The truth about Speedplay pedals

Speedplay pedals are often criticised for their complexity and lack of durability. Here is what I have found after 4+ seasons of intense use - the results can be surprising!
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[@angusstoneham7835]

It’s been great to see your Chanel progress and improve the relationship to the viewers, now we can see your face, this has improved since your TT national video( great video) as well as the overall production improvement. Keep going

[@ronykuba]

Thank you so much!

[@dirk6482]

I have 20:years of use on my Speedplay legacy TI pedals. I was unwilling to purchase the spendy Speedplay lube pump so I improvised with a standard hospital syringe whose plastic male end fits the lube port perfectly. No need to remove the oring just pump a white grease thru till no more dark (old) lube passes by the inboard o-ring. Despite the plastic construction you can put tremendous pressure on the syringe with no failures.

[@ianhope782]

Great video yet again. I have several sets of Nano's and am gutted they no longer produce, so would love to see you make a video on servicing and stripping right back down for a super low friction race pedal. Cheers

[@ronykuba]

thanks, will do!

[@njm3211]

Your content is awesome. Please up your game when it comes to your audio. Thanks

[@ronykuba]

Thanks

[@abdulalsherif8211]

Agreed!

[@DavidWard14]

I agree. Enjoy your channel, it's great. If I'm watching while doing a workout, I have to lip read even with volume at 100%. 👍

[@likeaspacemonkey]

Just a body mic would be massive improvement!

[@meibing4912]

Super walkaround. Happy with mine - after 11 years use changing to the new Wahoo model; What sized titanium bolts did you use (and is there any easy place to order)?

[@bananosipedist]

Thanks for the video and insights. It's a shame that Speedplay didn't evolved as a pedal based powermeter competition for Garmin Vector as was planned from Wahoo. Now the situation with spares. The good thing is, that you can get all the spares (incl. Ti-spindles) from China now. Speedplay tried to sue many china companies and sellers, but in the end lost the race. I think it is fair, that there are spare parts from third parties, because Speedplay don't produce any bz themself. I wish you a good luck with selling those systems ! I'm also some sort of a fan of speeplay, had them before, but Keywin ones are better suit me, I feel better with Keywins. Unfortunately they also have problems with availability and dealership in EU, although they normally have almost every details as a spare (even the pedal body), but no updates since a long time now and no guarantee that they will produce in the future.

[@ronykuba]

thanks!

[@Einegar]

You spoke about clearance in cornering, did you adjust your cranklength aswell to get it even bigger? (also more aero) I've ridden speedplays (now assiomas) and I can't say a single bad word about them, great video!

[@ronykuba]

I've been using 165mm cranks for a while now

[@dominicford7641]

Hi Rony! What brand/model are your TT shoes? Loving all your analytical content. Many thanks, Dom

[@ronykuba]

Hi! Thanks for the support. S-Works Sub6.

[@TeitChristiansen]

Hey Ronald. Really good video. In regards to your point at 22min, with the cleat touching the axle, have you experienced any slack caused by this? Im a happy speedplay-user, but currently having slack between pedal and cleat. Is this the issue, or is it just the adapterplate being worn? thanks

[@ronykuba]

Thanks! Can be both really.

[@CogitareEstVivere]

Great video thank you ! Which shoes are you using the Aero ones ?

[@ronykuba]

Cheers. SW Sub6

[@user-ru4es1sr1t]

Thanks for your video, would you explain a little more about how you accustom to the one side clip-in since the pedal don't rotate to a certain angle when it has beeen cliped out.

[@ronykuba]

Doesn't take much effort to flip it

[@lucsaintmartin]

Great video as always. I really enjoy your content. Where do you find the Speedplay Zero Aero Surround Cleat. I have the aero walking clips but can't seem to find those bit apart from with the actual set of the aero pedals. Any pointer would be appreciated. Thanks and keep on with the great videos !!!

[@ronykuba]

Thanks! That part has been discontinued too

[@travisashimself2356]

I went from flats to speed plays. Only other pedal I've ever used. And I've never needed to replace them. They have around 35k miles on them. Never lubed them so recently they locked up on me, put some lube down in the spindles and they're functioning properly again.

[@ronykuba]

thanks for sharing!

[@jerseybarrier64]

Nice summary. One myth I hear is loss of power and discomfort due to smaller platform. Is this something you’ve noticed when comparing to other pedals?

[@ronykuba]

Thanks. Well, that's no more than a myth. You have a solid metal interface for power transfer and the total area of contact is actually larger than with any other system.

[@Hexsense]

My main problem is the cleat rust and degrade quickly after some wet ride. I used dry PTFE-based spray lube. I guess using actual oil lube like what you are using might help reducing rust problem. I might purchase a new set of cleats and try again with oil.

[@BorisJohnsonMayor]

Get the new Wahoo ones. No need for maintenance.

[@Hexsense]

@@BorisJohnsonMayor They update the pedal but no change to the cleats though. How would that solve cleat rust issue?

[@voxmarsh6458]

Which pedal is the easiest to clip in and out from, Shimano or Speedplay? Especially when riding in a lot of stop and go roads.

[@ronykuba]

Speedplay Zero

[@FirstMasterCyc69]

Hi Ronald, can you make a video showing how you set the cleats on your Specialized shoes? I am currently using Giro with Look blocks. I bought Specialized shoes and speedplay pedals. I'm going to install them. I wonder if there is any method to transfer the settings from the Giro / Look set to Specialized / speedplay shoes.

[@ronykuba]

You just need to measure out the fore-aft and side to side from the old shoe

[@FirstMasterCyc69]

@@ronykuba do you measure from the inside of the look block?

[@ronykuba]

@@FirstMasterCyc69 it has spindle center marking, same as the Speedplay cleat

[@michaelheckel9857]

Hi,what is the size of the two sorts of the bolts? Where did you buy them? Tkanks and best regards

[@ronykuba]

I got them from eBay - J&L Titanium

[@michaelheckel9857]

@@ronykuba top! I know them, I already ordered thru axles there.

[@joonsiu_]

where do u find the (i)titanium bolts, (ii) steel plates between cleats and adaptor, and the (iii) low stack adapter plates? Any online links?

[@ronykuba]

Dulight.fr

[@giovanniGLR]

id like to ride speedplay in a fixed position , they have '' more float '' than a look or shimano peadal with 0 degrees cleat ? to have a good feel with 0 float on speedplays do i need track ones ? are they still in production ? titanium zero and stainless areo and non areo are still in production ? can i use the same cleat for two different grades of pedal ? (es. stainless areo on bike and cromoly standard on indoor trainer set up , or titanium areo on bike and cromoly on indoor set uo ) thanks

[@ronykuba]

Zero float is zero float on both. Only the ones I have shown are in production. The same cleat works for all Zero style pedals.

[@onilovni1234]

I have pronation on my right foot; my toes point outward which makes my knee dive inward, thus causing pain at this spot. I've been using numerous settings of SPD SL cleats and custom insoles and wedges in my shoes. So far the results are disappointing. Do you believe the amount of float these Speedplay pedals offer will help me with knee pain?

[@SirMika9]

Hi Anthony, did you find something for your knee pain ?

[@StephanBechert]

Where can i get longer titanium spindels?

[@ronykuba]

Dulight.fr

[@notreally2406]

I used speedplay for 20 years and they were quick to clip in, but they always needed cleat lube and pedal grease, which got dirty, and would get on my stuff, and would squeak, then wear out in less than 1 year, and were expensive and hard to get replacements for cheap. I switched to Shimano a few years ago and the ultegra pedals are cheap and great, and then cleat and platform is bigger. They don't need lube or get dirty, and the cleats are $15 and last 1 year...never using anything else again.

[@MiloslavSirovy]

Do you consider shoes with four-hole sole like for example Bont make to get rid of the plate and have lower stack height?

[@ronykuba]

I have the Wattshop adapters, so I don´t need to

[@MiloslavSirovy]

@@ronykuba Ok. As I understand the shoes with already four-hole sole (like for example Bont makes) would have the lowest possible stack and possbile be more aero too, right? Thanks

[@ronykuba]

@@MiloslavSirovy there won't be more than 0.2-0.3mm difference between these and proper 4hole shoes

[@treyxt]

do you prefer these over the assioma duos?

[@ronykuba]

Yes

[@GauGaut]

Thanks for your insight Ronald. I've used Shimano pedals before, but experienced heel problems after big training loads. I always felt unconfortable with traditional cleats as I need float on both the inside and outside of the foot. The float adjustability is a gamechanger for me. It eliminated my heel problems. I am only reluctant to use Speedplays on the track for safety reasons. Shimano pedals feel more secure and stable, but I never unclipped a Speedplay pedal, even in big sprints on the road.

[@ronykuba]

Nice to hear that! Many of the top track riders use Speedplay so I can´t see the reason not to. Unclipping is not really possible unless your cleats are very worn.

[@GauGaut]

@@ronykuba Yes, I think that for peloton races on the track, Speedplay Aeros should be perfectly suitable.

[@mariusilerd9581]

I feel my foot rocks more with the speedplay (inversion/eversion). The wider surface on the look pedal make it feel like im more locked in, with 0° cleats. I miss every other aspect of the speedplays tho, way more sexy

[@ronykuba]

You need to tighten the spring and probably replace the bow ties

[@zumbaRdie]

@@ronykuba how do you tighten the spring?

[@StephanBechert]

Do you have 4 Bolt Shoe for the low profile?

[@ronykuba]

Not sure what do you mean

[@crowone1293]

@@ronykuba i think he means the already integrated speedplay(compatible) system like those found on northwave or sidi's

[@mikicastan]

I had them for year and half,around 20000 km. I riding dura ace now and i like them much better. I like fix position of my foot. I didn’t have any problems with durability of the pedals but cleats are diferent story. Short life and very expensive

[@ronykuba]

"Short life and very expensive" - not if you treat them right

[@Alex-bh4um]

@@ronykuba how ever you treat them, x10 less durable than others on the market

[@ronykuba]

@@Alex-bh4um I have 100 000km+ on mine, I doubt any other pedal lasts 2M km

[@drjanswiercz1616]

Do you consider aero gain as marginal(1w or less)? Or something more?

[@ronykuba]

~3W@45km/h

[@drjanswiercz1616]

@@ronykuba thanks for info- 3w Worth to consider, especially aiming 50kph speed

[@afasterme3182]

I've been using Speed play cleats for a long time and I've never had an issue. I don't even do the maintenance and they have always worked fine. I've gotten serious over the past 3 years but my first pair lasted almost 10 years. The only thing that wore out was the metal from walking on them. Now that they have the covers, I haven't had to change anything. I now ride about 8,000 miles a year and no issues here. I know that's not anything crazy but more than the average rider.

[@ronykuba]

Thanks for sharing!

[@peterneville9271]

I used speedplay years ago for many years but moved to standard pedals as the replacement cleats are very expensive. Also with most shoes having three holes it seems that the design should have three holes and not a combination of 3 and 4 hole plates which adds to the weight. I also thought that over the years the fit got loser even with new cleats. I think this was due to the plastic pedal body wearing as well. I gave up on them then.

[@ronykuba]

the plastic body actually has nothing to do with the looseness of the fit

[@peterneville9271]

@@ronykuba had a quick look at my old pedals and yeah see that it was the metal 'bow ties' that were worn and not the plastic bodies of the pedals.

[@davidquinn6776]

I have had my speedplays on my road bike since 2004 and never a problem….actually have never serviced them😂

[@ronykuba]

You probably haven`t ridden too much in the wet then :)

[@dandenham3139]

Wahoo announced updated Speedplay pedals on 15-16 March 2021 and power pedals coming in summer 2021. Good for us Speedplay lovers. They are maintenance-free, various spindle lengths, no more bowtie, and maintain walkable cleat system. They should compete well with Favera Assiomas with the more ideal Speedplay pedal system than the Look Keo. Although maintenance-free, I have 26,000+ miles on my stainless Zeroes and they are fine. I grease them about every 2,000 miles. It will be interesting to see if the new ones hold up as well as the original.

[@debnrich2]

there is good reason shimano pedals sell the most. enough said

[@WattmetryCzEN]

AERO is not everything, and most cyclists don't exceed average speed over 35-40 Km/h without wind on flats on the road bike (not TT) where it actually matters.

[@ronykuba]

Couldn't be further from the truth

[@vadlme]

🧔🧔🧔

[@germanhugger41]

I have been using Speedplay Zero pedals for the last twelve years, and wouldn't dream of using anything else. The thing is, ever since Wahoo bought Speedplay the availability of their Zero track special pedal has vanished inexplicably??? Also their longer spindles have also vanished- I use the 65mm version as I need a wider Q-factor... Availability of their aluminum Fore-Aft base plate adapters has also dried up??? Speedplay is a fantastic product, but I get the impression that Wahoo is gonna run this company into the ground...

[@ronykuba]

Yes unfortunately everything is gone, except the products I have shown

[@ericnoreen98]

@@ronykuba does that mean that the zero pave is discontinued?

[@ronykuba]

@@ericnoreen98 yes

[@ericnoreen98]

@@ronykuba Thanks for the quick reply. That really sucks since I'm one of the people who wear down the plastic pedal bodies really quick. The metal pave has held up really well in comparison.

[@detmer87]

Maybe good for racing but for the average cyclist they are nothing more than *creaky plastic* f*ckers! I went back to Shimano SPD-SL after 10K for less money then a complete Speedplay overhaul kit. Speedplay is overrated in my opinion.