Speedplay X/2

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
Centuries

Bike Setup:
Trek 5200

Summary:
A great set of pedals. I had some knee problems a few years back and changed to Speedplay X-2 pedals. After about 3 years and 25,000 miles I have not had any problems. I have replaced the cleats once.

Strengths:
I love these pedals, they saved my knees and have allowed me to continue to ride.

Weaknesses:
None - I just keep them clean and lubed

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Used

Favorite Ride:
Smooth pavement with courteous drivers and a good shoulder

Bike Setup:
Specialized Allex aluminum road bike.

Summary:
I've used the speedplay X/2 (stainless) for two years. The pedals themselves are splendid but the cleats are somewhat of a clunker as I describe below.

The pedals are cake to overhaul, just one screw holds the entire pedal assembly together. Even so, the insides were very well projected with no gunk inside. The internal components are few: a spindle, two ball bearings and one needle bearing. These are very nicely designed and constructed - a classic minimalist design. I commute daily with street shoes and the pedal platform is adequate, a little slippery when snowing but still doable.

The mid-range stainless version is a big step up from the cro-moly (steel) version and extremely corrsosion resistant inside and out.

The cleats though are bit of a pain. Most road shoes come with a three hole pattern for cleat attachment. The speedplay cleat employs a four hole mounting pattern and uses an adapter plate. This is far from perfect since it adds a layer of screws and a plate between the base of the shoe and the actual cleat. I have found that keeping all the screws snug needs frequent attention, otherwise i have noticed some play due to the many plate layers.

My second concern is that the entire clamping mechanism is contained in the cleat, extra care is hence needed when walking with them. Even so, dirt, salt and sand make their way inside the cleat and frequent cleaning is essential. Speedplay cleat covers help a bit when I do remember to take them.

I found it nice to have the extra rotational float but do not have experience with other pedal systems. The first few times I felt a bit unsteady but got used to it quickly. The amount of foot twist needed to unclip is quite large, took me a couple of rides and a few close calls before it became second nature.

If and when I get a new pair of pedals it will most certainly be X/2's :).

Strengths:
The pedals are lean and mean, an almost perfect design. Overhaluing is real simple and easy and only needed every six months or so.

Weaknesses:
The cleats need quite a bit of attention to keep clean and rust free.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at greggs bellevue

Favorite Ride:
Mercer island loop

Bike Setup:
trek madone 5.2 SL 2007 with toupe saddle

Summary:
Deciding i needed to upgrade to some classy new pedals now that i had decided to start racing the new speedplays looked great to me. and at first they were! until about 6 months in i was riding and the top of the pedal ripped off as i was pedaling up a hill! not just that i almost lost my left nut falling onto my handlebars from this sudden pedal failure. the bottom shot off and every little screw and bolt inside scattered. it was a mess and cost a pretty penny to replace. needless to say i'm never using these pedals again

Strengths:
light, looks good

Weaknesses:
poor build

Price Paid:  $199.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
hills and headwinds

Bike Setup:
2006 DeRosa Corum, Steel, Full Dura-Ace 7800, Mizuno carbon fork, Profile Dromo Pro carbon bar, Zero Gravity Ti brakes, Mavic Ksyrium Elites

Summary:
The pedals are nicely built, easy to maintain and in-n-out is simple and intuitive. The problem for me is the cleats. I only ride on the road and I don't over torque the cleat bolts, but the cleats always get gunked up with grit and need cleaning. The cleats are also big and heavy. With my Sidi shoes, I have to use Speedplay's Base plate (3 bolts) then the middle cleat plate (4 bolts) then the bronze colored metal outer plate, so remember to count up all that weight while you're congratulating yourself on your nice, LIGHT pedals. Even though they worked pretty well for a long time, I never felt a solid connection at the cleat/pedal interface. There was always some chatter between them and I found myself wanting a larger, more solid platform to mash on. I realize that the pedal load is distributed across that big, beefy cleat, but still I longed for the secure, no chatter, bullet-proof solidity, reliability and low maintanence of a Look-style pedal and cleat so I went with Dura-Ace 7810's. Absolutely love them.

Strengths:
Well made, easy maintenance pedal, simple in-n-out, double sided entry.

Weaknesses:
Cleats have moving parts and need more attention than Look-style cleats.

Similar Products Used:
Speedplay X/3, Performance brand Look-type,

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
Cleveland's "Emerald Necklace"

Bike Setup:
2007 Cannondale CAAD8 w/ upgrades.

Summary:
I'm a little confused with the whole "mud clogs the cleats" thing. These pedals are generally rated for road riding. In 500+ miles last season (my first time on a "grown up" bike) I can count on one hand the time I've found myself in enough mud to worry about clogging a cleat - usually because a bike path changes from paved to gravel in 10 feet. Seriously, unless you're riding in the Paris-Roubaix why are you on these in mud? I've only ridden 20 miles on them but they were amazing when I test rode them.

Similar Products Used:
Many eBay'ed items in search of "The Perfect Pedal"