Clipless pedals: Frogs vs. SPDs

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

Cleat covers protect the cleats and allow walking without slipping or sliding.

[Zen]

I still prefer MTB shoes

[Fujichants]

I actually like to walk in my road shoes and Look cleats...

[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.

[dachshund]

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.

Thanks, I have checked my cleats. The "debris" is in my head, not in the cleat. I can't accurately place my foot in the right spot every time. When I put my foot in the right spot, it clicks in fine. I love the speedplays because they're so simple. I guess I'll put them back on and practice practice.

[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.

[Yen]

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.

Would you mind explaining why you prefer large platforms? Do they provide more comfort and stability?

I appreciate everyone's reply. I'm buying a pair of Sidi Dominators which are MTBs (recessed cleat). I know that limits my choices but I want a recessed cleat. I think I want a platform on one side and clipess on the other, but I'm not sure. Some of our rides are stop and go in traffic and I'm wondering if clipless will be very difficult to master in those conditions. Someone mentioned a pedal that has a platform on one side and enables the rider to rest the foot until it is safe to clip in -- I can't remember the name of that one now.

[Eden]

Would you mind explaining why you prefer large platforms? Do they provide more comfort and stability?

I appreciate everyone's reply. I'm buying a pair of Sidi Dominators which are MTBs (recessed cleat). I know that limits my choices but I want a recessed cleat. I think I want a platform on one side and clipess on the other, but I'm not sure. Some of our rides are stop and go in traffic and I'm wondering if clipless will be very difficult to master in those conditions. Someone mentioned a pedal that has a platform on one side and enables the rider to rest the foot until it is safe to clip in -- I can't remember the name of that one now.

Large platforms can help if you suffer from hot spots (sore spots on the bottoms of your feet) - they distribute the force over a greater area on your foot. I used recessed SPD's on mt bike shoes for years and I never had a problem with hot spots. I do however have a small foot.... so even a small platform is fairly big for me. I still do sometimes use my mt bike shoes with Crank Bro's pedals during winter training rides. I think I notice a performance difference more because the mt bike shoes are more loose than because of the cleat style.

If you are racing it can also give you better power transfer to have a larger platform to push down on. This is going to be most noticeable in places like a sprint where you are really putting a lot of power into the pedals.

As far as dual sided pedals go. I think I've only seen them in SPD's, but that may have changed since the last time I looked.

[Flur]

Would you mind explaining why you prefer large platforms? Do they provide more comfort and stability?

I appreciate everyone's reply. I'm buying a pair of Sidi Dominators which are MTBs (recessed cleat). I know that limits my choices but I want a recessed cleat. I think I want a platform on one side and clipess on the other, but I'm not sure. Some of our rides are stop and go in traffic and I'm wondering if clipless will be very difficult to master in those conditions. Someone mentioned a pedal that has a platform on one side and enables the rider to rest the foot until it is safe to clip in -- I can't remember the name of that one now.

Crank Bros pedals might be a good option for you b/c all their pedals can be clipped in on either side, but they also have both small and large platform pedals that can be ridden easily without clipping in. This makes things easier b/c then you don't have to worry about flipping your pedal - you just clip in or not depending on what you want to do.

I did my first real ride on my candies today (Crank Bros "small platform" pedal). We rode a really popular path today, that has a number of road crossings with stops, and it was a beautiful day so there was a lot of bike and rollerblade traffic to the point where we had a few sudden stops. I had no issues with getting in and out of my pedals, even for the sudden stops, and I did pedal quite a few times across streets without clipping in without any issues.

Whatever pedal you pick, it really helps if before you put them on the bike, you take some time in your new shoes on your regular pedals to work on "unclipping". Each time you stop, think about rotating your foot out of the pedal. I did this for a couple of weeks before I got my pedals, I would just turn out my heel at each stop before putting my foot down. I really think that's helped me with my transition.