In Praise of Quality Pedals

[riverc0il]

This season I upgraded my road pedals from cheapo VP R61 that came with my bike to Ultegra PD-6700 pedals. Holy crap, what a difference! Starting out, it was kinda hard to stomach all the extras involved. Since I got free pedals with my bike, I didn't even think twice about not upgrading. Big mistake. My clip in time has increased exponentially and it is great having an actual solid platform under my shoes. No more spending 5-6 seconds searching for the cleat to connect with the binding just so. Wish I made that upgrade when I bought the bike!

:beer:

 

[mlctvt]

Ultegra SPD-SL pedals are awesome, these are what I use on my bikes.
I have the cheaper 105 pedals on one of my bikes.

The Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105 SPD-SL pedals are all very similar, the only difference is the material used internally. You pay more for the upper level ones that weight less but the operation is the same for all.

Lance Armstrong helped develop these, I understand it was his insistence for the wider platform. It works well. I also like that the cleats have rubber tabs that don't slip when walking on smooth pavement like the original Look Delta cleats that I used for over 20 years did.

 

[marcski]

I absolutely love my Speedplay X-2's.

http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.x

 

[Nick]

I'm still using old school Onza's on my last bike but I really like a lot of float so I would probably go with Speedplay's if I were picking up a set today. I'm pretty sure onza has been out of business for like a decade.

 

[riverc0il]

I also like that the cleats have rubber tabs that don't slip when walking on smooth pavement like the original Look Delta cleats that I used for over 20 years did.

This was huge. With my cheapo pedals, I felt like a ballerina walking on the cleats. And when I went into a gas station for a leek, I was totally dancing across the smooth slick floor.

I absolutely love my Speedplay X-2's.

I looked at the Speedplays but decided against them after reading about problems if you get them dirty. We don't have sidewalks up here in NH and we don't have much for shoulders either... when I stop for a break, I usually end up in dirt or on the grass when I step off the road. Also, I wanted a big fat platform. It is great to have options!

 

[marcski]

Steve, stick these in your jersey pocket:

easy and I have had no issues with dirt. I don't walk in mud but I don't have sidewalks where I ride either. All I do is every once in a while or if they get especially dirty on a ride, I brush the cleat and then just put a drop of chain lube on them. Pedals still work great after 5 or 6 years. I got a new pair of cleats last year when I got a new pair of shoes but the original cleats still work well. The cleat covers definitely help. Good luck with your new purchase...I still only have 1 road Ride in this season so far. But I did feel quite strong. Ok...off to the trainer on this soaking wet morning!