What’s your preference? Is there a difference? What’s the norm?
Wouldn’t an additional amount of float, cause a momentary lapse of power to the pedal?
I prefer the red, but thats just me, I like the float especially on longer rides
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My knees will only have the red (floating).
I have used both and like no float at all.
I have my pedals (Look 396) set up with no float for my red cleats. My only complaint for the red Look cleats is that they sometimes squeek. My black pyrmids (I think that is who made them) don’t squeek at all. I think the plastic in them is harder.
It is my opinion that I lose power using a cleat with float.
My 3 cents
jaretj
Another vote for red. I think most people use the red, if you can call that the “norm”
I used to use black but switched to red a couple years ago when I started having knee problems. No idea whether or not the switch to float cleats was the reason but my knee problems went away. I have stayed with the reds since.
NJ_Triathlete,
Thsi is a question that is answered by your pedaling needs.
The red cleats are engineered to permit some modest “float” (rotation) without releasing (clipping out). I think it is about 6 degrees of float.
The black cleats are engineered to allow no float (rotation). I believe they do permit some float though, about 3 degrees or less.
That being said, I use and prefer black cleats.
I started riding Look Pedals, before the red cleat was ever available. When I got my second pair of Look pedals back in 1992, they offered the red cleat but I stuck with the black. I’ve just started riding with my 3rd pair of looks, and need to swap my cleats for my shoe, so I’m inquiring if I should switch to the red.
So this FLOAT goes side to side, not up and down? Whereas, I need to twist my ankle a little more then normal to disengage the pedal?
Right, the float is lateral. Twisting your ankle a little more to unclip isn’t an issue at all really.
I don’t think there is a “norm”
When the Look system first came out it was black only ie fixed. It was critical to make sure that you had the cleats positioned properly. Back then I made use of a shop professional who ws trained with the Fit Kit system to get the cleats in absolutely the right position. This worked well for me for years. I note that Lance Armstrong used to ride on the Look black cleats and on obsolete Dura Ace/Look pedals until switching to the newer Dura Ace/Lance pedal a couple of years ago.
In the last few years I have opted for the red cleats with a bit of float for two reasons - knee health and also there is not the need to get the cleat in absolutly the right position. With a bit of fiddling I can get it close and the float “corrects” anything else.
Fleck