Speedplay X/3

Price Paid:  $100.00 at Big Wheel Cycles

Favorite Ride:
any sort of sprint

Bike Setup:
2008 specialized allez elite comp quickstep full sram and mavic kyrserium ss

Summary:
Great pedals for every sort of ride. i like them most for sprinting because they are easy on the knees.

Strengths:
very light and easy clip in

Weaknesses:
none thus far

Price Paid:  $36.00 at E-Bay

Favorite Ride:
With the wind at my back!!

Bike Setup:
2004 Lemond Zurich with Bontrager race extra-lite wheels. (upgrade)

Summary:
Thank You Speedplay!! My knees have not felt this good in a long time. My legs and back feel great after each ride now that I started using these pedals. I have been riding since 1972 and I only wish they had these pedals back then.

Strengths:
No more knee pain! Easy to get in and out.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Shimano& Campy

Price Paid:  $100.00 at Pro Shop

Favorite Ride:
Simonator 7

Bike Setup:
Scott CR1 with Dura Ace and Ritchey stuff and some other bikes.

Summary:
I have used this product for over 3 years and I think I have gone through 3 or 4 pairs. I put in about 600 hours of riding per year and I lubricate (internally and ex) bearing proper instructions. I guess the x3s have bad bearings as each time I had to replace, it was because of the pedal becoming disengaged with the spindle. The float is nice and good on the knees but I really never have had any knee problems. The clearence is nice too as I find that I can pedal through tight corners during crits and not worry about the pedal scraping the ground. The only reason I have not switched earlier is becuase i have 3 pairs of shoes with speedplay pedals and 2 bikes. I'm just going to use different pedal systems now.

Strengths:
float is nice, so is clearence.

Weaknesses:
the tilt really sucks. your foot is never tight on the pedal and it feels loose rocking back and forth to the left and right. The cleats wear out very very fast and they totally blow when worn out. The pedals also wear out very fast and I've had to replace them frequently.

Similar Products Used:
Look, Time, Shimano, Crank Brothers

Price Paid:  $100.00 at performance

Favorite Ride:
Lake front bike path

Bike Setup:
Bianchi Axis 2004 stock
Aspide Arrowhead saddle

Summary:
I have used these pedals for about a year. I have worn through 2 maybe three pairs of cleats. The first I killed running through a construction site. A rock bent the wire in my cleat, and weakened the connection between pedal and shoe. The second and maybe third wear is from walking on the cleat, which is very difficult, but can be done uncomfortably. I like to do pirouttes on linoleum floors with them through.... =) Overall these are great pedals, they annihilated all knee pain from my riding, and feel great from my 5 mile commute to 150 mile endurance events. Don't even think about getting the cleat or pedal dirty! I have been locked in and out of my cleats because of the tiniest bit of snow, which was very scary to be locked in but less frustrating that being locked out. If you carry a knife you can clean the cleat everytime you step in some snow. If you are locked in, you can thaw off indoors (of possible), wrench it out (be careful of your knee, no kidding), or my favorite but least recommended face plant into a snow bank. I know this review has been concentrating on the negatives, but the positives are simply that these are great pedals for your knees. I also recently killed my pedals. I didn't grease them and they totally died, I have lateral, vertical, and distal play in them, as well as a ferocious creaking and snapping sound. Just looking online for more pedals, I am thinking about frogs for dirt shedding.

Strengths:
float is awsome
clip in and out very easily (when you want to)

Weaknesses:
-durability of cleat
-durabilty of pedal bearings
-pedal/cleat connection is dependant on a clean enviroment
-walkability

Similar Products Used:
non similar,
these pedals are pretty one of a kind.

Price Paid:  $100.00 at Yellow Jersey, Madis

Favorite Ride:
ascending the Kopanec Pass, Slovakia

Bike Setup:
steel Bianchi equipped w/ Campy Veloce/Record mixture

Summary:
After 10 years of using LOOK pedals I switched to Speedplay for the free float. The decreased load on my knees was immediately noticeable. Getting in and out is easy, I never got unintentionally disengaged from the pedals. The main problem are the cleats. They wear out rather quickly - the pedal bodies press themselves into the composite part of the cleats, eventually creating lots of up and down wobble that in my case caused some knee discomfort. After replacing the cleats for a new pair, the discomfort disappeared. I used the old pair of cleats for about 14,000 km, significantly more than what the manufacturer recomends (8,000 km). So, it is wise to replace the cleats more frequently. Unfortunately, the cleats are not cheap, but considering the benefits - riding your bike without knee problems - it is worth the money.

Strengths:
free float
lightweight
easy to service

Weaknesses:
cleats too expensive and wear out too fast

Similar Products Used:
various LOOK pedals