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Submitted by
Martin Leung
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: February 21, 2012
Strengths: Simplicity and ease of entry.Weaknesses: cleat installation critical for snapping in and out.Bottom Line: One can never have enough bikes I sometimes say. So, being true to this statement I built up another bike. The last component to choose was the pedals. Whatever pedal system I chose I’d have to get a pair for the new bike and for the other bike. The current bike I ride has Speedplay X/1 pedals. These have worked well for me since I first got the bike about 11 years ago.
I have always been happy with the Speedplay pedals, but thought the X/1’s had a little too much float with a total of 25 degrees. I thought I’d give the Zero’s a try being they have a smaller total degree of float of 15 degrees, which can be adjusted. Unlike other clipless pedals systems, the Zero’s float adjustment in done on the cleats instead of the pedal mechanism.
I purchase just one pair for the time being to see of I’d like the new model and also to defer the payment of two sets of pedals at once. The instruction manual can look a little intimidating, but the actual set up of the cleats is pretty straightforward.
Aside from the pedals, the whole package includes the cleats and all the necessary hardware to adapt the pedals to any road shoes that utilizes a 3- hole system. I was mounting the cleats to Shimano R162 road shoes. The cleat hardware package includes plastic shims which go under the base platform which bolts onto the shoe bottom. The purpose of the shims is to take up any clearance so the base platform conforms to the curvature of the shoe. Ideally, the bottom of the platform should be as flat as possible when tightened with the supplied screws. These screws come in two sets of 3 screws. The black screws are shorter and are to be used in case the silver ones are too long and protrude beyond the sole and into the shoe.
Once the base platform is secured to the shoe, the cleat spring assembly can be attached to the base platform using the four 4x11 screws. You’ll notice these screws come partially coated with a thread locker. This is because it is critical these screws are not over tightened. The tightening instructions of these four 4x11 screws are so critical it is written in bold face print in the instructions manual. The manual contains exact torques measurements of these screws. If you don’t have a torque wrench handy, it instructs you to tighten the screws until a “noticeable detent resistance is felt” and then going no more than ¼ turn or 90 degrees after reaching that point.
I must’ve gone too far on my right cleat. On the left cleat I think I got lucky. Although it was initially tough to snap onto the pedal, I eventually snapped in and after several cycles of snapping in and snapping out, the left side began to get easier. It wasn’t the same for the right side. I had the hardest time snapping onto the right pedal. I tried lubing and uninstalled and installed the right cleat several times and still could not snap onto the right pedal. And the couple of times I was able to get onto right pedal, I couldn’t get out without great difficulty. It was a sure recipe for an embarrassing moment at an intersection full of cars and falling over because of not being able to snap out.
The next day I took the pedals to my LBS where I purchased them and spoke to Chris. I’m not sure what he did different, but he wound up tweaking the four 4x11 screws and then I tried getting in and out of the pedals while the bike was set on their trainer. After a couple more attempts at tweaking the screws I was able to snap onto the right pedal although it was still tough. However, it did seem to work itself in and things got easier. I also found that by putting more pressure on the outside of my foot I was able to snap onto the pedal better. I think it was a matter of having the right amount of torque on the screws, letting the cleat springs break in and developing a feel for the best way of snapping in.
Now that the cleats were set correctly, I went for a ride. The pedals were mounted on the current bike, as the new Ti bike still needed a few adjustments. The ride on that bike will probably be material for a later review. Maybe the old Speedplay X/1 pedals that I had for so long were well used, even though I’ve renewed the cleats, but the Zeros seemed to be so much more efficient. They not only felt more secure but it seemed to make my pedal strokes more effective. I think this is a result of the Zeros having less float than the X/1 s. With less float I feel like my feet are no longer flopping all over the place. 15 degrees of float is still plenty of movement to prevent any knee issues. Releasing and snapping out of the pedal still require a more conscious effort, but then again, I’ve been using the same pedals for 11 years and snapping out of them was almost effortless.
After all these years using the Speedplay system of pedals, I am still a believer. I like the simplicity, lightweight and ease of entry. The double- sided pedal makes it intuitive to just step onto the pedals and go. And don’t we just want to go?!
Purchased At: LBS/Westlake Cyclery
Similar Products Used: Speedplay X/1 pedals
Bike Setup: Colnago C40 with Campy Record 10 speed.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike Laughlin
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: January 18, 2012
Strengths: Float. Low stack height. Injection lube port. Solid lock-in.Weaknesses: Practice the wide, heel kickout to disengage.Bottom Line: Best road pedal for me. Float easy on knees. Low stack height. solid lockup. "Somewhat" easy dis-engage. (Seems to take a little practice each spring.) Easy setup and maintenance. -- Don't understand reviewer's comments about maintenance. Grease injection port. I spray a shot of dry teflon lube on cleats and pedals before each ride. No worries. I have the cafe covers for short walking. Will buy again if/when necessary.
Favorite Ride: rolling hills on new asphalt
Bike Setup: Schwinn Paramount Ti, Reynolds fork and bar, Syntace aerobar, Rolf wheels
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Submitted by
mfioretti
a Road RacerDate Reviewed: January 4, 2012
Strengths: Weight, adjustability, smooth bearings, low stack heightWeaknesses: Price, maintenance, coffee shop covers aren't includedBottom Line: I decided to go to these pedals after having a few issues with my old Shimano Ultegras. Although the price was steep on these, I think they're worth it if you take the time to set them up properly and care for them.
At first I had a little bit of trouble engaging the cleat, but I am a very light rider so bigger riders might not have this problem. Once engaged though the pedals feel wonderful. The adjustability of the float is great, as is the cleat positioning ability. This might be the biggest reason people get these pedals and really they can't be beat there.
It must be said that these pedals do require a lot more maintenance than do others. It has taken me a while to get my cleat setup just right (I'm still kind of working on it...). This can be good though because even if you aren't initially comfortable, the pedals offer enough adjustability to where to can definitely make them comfortable. You also need to grease the bearings more often because of the design. However, I have noticed that the pedals feel very, very smooth. It's also advisable to purchase the coffee shop covers to protect the cleat. It would be nice if these were included
Initially I used Sidi Genius 5.5 shoes with these pedals, and although they worked just fine, I had to use the 3 hole adapter that you must use with any 3 hole shoe. I recently changed over to DMT Prismas after being intrigued by the 4 hole design, and these definitely make a big difference. Without the adapter I got lower stack height and weight. With this setup I think that this pedal system is flawless.
Overall I think that this is the best pedal system available. The adjustability, 4 hole integration, weight, and smooth bearings all contribute to a phenomenal feeling and performing pedal.
Favorite Ride: Southwest Wisconsin
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At: Trek Store West, Mad
Similar Products Used: Shimano Ultegra PD-6700
Bike Setup: Colnago CLX 2.0 w/ Campagnolo Chorus/Athena mix, Campagnolo Khamsin wheels, Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp, 3T bars and stem, Fizik Arione.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Grego
a Road RacerDate Reviewed: December 17, 2011
Strengths: adjustability
I like the fact that i can shift the shoes al the way to the cranksWeaknesses: clicking in doesnt work for 1% of the time. Especially when it's wet???Bottom Line: i got a good deal from my employer, a colleage used theme for some time, and recommended them.
Clicking in is a bit tough the first times they say, probably why i sometimes have to retry clicking in. We'll see.
The feedback through the pedals is amazing
The look the stuff aswell. In al sorts of colours:D
Favorite Ride: Mountain stages
Price Paid:
$182.00
Purchased At: employer
Similar Products Used: SPD-SL
Bike Setup: 2 Dutch frame brands:
Jan Jansen + Fulcrum 0 Black 2012 + Campy Chorus + Pro PLt
&
Schouten + Sora 8 Rain bike :p
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Value Rating:
Submitted by
yen
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: September 19, 2011
Strengths: Size
Technical aspects - Set Up / Lubing
Rotational MovementWeaknesses: Size
Technical aspects - lubing / set up
Rotational MovementBottom Line: Right this is an update review for these pedals:
I used these now for 8months, Jan to Sept..and still am on them.
I've 3 pair of shoes - it pays to have a spare when it rains!
I had to replace a pair of cleats due to the guides for the circlip/spring to 'stay' where are.
I bought another 2 sets of cleats for my other shoes.
I'm amazed people have had the padals go wrong on them. I suppose sum people need setting up on a bike? - read the reviews!
I'm a hard rider on my pedals and can give them some Welly ;) - I haven't lost screws, the limit screws do move I feel this is because of the plastic housing. They need regreasing every so often, especially after a good soaking / heavy downpour.
Spraying dry lube - PTFE spray into the open ports on the cleats keeps things moving every so often.
The butterfly sections on the top of the pedal wear which cause the rocking motion - design floor perhaps?? Better to get that side to side 'movement' of the cleat sorted prior to screwing it down l
The weight claim is a joke - Time's are well lighter unless you got about a 1000 to pay for the Nanograms???
Entry - How people can just 'step down' is beyond me..they need more care than a front lip design pedal.
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