I have the original speedplays and love them. Never popped out sprinting in a bike race, easy entrance and low weight. I tried the carbon look keo's but there was not enough float for my pigeoned toed feet. So now they are colecting dust in the garage somewhere.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I was the technical rep for the U.S. (along with Doug Knox) for Time Sport USA under J.P. Pascal. When I worked at Time Sport I learned a lot about shoe and pedal combinations and helped set up pedal/shoe combinations for Tour riders, two of whom went on to win the Tour.

As a result of working at Time USA I learned that there is no one "best" pedal for everyone. Different people have different wants and needs- like a lot of bike equipment.

Personally, my favorite pedal is the new Time RSX. I did not care for the previous Time Impact pedal at all, and thought it had quite a few issues. Apparently so did Time, since it is now defunct- the RSX series replaced it.

Speedplay is another good system for many people as are the newer versions of the Shimano road pedals. I think one of the nicest inexpensive pedals is the Shimano 540 clipless road pedal, which retails for about $89.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Crank Brothers egg beaters. Best thing ever. I'm cheap and wanted to use one type of pedal on all my bikes, because I didn't want to need more shoes. It's easy to get into, easy to get out of, low-profile, and light weight. It's far and away better than SPD, and their pedals are compatible across the MTB and road lines.

Call me oldschool but I still like the original Look platform (Dura Ace); I ride the red ARC cleats. I love the large platform for the apparent power and stability is delivers when you're climbing and pushing hard. And that's with Sidi Techno shoes.

For my MTBs, I am still running my old ONZAs; love them for the simplicity.

You can pick up both systems on eBay for cheap these days.

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Mr. Uncaptured External Costs

Fossil carbon is planetary poison.

I'm with you on that one, I love the Time RSX. I have ditched my LOOKs for good.

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I race duathlons and like it.

I like the shimano dura ace. Large platform, easy to walk in. The only problem is that the cleats wear out every 4-6 months or so.
I Hate the speedplay's. My feet go numb everytime I try those things.

Trying the Keo's. Not bad but I still like the dura Ace better. The cleats haven't worn out after six months

I love the Carbon Look Keo.

Keywin. Hands down the best pedal available in my book. Giant-ass platform, hella light (if you care about such things), adjustable float or total lock-out, non dependent on springs to hold you in, and a resin body that wears instead of throwing you should you ever touch down in a corner.

The only 2 beefs: Some people find them difficult to source (I never have any problems, but my LTS owner is a somewhat ecclectic dude that likes them as well). The cleats are murder to walk on - esp if you have a painted concrete garage floor!

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Sell them to me, I love Look's

So other than float, what makes one pedal system better than another from rider to rider? Also what does the size of the pedal have to do with comfort, if I am wearing corbon soled shoes?

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This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. - Fight Club
Industry Brat.

Dura Ace 7800. Nice platform, secure feeling, low-profile (cornering clearance), and I'm pretty sure they're fully serviceable.

3 main things with cleats (well 4 if you count price). 1 is weight - it matters to some a lot, very little to others, but it is "rotating" weight that has to be accelerated often (I doubt this makes much of a difference though). 2 is clearance - if you are doing crits, this can make a difference between a tight corner and wiping out. 3 (and most importantly) is easy of entry/exit. Some people have no probs with any system, some have lots.

Comfort tends to be subjective, just like saddles, but the amount of float tends to have a lot to do with comfort (i.e. some like some, some like a lot, some a little).

I find the Speedplay Zeros the perfect pedal. Basically the latest version of their already good X-1 pedal. Among the lightest there is, ADJUSTABLE float (both in and out), I believe about the highest clearance for cornering, and dual sided entry. A little pricey (the titanium ones anyway). The only real drawback that I can think of (for triathlons anyway) is that the cleat is very difficult to walk/run in. The cleat is larger than most since the pedal is smaller (to disperse the pressure on the shoe).

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

Time RXS/RXE. If you compare pedals in all characteristics, Time wins hands down.

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-
"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

do you want dual sided entry, because if you do than I'd say Speedplay and I love mine.

If you are open to a single sided pedal than you have lots of good options and read the other posts. I have 2005 Ultegras and they work great on my TT bike and make transitions a bit more "secure" while putting on shoes and taking them off, swinging off the bike standing on the shoes while riding. But I still like my Speedplays better. Had older Looks, pretty much the same as the Shimanos in my experience.

"When I worked at Time Sport I learned a lot about shoe and pedal combinations and helped set up pedal/shoe combinations for Tour riders, two of whom went on to win the Tour."

Yes...the Time Equipe pedal was (and is, for those of us with them still on our bikes), fantastic. With the exception of Armstrong, probably every TdF victory of the 90s was won with them. On my desk at the moment, I have a picture of Greg Lemond on his way to victory in 1989, and he looks suspiciously like he is riding Times, with the red and white Time carbon shoes.

So why have Time stopped making them? I have a spare pair of cleats in my box, and dread the day I wear these out and will have to change shoes and pedals.

And they changed them for a pedal which "had issues" (business/marketing wankspeak for "doesn't work", right?)

s.

   

As Tom (delicately) put it, there is no perfect pedal for everyone. End of story.

"Best Pedal" posts are about as useful (and informed) as those asinine high school arguments about the "best guitar player in the world."

What do you need to know to pick a pedal?

- shoe compatibility

- float (degree and type)

- Q factor

- cornering clearance

- cleat retention

- walkability

- ease of entry/exit

- strength/"sturdiness"

- ease of/necessity of maintenance

- cleat life/expense

- cost

- availability of cleats and parts



Every single system is going to have pluses and minuses, and they will be different for different riders. Figure out which parts of the above list matter the most to you, and rank the available pedals accordingly.





.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Do you mean that I have to figure something out for myself? Fat lot of help you are, Fredly!

;-)

Ride Speedplay Zeros for road racing (yes, yes I'm also a roadie, is that possible or must I pick a side)

Enjoy the float and I have no problem getting in and staying in. I have the lower end model for financial reasons, but am quite happy.

I'm not really a weight freak as the biggest weight benefit I can make up is located around my waist and I'm chipping away at that.

Good luck,

B.

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I have ridden the Speedplay X series ever since they 1st came out....love them!!! BTW, I think it is little known that Speedplay provides free maintenance to to all their Ti pedals. That is a great benefit that I take advantage of.

Best wishes,

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Crank Brothers Quattro- two-sidied, plenty of float without being loose, and most importantly, a walkable cleat!! This is the main reason I chose not to replace my Speedplays. I hated that huge, slick cleat, and the way it clogged up in the grass and dirt. The quattro can't be clogged, it's like an MTB pedal.

I have tried speedplay regular, speedplay zero, SPD's and also M2Racer ORB II pedals and my favorite one is by CrankBrothers 'Eggbeaters'. You can do fast mounting and can be engaged in 4 different sides, it has about 5 to 6 % float which is about what you need. The only thing is that you need a mountain bike shoes or buy an adapter (if it even exists). I started using mountain bike shoes and its the greatest. You don't have to walk like a duck!:) You can buy the Stainless steel for less about $120.00 and the TI one for about $250 something.

if you have a hard time clicking in, you may want to try the new Time pedals. I have the RXE. basically no different from the RXS. Easy to get into, about $75 on ebay. good size platform, easy to get in to, and the cleats are holding up so far. tour (german bike mag) reviewed a bunch of pedals this year and the RXE compared very favorably to more expensive ones.

Josef

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Josef
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blog

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "mountain shoes" re: use with crank brothers pedals. I have used sidi and garneau shores with these cleats, and they worked just fine. They fit the bolt pattern without any adaptors. Am I missing something? I ask because I have seen this here in the forum so many times.

I have had Looks on my bkes until I got the Side Mount Pedals for my Tri bike. I'm very happy with them. the increased Q was disconcerting the first time I rode with them. I'm considering getting them for my road bike, but the entry/exit is VERY different. I talked to a racer who has them and he is very pleased. He has no problem with using them on the road or in races. AND, YOU CAN RUN ON THEM.

A buddy of mine just got the Look Keo sprint. He loves them so far and the price (he paid ~$120) is pretty good. the weight (for the WW's) is ~250gm.

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.