Clipless pedals: Frogs vs. SPDs

[Yen]

I'm ready to go clipless.

My shoes are SPD compatible with a recessed cleat, my preference because we like to get off and walk or enter a place to eat.

I've read a lot of raves here for Frogs, but when I mentioned that at the LBS all the guys pushed SPDs. No doubt they carry them there and not the frogs.

I want easy in, easy out, easy to maintain, and they must look good on my little black bike. We ride in traffic so I need to be able to easily disengage without much thought and with a lot of ease.

So why do so many of you like Frogs so much?

[KnottedYet]

Because they do all of those things, and have no moving parts to fuss with!
Plus they have 20 degress of float (which can be very nice for some women's knees) and are passive release (very very easy to get out of).

[Zen]

As Gary Cooper would say, "yep".

[salsabike]

I loved SPDs too, but my knees hated them. I spent several years on Frogs, pretty happy. Recently switched to Quattros because I wanted a little less float and a little more platform, but I still think Frogs are dandy too.

[tiffany Hart]

Because they do all of those things, and have no moving parts to fuss with!
Plus they have 20 degress of float (which can be very nice for some women's knees) and are passive release (very very easy to get out of).

We'll I spoke to the bike shop dudes and they sold me the new specialized bike with these things and they work pretty well. I had to go back to get them adjusted after the first ride. I had alot of trouble getting out of them. I think they greased them a little bit.
Any maintenance to keep them working properly? Can I use white lightening on them?
Tiff

[Flur]

So I was on the fence between frogs and candies b/c I was worried about too much float v. not enough float. I have a bad knee, and at the advice of the wonderful members of this board I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist to figure out if I wanted to allow movement or to stabilize the knee, but I had to schedule it way out and then ultimately had to cancel at the last minute b/c my husband was sick. I'd been riding in a great a pair of Specialized MTB shoes with a really stiff sole (not carbon, but very, very stiff) and love them, but they're hard to get into the toe clips, so I got fed up and just went and bought frogs the other day. After two short rides I've got pain all around my bad knee (underneath mostly on the inside, but sensitive all around the kneecap and behind the knee) and pain in both ankles. I've found that if I bend my knee, turn my heel out and press down (as I might when pedaling) I have a lot of pain on the inside below the kneecap, and I'm sure it's from the float that I now have (that I didn't have with the toeclips) allowing me to turn my heel out.

Mudmucker - your post confirmed what I was thinking and saved me another week of trying to make it work. Thanks!!!

I'm off to get the candies...

[Kathi]

So I was on the fence between frogs and candies b/c I was worried about too much float v. not enough float. I have a bad knee, and at the advice of the wonderful members of this board I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist to figure out if I wanted to allow movement or to stabilize the knee, but I had to schedule it way out and then ultimately had to cancel at the last minute b/c my husband was sick. I'd been riding in a great a pair of Specialized MTB shoes with a really stiff sole (not carbon, but very, very stiff) and love them, but they're hard to get into the toe clips, so I got fed up and just went and bought frogs the other day. After two short rides I've got pain all around my bad knee (underneath mostly on the inside, but sensitive all around the kneecap and behind the knee) and pain in both ankles. I've found that if I bend my knee, turn my heel out and press down (as I might when pedaling) I have a lot of pain on the inside below the kneecap, and I'm sure it's from the float that I now have (that I didn't have with the toeclips) allowing me to turn my heel out.

Mudmucker - your post confirmed what I was thinking and saved me another week of trying to make it work. Thanks!!!

I'm off to get the candies...

I have that kind of pain too. It started long before I got Speedplay Pedals. It's called Chrondomalacia or patellofemoral syndrome. It's a chronic condition that requires stretching and strengthening the muscles around the knees to keep it under control. When it flairs up I have to back off my cycling, take anti-inflammatories, stretch, ice, etc.

High mileage at the beginning of the season and pedaling at low cadences or hill climbing too soon also sets it off. When it started this year I only felt pain on the bike but I know if I let it go it will become painful all the time.

If the Candies don't help see your orthopedist.

[Beane]

I have that kind of pain too. It started long before I got Speedplay Pedals. It's called Chrondomalacia or patellofemoral syndrome. It's a chronic condition that requires stretching and strengthening the muscles around the knees to keep it under control. When it flairs up I have to back off my cycling, take anti-inflammatories, stretch, ice, etc.

High mileage at the beginning of the season and pedaling at low cadences or hill climbing too soon also sets it off. When it started this year I only felt pain on the bike but I know if I let it go it will become painful all the time.

If the Candies don't help see your orthopedist.

Kathi-

I just found out that I too have patellofemoral syndrome and my doc showed me some exercises to do, etc. But reading this thread I realized that I only have had the pain this year (when using speedplay light actions) but had none at all last year (with look pedals). Admittedly I have done a lot more riding this year and certainly more hill climbing, so that could be it too. The knee pain really started on about the 3rd day or so of bike tour colorado. Do you think there's a chance the knee pain is related to the pedals? Just curious..

[ilima]

I just had a commuter built up and my mechanic was pushing Eggbeaters. I was leery because I ride Speedplay X2s on my roadie, and I love the float and most of all the effortless unclipping.

I've used the mountain and road SPDs, and with both I felt like I was damaging my knee while unclipping. Even on the lowest tension setting.

Anyway, I was down to Frogs and Eggbeaters, and decided I'd listen to my mechanic because I could return the pedals if I didn't like them. The verdict after not many rides is that they are very easy to unclip from and I like that the cleat is super small--I think the Frogs cleat is a bit bigger and sometimes you need to trim your soles to get them to fit/work properly.

[beccaB]

OK, I hope I won't appear stupid, but what is "degree of float"? My pedals are fairly loose so I can get out of the easy enough, but my toes are starting to get numb after 20 miles, and my knees are getting a little tender from a prior running injury.
My pedals are clipless on one side and a regular pedal on the other side.

[ilima]

OK, I hope I won't appear stupid, but what is "degree of float"?

Float means you can move your heel side-to-side (well, more pivoting around the pedal) without coming unclipped. If your pedal doesn't have float, your foot (and, by extension, knee) is locked in place.

Most pedals that have float do not have "free float" and will encourage your foot to go back to the center position. Speedplay pedals have free float, so your foot can move freely and (hopefully) not torque your knee.

[dachshund]

I can clip out of the Speedplay x5's easily enough. I'm guessing that the other Speedplay pedals are similar since they have the same shape. But I have trouble clipping in because there's no "bumper" or physical feedback to tell me my foot it in the right position.

I can clip into the Look Keo's fine, but for some reason the foot motion required to get out isn't working for me. I had this same issue with a set of Shimano pedals.

So what I need is the Speedplay shape with some sort of bumper to get in.
Does this exist in real life?

[sundial]

I like Frogs cuz I can wear sweet mtb shoes. None of that ice skating business for me, please.

[Kathi]

I can clip out of the Speedplay x5's easily enough. I'm guessing that the other Speedplay pedals are similar since they have the same shape. But I have trouble clipping in because there's no "bumper" or physical feedback to tell me my foot it in the right position.

I can clip into the Look Keo's fine, but for some reason the foot motion required to get out isn't working for me. I had this same issue with a set of Shimano pedals.

So what I need is the Speedplay shape with some sort of bumper to get in.
Does this exist in real life?

With Speedplay X pedals you basically line your foot to the pedal and step down. I do it so intuitively that I don't even think about it or feel for the pedal.

If it's to hard to clip in check to see if you have dirt between the spring and the plastic edge. Screws that are too tight can also cause clipping in problems. Finally, be sure to lube with white lightning or other lubes recommended by Speedplay, especially when new.

[aicabsolut]

I can clip out of the Speedplay x5's easily enough. I'm guessing that the other Speedplay pedals are similar since they have the same shape. But I have trouble clipping in because there's no "bumper" or physical feedback to tell me my foot it in the right position.

I can clip into the Look Keo's fine, but for some reason the foot motion required to get out isn't working for me. I had this same issue with a set of Shimano pedals.

So what I need is the Speedplay shape with some sort of bumper to get in.
Does this exist in real life?

Have you tried the Keo Easy pedals? They are supposed to have lower tension to make it easier to get out of for people who have the problem you do. You just rotate your heel either direction, like with other pedal systems, to unclip.

I like Keos with 4.5 degrees of float. I started out with 9 degrees, but I couldn't sprint, and I couldn't even stand up well without feeling like I was going to rip the cleat off my shoe. There was just too much wasted energy laterally. I don't like fixed cleats, though, because my joints and tendons like to have a little wiggle room.

I hate SPDs for a variety of reasons. I'm all about large platforms. Cafe covers help with walkability, but then I guess it depends on how much you need to walk and how important that is to you.