Speedplay lollipops - Worth it?

[Loudy McFatass]

Hello chaps, has anyone got these?

Coming back to cycling after aong lay off and I remember most the lads at my old tri club raved about these, especially if you've had knee problems like me.

They seem to be more expensive than most pedals though, are they worth it?

[RGambo]

Used them for years . They are great . I like the doubled sided aspect and the float helps my knees.

[Juffled]

i used them for 3 years, when the time came for new pedals and cleats i have changed to spd-sl 105's which cost £50 inc cleats, opposed to the £150 inc cleats the speedplays cost, the platform on the spd-sl is noticeably better, much more stable. Speedplays are easier to clip in, they are double sided, how much of this ease is because i havent adjusted to spd-sl yet and how much is by design i dont know.

If you have never tried speedplay i would just stay with spd-sl or looks, i didnt think the extra cost was worth it and once clipped in spd-sl is definantly better

edit: just to add about float and knee problems, speedplays do have more float, spd-sl do also have upto 6 deg of float i think (doesnt sound much, but is actually loads), if you need to use that much float i would suggest your cleats are set up wrong.

Edited by Juffled on Monday 4th May 17:23

[Magic919]

The Bike Whisperer told me he recommends the Speedplays as they give him the most flexibility of fit. If you have knee problems already, then they seem a good idea.

[MadDad]

Used them for years and rate them very highly, they will take a couple of weeks of fettling to get right but once you have them setup for your needs they are excellent. I had issues with my knees in the past which is what made me look at the zero's, within a couple of weeks the pain had all but gone.

Highly recommend them.....

[vxsmithers]

My speedplays were 70 quid and include cleats. I like them and as already said the added float really helps me as I have quite a lot of turn out on one foot which normal pedals restrict giving me foot and knee pain.

[CVP]

Moved to them 3 yrs ago after Look KEO's started to give my knees some trouble. Once accurately set up they have been fantastic, no knee issues have followed. The cleats need a bit more TLC than other systems but overall I'd highly recommend them.

[Dowks]

+1 for Speedplay. Been on them for 4+ years. Briefly flirted with Look style cleats on Garmin Vector but no comparison to Speedplays imho. Ability to dial float in and out has been useful in terms of dealing with some knee problems I had

[tuffer]

Recently bought a pair for my wife as she wanted more float due to foot cramps, she reckons they are brilliant.

[CoolC]

Hmm, this discussion has piqued an interest.

The issue I have is that my left foot is smaller than my right foot, and with the SPD-SL cleat on my left foot as far back as it can go, it's still not quite far enough back. I can feel than I am slightly pedalling on my toes causing a dead/cramped foot after an hour or so.

Would the additional adjustment of Speedplay help with this?

[Matt_N]

CoolC said:

Hmm, this discussion has piqued an interest.

The issue I have is that my left foot is smaller than my right foot, and with the SPD-SL cleat on my left foot as far back as it can go, it's still not quite far enough back. I can feel than I am slightly pedalling on my toes causing a dead/cramped foot after an hour or so.

Would the additional adjustment of Speedplay help with this?

You can get extended base plates (that the cleat bolts too) for Speedplays to allow you to move the cleat further back, so yes that would help your issue

[CoolC]

Thanks, I'll investigate further.

[CVP]

Re the foot size issue, I have found Speedplay cleats to have a decent range of fore /aft adjustment even before the extended mounting plate option. I'm somewhat the same as left foot is 1/2 size larger than the right and I've ben able to adjust mine so both feet are comfy without needing to get the additional mounting plate.