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

[emily_in_nc]

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

[FreshNewbie]

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

[cruziegirl]

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!)

[bikerchick68]

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... 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!

[Trekhawk]

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.

[bikerchick68]

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...

[emily_in_nc]

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.

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