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More on pedals – why Speedplay?

03.13.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

The Speedplay Light Action pedal.
The Speedplay Light Action pedal.

The other day, when I did a post about clipless pedals, I heard from a number of Speedplay owners, both in comments and in emails, extolling their particular pedal.

Speedplay users seem to be passionate about their pedals. You don’t get that kind of reaction from Look or Shimano SPD users. How come?

One of the advantages of the Speedplay seems to be the generous amount of float they offer — altho just as in other brands, the amount of float varies from model to model. But it would be nice to have more play in the pedals I use. They have six degrees of float, and sometimes I feel that I can hardy move my shoe around at all.

With my particular knee situation — I had 60 percent of the meniscus removed from my right knee 15 years ago, and at that time the surgeon told me my ACLs (anterior cruciate ligaments) in both knees had atrophied down to stubs after they were torn in a softball mishap back in the 1980s and had never been attended to — I think the Speedplays could help me a lot.

Speedplay cleat.
Speedplay cleat.

They’re smaller than equivalent Looks or others, and at first glance, don’t seem to offer as much of a platform as some of their competitors. But the unique cleat they use probably takes care of that. Speedplay cleats are relatively large, in my opinion. The combination of the flat round pedal and the broad cleat, I’m told, give all the support a cyclist needs.

But the cleats are also the part of the Speedplay assembly that gets the most criticism, at least from what I’ve read. Note the four-bolt pattern. To fit bike shoes, which take two or three-bolt cleats, you must use a plate that attaches to the cleat. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about how easy it is to clog the cleat with mud and gunk while walking on them. Cleat covers are highly recommended.

One of the reasons I’ve never seriously considered Speedplay is their cost. Their models seem to range from about $115 – $325, depending upon their materials. My pedals cost a whopping $59, and they replaced a pair that cost around $40. Is the extra money for the Speedplays worth it?

Wait a minute. A quick perusal of a couple of online bike catalogs shows that Shimano and Look pedals run in the same price range, generally. They might have some low-end pedals that cost a lot less, but for the most part, Speedplays are very competitive with those other brands.

I’m happy with the pedals I have on my bike. They’re only a year old, so I expect to be riding on them for quite some time to come. But if and when I do replace them, I think I’ve have to seriously consider the Speedplays.

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Categories // Components, Equipment Tags // pedal

Peddling pedals

03.05.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 8 Comments

Recently, I got into a discussion with a friend about pedals. Now, pedals are not a big deal with me. Since I started riding clipless, I’ve stuck with the Look-style pedal, although I currently ride on Shimano SPD-SLs, which have a slightly wider platform than the Looks. But our discussion got me to wondering? What pedal preferences are there? Is there a clear-cut leader?

I suppose we could get into the debate between clipless, toe clip, and platform pedals. But I’m going to skip that. I assume that most readers come here because they’re road bike riders like me and therefore, have adopted clipless pedals (which you really clip into, but that’s another post).

A Speedplay pedal.
A Speedplay pedal.

I noticed when talking about cleat position a while ago, several readers chimed in with the praises of Speedplay pedals. These are the small round pedals that attach to a cleat that resembles no other. Speedplays come in several different models, with varying amounts of float. That makes them attractive to me, because the six degrees of float on my pedals seems restrictive. Speedplays are pricier than most other pedals, however, which is why I chose to pass on them.

A Look Keo pedal.
A Look Keo pedal.

Look pedals are the daddy of the clipless. You need shoes that will fit a three-bolt cleat. The Looks, and those like them, clip solidly into the pedal, to make you feel as one with the bike. Pedals shaped like Looks and Shimano SPD-SLs are weighted at the back, so they point up when the rider is not using them. I always chuckle when pulling away from a stoplight during a group ride, as everyone tries to find the clip-in position. Some do it faster than others. Click, click, click.

Other riders prefer Shimano SPDs.

The Shimano SPD.
The Shimano SPD.

These pedals take smaller two-bolt cleats, that recess into the shoe’s sole. Mountain bikers make use of these, but many road bikers like them because the recessed cleat lets the rider walk normally — a nice option during a stop at a coffee shop during the ride. I’ve never used these, and I wonder if they give the rider as solid a connection to the bike as the Looks.

The mountain-bike style SPD pedals look uncomfortable to the layperson. How about it, SPD users? Do SPDs provide a good platform for the foot? Or do they cause some discomfort during a ride?

I you were starting road biking from scratch — knowing now what you didn’t know then — which pedal system would you recommend, and why?

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Categories // Equipment Tags // clipless pedals, pedal

Cleat position

02.19.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 8 Comments

Some things, I just can’t stop experimenting with. Like ways to make my feet feel fine after a long bike ride. Yes, this is sort of another post about my ongoing numb toe problem — but I think I’ve come to grips with that.

This time, I want to tell you about something I’ve tried with the cleats on my biking shoes. When I first complained about numb toes last summer, I got a suggestion to move the cleats back about one-quarter inch. I did, but didn’t see much difference, and with those older shoes, it didn’t help my numb toe any.

When I got the new bike shoes for Christmas, the bike shop installed the cleats, and put them right over the ball of the foot. That was okay, but the toes pointed just a little bit to the inside, and I could feel strain on my knees when I rode.

My feet naturally splay out a bit when I walk, and something I read somewhere (I gotta do a better job of citing my sources — in my real life I do academic research, after all) said your cleats should place your feet in a way that matches your walking gait. So I fiddled with the cleats a bit, and now my toes point ever so slightly outward. But then I remembered something else I read somewhere else (this would never get through peer review) that said just go ahead and move the cleats all the way back. So I did.

shoe1If you look closely, you’ll see the little ruler markings right behind the cleat. The photo was shot from slightly behind the cleat; if you looked straight down at it, you wouldn’t be able to see the marks at all.

I’ve been on several rides since doing this, and I can hardly tell the difference. Some riders seem to think you get more power to accelerate and climb with the cleats this way. Maybe — I can’t vouch for that. I can vouch for there being no negative effects from the cleats back this far.

And there are some who say that even all the way back in the slots isn’t back far enough. Endurance cycling coach Joe Friel takes what I might would call a radical view. In a post on his blog from two years ago, he said you should mount the cleats as far back toward the heel as you can. He’s mounted cleats below the arch of his foot, and thinks you’re likely to get even more power if you mount them back farther still.

That’s not me. I was uneasy doing the cleats back in the slots thing, and even though it seems to have worked out fine for me, I’m not going to drill holes in the soles of my shoes and play around with cleat placement. I’m still unsophisticated when it comes to training — I just ride — and for now, my cleat position suits me just fine.

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Categories // Equipment Tags // cleats, shoes

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