be right, nice catch!