Fun to see! (Cleats)
Last Post 02/28/2014 04:31 PM by 79 pmooney. 13 Replies.
Author Messages
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/22/2014 07:16 PM
Rigoberto Uran after today at the Tour of Oman, clearly using black LOOK Delta cleats.  Dinosaurs!  (I know.  Very soon, I will have to start going to museums to get my replacements.)

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/02/news/gallery-chris-froome-on-top-in-oman_317850

If you do not want or cannot use pedals with float, you are limited in choices, but two of the choices that work really well are the Original LOOK pedals and cleats (and compatible 3rd party's pedals and cleats as well) and the old slotted cleats for "rattrap pedals"/toeclips.  I knew the LOOKs were seen at the pointy end of the pro peleton as late as 2003 and some of the trackies still use the cleats that precede land animals, but I didn't know the LOOKs were still to be seen at the top, 2014.

I have 6 bikes on these two systems.  Am in no hurry to change.

Ben
Yo Mike

Posts:338

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02/24/2014 05:56 AM
I can relate, tho I do like my float: I have 3 bikes with Look 396 pedals and Red cleats. I may upgrade before the end of the decade, if eBay cannot continue to deliver the goods........
Master50

Posts:340

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02/25/2014 09:59 PM
Speedplay is the king of float but it can all be adjusted out to no float. What is really great about Speedplay is it is so easy to micro adjust the exact cleat position to the mm without having to loosen the mounting screws With many cleats the little divots the cleat can make in the shoe sole often makes a really small change in cleat angle very hard to get perfect. Speedplay actually makes it easy. Tighten 1 adjuster and loosen the other. I don't know if you can adjust this fine enough to be like nailed on cleats and there is still the release tension but all clipless pedals are like that.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/26/2014 01:46 AM
I've never had an issue with adjusting the LOOK Delta cleats. But then, I usually have the angle dialed in before I've done much walking on them. Re-adjusting older shoes/cleats is something I very seldom do.

I've grounded pedals hard enough times on corners, curbs and speed bumps that I am not willing to ride pedals that are not either bullet proof or cheap. I may have to change my ways in the future as good road fix gear compatible rattrap pedals are getting tougher to find and the cheap Forte LOOK compatibles are probably soon to be phased out. (For the fixie, the Shimano 105/600 semi-platforms are the bomb. I would love to see someone else take over making them. Hear that Shimano? They are pedals that will always sell in small quantities.)

Those Speedplays look nice and are trim enough that grounding would be less common. But they are several hundred dollar pedals to do what $50 pedals do. And it looks like a hard grounding could well cost money (or make them one-sided). Chewing up those Fortes doesn't affect them at all.

Ben
Oldfart

Posts:511

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02/26/2014 03:37 PM
Shimano have a no float cleat for all their road pedals don't they? The red tipped one is fixed, blue offers 2 degrees of float and yellow 6 degrees. Their 105 pedal is pretty darn good too.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/26/2014 04:27 PM
Yeah, Shimano came up with a pedal similar to the LOOKs to give LA a Shimano pedal he would actually use. (He's another one of those no-float guys.) Came out about when the Keo did as I recall.

Ben

Master50

Posts:340

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02/26/2014 08:04 PM
Posted By 79 pmooney on 02/26/2014 01:46 AM
I've never had an issue with adjusting the LOOK Delta cleats. But then, I usually have the angle dialed in before I've done much walking on them. Re-adjusting older shoes/cleats is something I very seldom do.

I've grounded pedals hard enough times on corners, curbs and speed bumps that I am not willing to ride pedals that are not either bullet proof or cheap. I may have to change my ways in the future as good road fix gear compatible rattrap pedals are getting tougher to find and the cheap Forte LOOK compatibles are probably soon to be phased out. (For the fixie, the Shimano 105/600 semi-platforms are the bomb. I would love to see someone else take over making them. Hear that Shimano? They are pedals that will always sell in small quantities.)

Those Speedplays look nice and are trim enough that grounding would be less common. But they are several hundred dollar pedals to do what $50 pedals do. And it looks like a hard grounding could well cost money (or make them one-sided). Chewing up those Fortes doesn't affect them at all.

Ben


If you ground a sppedplay the shoe is gone first. The release mechanism is in the cleat and the pedals can tolerate a lot of abuse before they would need replacing. the metal on them is Stainless Steel. They are way overpriced but fabulous pedals. I have had them for about 2 years now and the pedals are like new, Second set of cleats but the first set might still have gone another month or two.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/26/2014 10:27 PM
Master50, 3 pairs for my three geared bikes adds up $$ wise. That or start using a third shoe standard with summer and winter shoes.

Ben
Master50

Posts:340

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02/27/2014 10:07 AM
Posted By 79 pmooney on 02/26/2014 10:27 PM
Master50, 3 pairs for my three geared bikes adds up $$ wise. That or start using a third shoe standard with summer and winter shoes.

Ben


I know what you say. I replaced 3 pair of campy pedals. At first I was going to change only 1 bike and use my old pedals and cleats with a pair of winter shoes I had on my fender bike. In the end the speedplay pedals just won me over. Still have a pair or two of the campy pedals in my old parts bin I even have a pair of campy sgr pedals but that is another story. No doubt that changing systems is an obstacle just for the cost of it.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/27/2014 12:38 PM
Master, two systems are enough for me. Several times a year, I get to the street, go to mount and discover I have the wrong shoes on. I've been known to change bikes as that was faster than changing shoes.

Ben
Master50

Posts:340

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02/27/2014 08:44 PM
I am down to 2 as well. SpeedPlay for the road and SPD off.
I started out with toe clips and running shoes, then to cleats, Fist gen Look black Pedals, Flat pedals and toe clips for MTB, Campy SGR road, Shimano sod Off road and still use it, Campy Pro Fit, Now Speedplay.
I thought about replacing my last pair of XTR pedals when I bought my latest MTB. I thought about crank brothers but the bike had a pair of XT pedals and they are great again. I guess my XTRs were just worn out because they were getting so hard to find the click.
Right now I think I am satisfied I have the two systems that meet all my current needs unless I get a track bike I can get Speedplay's track pedal
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/28/2014 01:58 AM
My run of systems was a lot simpler. The need to use cleats to force toe-in for my chrondomalacia knees was apparent by 1980 when I was no longer racing but quite happy with my old racing shoes. When the LOOKs appeared I knew nothing of the black cleats so as far as I was concerned, they were off limits. For the next 15 years, every time I asked about cleats without float, I got the same story from yet another young salesman that float was the answer to knee problems with never a mention that there were modern cleats where the float could be locked out. Around 2001, finally!, someone mentioned in passing black LOOK cleats. (I was complaining that good slotted cleats were getting hard to find.)

Now Exustar makes aluminum slotted cleats for $20 that are much better than anything we used back in the day. So for now, I am a happy camper. My knees like both systems and I like the release when I am riding gears and the secure toestraps and slotted cleats riding fixed. (A fixie uncleat going downhill at 40 is one of my re-occurring nightmares. Falling over say 20 times at stops lifetime because I forgot to unclip. So what?)

Ben
Master50

Posts:340

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02/28/2014 02:59 PM
Posted By 79 pmooney on 02/28/2014 01:58 AM
My run of systems was a lot simpler. The need to use cleats to force toe-in for my chrondomalacia knees was apparent by 1980 when I was no longer racing but quite happy with my old racing shoes. When the LOOKs appeared I knew nothing of the black cleats so as far as I was concerned, they were off limits. For the next 15 years, every time I asked about cleats without float, I got the same story from yet another young salesman that float was the answer to knee problems with never a mention that there were modern cleats where the float could be locked out. Around 2001, finally!, someone mentioned in passing black LOOK cleats. (I was complaining that good slotted cleats were getting hard to find.)

Now Exustar makes aluminum slotted cleats for $20 that are much better than anything we used back in the day. So for now, I am a happy camper. My knees like both systems and I like the release when I am riding gears and the secure toestraps and slotted cleats riding fixed. (A fixie uncleat going downhill at 40 is one of my re-occurring nightmares. Falling over say 20 times at stops lifetime because I forgot to unclip. So what?)

Ben


That is how my neighbour broke her elbow. fell over at a light.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/28/2014 04:31 PM
Master, the trick, one I learned decades ago: realize you just made a fool of yourself, relax and just greet the road with everything you've got. Oh, and keep your hands on the bars.

Like I said, I've had a lot of practice.

Ben


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