thinking about changing from the speedplay cromoly
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thinking about changing from the speedplay cromoly
I had (and raved about) Speedplay Zeros for a couple years. I fell into a cheap pair of the new DAs and gave them a try. I now have them on both bikes. Just fantastic pedals. A nice cleat design for running through transition, too.
I am as happy with the DA pedals as with any cycling purchase in years.
how much movement do you have with the Dura’s?? thats one of the things I like about the speedplays because of bad knees
If you like the Speedplay’s, take a look at the Coombe pedals Http://www.coombe.com. I switched to these from the old SPD dura-ace. They are very stable, and have most of the benefits of the speedplay in that they are very light and low profile. Extremely rugged design too, no moving parts, no pedal noises. Drawbacks: took forever to arrive, expensive, a little tougher to get into that the newer Shimano/Look style.
Even the yellow (floating) cleat for the Dura Ace SPD-SL’s do not have a lot of float, but there is some. They are great pedals, though. Also consider the Time Impact series, I haven’t ridden them but I have friends who love them.
I have the DA 2… Byt running on them?? I wouldn’t… Why not just let the shoes on the bike, much faster… I think…
I switched from speedplay last year to DA. I really like the DA and they are easy to enter and release as well. The float is minimal but works well for me. I have the 105 version on my tri bike and they work good as the DA so far. I switched due to the larger platform size.
A great alternative is Performance Titanium Forte’ I switched from Speedplay to them last year. DA knocks offs, only $59.00 and wiegh only 200 grams. Been using them now for over 12 months with great results. Bought some for my fiance last week
I never liked the Speedplay’s, because of hot spots and too much float.
The DAs are great. They have some float, but if your cleats are set right, you don’t need it. Large platform, tight and the rubber tips are great for walking around or for getting your bike started from a stop light.
Great all purpose pedals, I’ve got them on both bikes.
are they easy to get in and out of like the speedplays?
I find them easy. But then I don’t consider that to be much of a factor (maybe because I haven’t had a problem clipping in since I ditched SPDs many moons ago). One thing I didn’t like about Speedplay - or perhaps I just prefer the Look, DA way - is having to stand on the pedal to lock in, and the havoc that can be caused by crud inside the cleat. I prefer the toe in, press down of the DAs and Looks.
Like someone else on this thread said, leave your shoes on the bike for racing.
leave your shoes on the bike??
is that referring to the platform feel of the DA’s??
“leave your shoes on the bike??”
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- Referring to mounting the bike out of T-1. I clip my shoes to my pedals, and use small, break-away rubber bands to position the shoes at 3:00 and 9:00 o’clock (rubber band through the loop on the back of the shoe and over the rear derailleur - right shoe - and rear brake or bottle cage - left shoe. I run out of transition, and jump on the bike using the shoes as flat pedals. Once I get up to speed, I slip my feet into the shoes for the balance of the ride. When returning to T-2, I slip my feet out of the shoes and on top of them. I then dismount onto the left pedal at speed, and at the last moment I hit the brakes to slow to about 10 mph and jump off and run through transition. At SJIT, I had the fastest transitions in my AG, and I’m not a fast runner (from water to transtion area).
I have to second the vote for the Shimano DA pedals. I also switched from Speedplays (Zeros) to the DA pedals. I have converted both the TT and roadbike. The larger platform is definitely more stable and has helped reduce hotspots on long climbs (where I noticed them with my Speedplays).
Another key point from my own Speedplay experience is the life expectency of the cleats, and the sudden failure that you can experience. With time, the C-clip in the cleat which actually engages to lock the cleat to the pedal fatigues. It will eventually break and you will no longer be able to clip in. This happened to my first pair of cleats in less than one year, and had nothing to do with how much you walk on the cleats. The side that you clip in/out the most will likely be the one where you see this. I guess you could just inspect and replace it proactively just to make sure that it doesn’t happen in a race.
Anybody out there use Campy? Haven’t heard much from tri guys about these. G
I’ve got bad knees also (2 ACL reconstructions) and I prefer the Shimanos over the Speedplay. In fact, I can’t stand my Speedplays. I feel like I’m losing lots of power with the tiny surface area of the Speedplays and I feel like I’m ice skating. I tried the Speedplays for 6 months but I’ve gone back to Shimanos and I’ll give you my Speedplays if you want them (because they suck)!
Do you want to know how I really feel about Speedplay?
Count me among those who switched from Speedplays (two pairs for two different bikes over five years or so) to the new Shimano “Lance pedals” last year. I’ve been on them for about a year now.
I was so used to the float of the Speedplays that the Shimanos seemed restrictive at first, but now that I got them set up I appreciate the float and wouldn’t want any more of it. Looking back, I believe the Speedplay float to be excessive, and I suppose that’s where the concept of the Zeroes comes in.
I liked the Dura-Ace pedals so much I bought a pair of Ultegras, and actually prefer the finish on the Ultegras. They function exactly the same and the weight difference is nearly imperceptible when holding one of each DA and Ultegra in both hands. I’d suggest getting the Ultegra model as it’s significantly cheaper than the Dura-Ace model with its ugly and easily worn finish.
I’ve become convinced the SL pedals are the best thing around - I recommend them to everyone without hesitation and cannot imagine ever switching to anything else. The Dura Ace are a sure thing - go for them.
I also converted to SL’s. Ultegra model. Perfect so far. Speedplays are great though too much float for my very flexible ankles.
-Robert
Another vote for the shimano pedals. I was on speedplay zeros for a couple of years. I am a big guy and the speedplay cleats seemed to break way too often. Also, you clip out of them easilly. Finally, the speedplay system in my opinion makes knees feel better because of all the float, but can cause ankle problems if you are susceptible. I have seen this problem in both myself and a number of patients and people I have fit on their bikes. In my opinion, your bike fit should be perfected such that you could have a pedal with NO float and do just fine.
The shimano’s also “feel” more stable when climbing out of the saddle, although I don’t know if that it is the bigger platform or the fact that I am so big that I was flexing the speedplays too much. Theoretically, the pedal area does not matter but the pedal+cleat, at least according to the speedplay literature. That makes sense at first, but it assumes that the cleat, and the pedal in it, do not move and/or that your shoe/sole are stiff enough that they are unaffected by that movement and the torque produced as the shoe flexes side to side as you pronate thorugh the pedal cycle. I think these are large assumptions to make, and furthermore I cannot deny that the shimanos just “feel” more stable to me. Again, my problems may be because I am 6’4", 215 lbs. YMMV.
Philbert