First Road Shoe ( check) , First speedplay Zero pedals (coming next week)

:D :D :D
Well, yesterday in the morning went to my local bike shop with my BF. Got myself nice baby blue Specialized Torch 2005 shoes and ordered Speedplays for next week. I am very excited, and the guys who work there are very helpful and know what they are talking about because they used to race professionally, and they actually are organizing many races on Long Island, NY. So next week i am taking my bike to LBS and they will adjust my pedals :D .
Yesterday went for a 30 miles ride , averaged 16 mph on my platform pedals, can't wait to see the difference when i put my speedplays. Well, another newbie going clipless.

Enjoy your rides everybody,

Marina

you are gonna LOVE your speedplays! which ones did you get? (X? zero?)

Hey Caligurl!
I got Zero :D I am so excited !!! Can't wait to go to a park and practice. Congruts on getting a mountain bike ( :D I was following your post ) hope you enjoy it!!! ( just don't give up road bike plzzzzzzzz )

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Originally Posted by FreshNewbie

( just don't give up road bike plzzzzzzzz )

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:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: BITE YOUR TONGUE! :D NEVER! not a CHANCE!!!! i LOVE road biking!

i have x's (x/3 i think) and hubby has zeros on both his road bikes... we both love them!

:D My BF decided that he wants Speedplay pedals too because he listened to all good things the LBS guy told me about them ( which i already knew from my research and advice i got from TE). Soooo, I think we will be both proud owners of Zeros next week. Also, I am planning to get myself a new bike next season. My old Raleigh Cyclepro will be my bad weather bike. Can't wait for next year :D

I ride Zero's as well and am very happy with them... I really like that they're double sided too, so I don't have to worry about flipping them to clip in... every so often I check the screws on the cleats to be sure they haven't loosened up (they DO so check 'em every 3-4 rides) and I hit them with White Lightning maybe once a month... a really great system! Let us know how it goes for you and congrats on the purchase! :)

Thank you bikerchick68!
One question though , what's White Lighting?

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Originally Posted by FreshNewbie

Thank you bikerchick68!
One question though , what's White Lighting?

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It's a lubricant.

I bought Speedplay Zero pedals about a month before my accident in April. I had been using the X/2s for years but felt that the unlimited float was not good for me and that I lost power on climbs because of it.

I really liked the power the Zeros gave me on the hills and having the ability to set the float (I found I didn't need much), but I was still having a hard time clipping into and out of them even after several weeks of riding and lots of adjusting and re-adjusting of them. I'm thinking of going on a 17-mile women's ride tomorrow night on my Aegis (with Zeros) but am scared I might not be able to clip in and out of them since my pelvic fracture (even though I am nearly four months out from my surgery, I still have some weakness on that side). I guess I better go practice and make sure I can do it before I commit to taking that bike on the ride (I have Eggbeater Candies on my Bike Friday, which I've been riding, and know I have no problems with those).

Anyway, hoping you don't have any clip-in/out problems with Zeros as I did. I read only after purchasing them that they often aren't recommended for petite women as they can take more torque to clip into than other pedals (including Speedplay X-Series and Frogs) Oops!

Emily

Hi Emily,
Thank you for the information and I hope you are getting better with every day. And I hope that I will not have the same problems with my new pedals, I am going to get them this friday, the LBS guy will adjust them to my shoe and my knees, and I will update everyone on how it went.


Marina

The first Speedplays I used were the Zeros but I had so much trouble a) walking in those enormous cleats (I looked like a penguin), and b) getting into them at stoplights that I finally switched to the Frogs. I had to switch to ATB shoes to accomodate them but have to say I'm really glad I made the change. They are so much easier to get in and out of and the cleats let me walk around like a normal human. Also, the Frog cleats don't require quite so much maintenance as the Zeros. But I find the Speedplay design so much easier on my knees (and my 50+ knees need all of the help they can get!)

emily it's wednesday and I hope you see this before your ride tonight! If you don't already DO lubricate your cleats pre-ride! It will allow them to unclip much more easily. If you ride a lot and walk in them, you may have some dirt, schmegma in them that is making it more difficult to unclip! That's why I lube mine once a month or so... even just unclipping and setting down on the road can attract dirt to them... hope your ride goes well and unclipping is easier than you thought it would be!!!

I was riding Frogs and had to switch to zero's as well, because I would get sloppy when tired and ended up with a pretty bad ITBL strain... :rolleyes: I really pay attn to my form now, but the zero's have also made a difference as I cannot get as sloppy with them!

I have been having some knee pain (always have had knee problems I think the culprit was long distance running in my earlier days) and decided that my Shimano pedals with no float might be the problem. I have been looking at Speedplay Zeros and X5's. After having a chat via email with the crew at Competitivecyclist.com they say go the Zeros as X5's may have way to much float coming from no float pedals and not help but make matters worse with my knees. I thought my decision was made but LADIES you are scaring me with these stories of not being able to clip in/out easily from zeros.

I need it to be relatively easy to do as I was standing in the wrong line when they were handing out bike handling skills. :o

trek... I have NO problems clipping in and out of my zero's... on the contrary they are easy to use as they are doublesided!! I had a different kind (SPD's) prior that were much more difficult to use... the reason I lube is because like any cleat, over time they will collect dirt in them! I wipe them down periodically (same time I'm cleaning the bike) and spray lightly with White Lightening like once a month just to be sure... they really aren't hard for me at all...

emily has a whole different set of circumstances due to her horrific accident... lube may definitely help her...

Thanks for the comments, bikerchick68! I didn't get back to the forum before my Wed. ride, however, to see them then.

I actually don't have much problem clipping out of the Zeros at all. If I did, I wouldn't chance riding them as that could be so dangerous and result in a fall. They are harder to clip out of than my old X-2s and my Eggbeaters on my Bike Friday and mtb, but a firm twist of the ankle, and I am out, no problem. I never fear not being able to get out of them.

The problem I have is clipping IN. I have to really work that first foot (my left, not the side I broke my pelvis on) in to start up, and then it's often very hard to get my second (right) foot clipped in once I am riding along. This was even before my accident. Sometimes it clips in fairly easily, but sometimes it takes up to a mile after a start to get clipped in! Needless to say, this is quite frustrating. :mad:

I did do the ride Wednesday with the Zeros. They are nearly brand new and very clean, so I didn't re-lube them (I have tried that with no significant change in the past). I was able to clip in okay on the left, and about 75% of the time on the right (there were a lot of lights and stop signs on this ride) I got in relatively quickly, but a couple of times it took awhile, one time around a full mile, to clip in on the right. I am still hoping they'll loosen up some over time. My husband said his did, and he can clip right into mine no problem with his cleats if he stands over my bike, but he also weighs 50 lbs more than me. I only weigh 105 or so, and I just don't seem to be able to put enough weight into clipping in that they seem to require.

On a positive note, it was no harder to clip in now (post-injury) than before my injury, and it didn't hurt my hip/pelvis at all to clip in or out. All the clip-in/clip-out action seems to be from the knee down. I don't want as much float as Speedplay Frogs provide since I think too much float gave me different problems. I seem to need very little float (about 3% is fine, my knees don't complain and I can climb out of the saddle much better), and that's why I got the Zeros. Paid through the nose too, for the titanium ones, so I am a bit frustrated that I am having such problems using them - just like cruziegirl sounds like she was having....

Emily

Emily:
I had a similar problem clipping into my Zero's also (and I weigh about 130). Have you tried loosening the 4 little screws on the cleats (as per the instruction sheet that came with the pedals)? They shouldn't be screwed down too tightly. Loosening them just a little bit solved the problem for me. As an added measure you can use LockTite (or something similar) on the screws.

Carol

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Originally Posted by ccnyc

Emily:
I had a similar problem clipping into my Zero's also (and I weigh about 130). Have you tried loosening the 4 little screws on the cleats (as per the instruction sheet that came with the pedals)? They shouldn't be screwed down too tightly. Loosening them just a little bit solved the problem for me. As an added measure you can use LockTite (or something similar) on the screws.

Carol

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Hi Carol ~ No, I haven't tried that. I thought if you loosened the screws, the cleats would tend to pull out of your shoes easier. Not so? I haven't looked really closely, though. Will look when I have a chance!

Thanks for the idea...Emily

Emily:

I promise, the cleats won't pull out of your shoes. It really works!
Read the Q&A (below) from the Speedplay website that addresses this issue. (Easier than looking for the instructions that came with the pedals!)
Carol

Q:My new Zero cleat springs are stiff and entering the pedals is difficult for me. What should I do?

A:As with all clipless pedal systems, there is a learning curve to mastering optimal entry technique. Lubricate the cleat springs with a dry-type(PTFE)lubricant such as Super-Lube Dry Film, RD-50, DuPont Performance Dry, Liquid Wrench Dry Lube, Pro Gold or Finish Line, which will facilitate entry. Be sure to step downward, keeping the ball of your foot flat and parallel to the spindle.

Adding a slight twist while pushing downward also aids with entry. Be sure that the 4 x 11mm outer cleat fastening screws have not been over-tightened. Tighten cleat fastening screws until resistance is felt and then tighten no more than ¼ turn. (Maximum fastening torque = 20 inch pounds) Over- tightening prevents the springs from operating properly and can affect engagement.

ccnyc is right! I didn't think to mention that so good catch... my LBS said to be very careful to never OVER TIGHTEN the screws... they should be hand tight plus 1/4 turn! I check mine every couple rides as they CAN and DO loosen up over time... even with locktight... for me it's just another ritual... like checking my tire pressure and my quick release levers pre-ride every ride... :)

Thanks, ladies - this is GREAT information! I'll give it a try. I hope mine are just over-tight.

Emily