SpectrumTi

Still have speedplay x-series. Still going strong. Nearly 20 years.

WinterCommuter

i have SPD-SL on my road bikes. I have crank brothers egg beaters on my mtn/snow bikes. I’ve used SPD too. The club that i once belonged to also had spd pedals so it was nice having shoes with those cleats.

why crank brothers now? Mostly, the 4 direction vs 2 direction of spd makes it easier to click in. The crank brothers also hold up better for me. Finally, the crank brothers don’t clog with snow/ice as catastrophically as spd.

why spd-sl? Road specific pedals are more stable, lighter, and more aero. At least this is my experience. Note, i’ve used most varieties of road pedals at one point or another: time, speedplay etc. Also, lots of shoes don’t accept 4 bolts (Which time and speedplay need) which adds weight and complicates things. Time were just hard to find. Speedplay were super annoying if any dirt touched the cleat and i mean any dirt, they refused to engage.

Would i put crank brothers on a road bike? Possibly. If i did a lot of walking in my road shoes. Or, if i found my road pedals getting clogged with mud or dirt from gravel/trail riding.

would i put spd-sl on a mtn bike? Never.

gofastdontcrash

SPD-SL's. They just seem to be the standard.I've been riding the yellows, but just picked up some blue and red cleats. We'll see how the float difference feels.

gofish44

Look Keo. First, because they work with my Assioma Power Meter Pedals. Second, because they don't dent or scratch hardwood floors as I wander about looking for my water bottle and other sundry items I seem to always forget around the house ; )

wle

on all road bikes--because

A. i am not racing
B. walking in the shoes is paramount

mt bikes - i ride so infrequently that they have flat pedals

wle

recoilfx

Eggbeaters on all bikes. Carbon soles on all shoes, so no issues with hotspots and power transfer feels just fine. Walking is very nice too.

SpeedyBlueBiker

I use regular Shimano mtn bike pedals on my mtn bike and on my LeMond Zurich road bike. On my other two road bikes I use Shimano 105 road pedals and of course road shoes. I really don't notice much difference between the road and mtn bike pedals on the road bikes. Walking around is much better in the mtn bike pedals.

notmyke

Same. Started with the solid metal X-2 and have since moved on to my (now) fourth pair of the resin-with-stainless-bowtie X2. I used to wear out the cleats over a couple years by simply walking in the cleats getting ready for, and cleaning up after, rides; since i got rubber/plastic covers, I go at least 3x as long on the cleats (probably 20K km) before the wire springs on the cleats wear out.

Het Volk

This ^^^^^^ Time iClic (now the xPro and xPresso) are the best for knees. Something about the constrained float is really nice.

• Road: Time iClic - just a great platform with an awesome spring loaded float that allows your foot to naturally do it thing, with some tension to guide the foot back into form.
• Crossbike - Crank brothers egg beaters. Just the best overall I think for mud / dirt clearance. And work really well even when using them on the road.
• SS/Commuter - Crank Brothers Double Shot. For long rides, I can use my cleats. For sandals and shorts rides, I can use the flat portion. Perfect for this type of bike.

Eric F 

Same. My 2018 bike has 2002 Speedplay X2s. Love 'em.

SpectrumTi

Do you use the covers that stay on all the time? Thinking about trying those and curious how well they work.

Het Volk

I got sick of the need to regrease them constantly.

Eric F 

What are you greasing? I have never regreased mine, and they work just fine.

notmyke

Definitely. I had the old full covers for years and they would fall off or I would forget them somewhere. But the new ones that stay on all the time are absolutely awesome. Never fall off. Have yet to wear a pair out. Don’t get in the way of pedal engagement or disengagement at all - totally forget that you have them on while riding.

notmyke

According to the manual, you’re supposed to be regreasing them every thousand miles I think. I probably go at least double that far, or if when I notice the pedal spins too freely. Take out the tiny little screw on the end and you stick a grease nipple in there; pump in grease until you get clean stuff out the other end.

Het Volk

the pedal bearing on the axel. Speed plays even have a special grease gun for opening up the cap on the end and pushing new grease through.

Try spinning them with you hand. If it is tough that is because they need new grease.

Eric F 

Hmmm...all 3 pairs of X-series pedals I have spin just fine, just as they have for many years.

Eric F 

Maybe I'll look into it. The pair of X2s on my main road bike have 10s of thousands of miles on them, and I've done zero maintenance. I'm thinking this is a "don't fix it if it ain't broke" thing.

notmyke

They're essentially a sealed system, so provided they stay dry and don't get dust working its way past the seals, they could/should last a long time.

I live on the west coast, get caught in the rain more often than I'd like, then have to wash off the bike, so mine do get "dry" (they spin like a top if you give the pedal body a push).
I'll pump some new grease into them a couple times a year (tops), at ~12K km/yr split between two bikes - and a few years ago I let them go a bit too long and then noticed some play in the axle/pedal body.

I haven't bought new pedals in at least a decade, but both sets of pedals have seen new axles (Ti) and bearings in the last couple years.

Het Volk

Maybe I just had bad luck, but they would get so difficult to turn by hand, that it was clear I was spending extra effort just turning the spindle over as I pedaled. I would need to regrease them consistently every 1,000 miles or so.

Het Volk

They cannot be sealed if all you do is push grease through one side of the pedal and the old grease shoots out the other end.

notmyke

Oh yeah - definitely something wrong there. Like I mentioned above, when mine dry out, the spin *too* freely - give that lightweight pedal body a flick with the finger and it'd spin 20 revolutions. When they're properly greased, it should be like maybe 360-720°. Only time I found mine too tight was when I swapped out the bearings and I installed the needle bearing the wrong direction.

notmyke

There's a rubber o-ring on that the inboard side of the pedal body/axle - that's the seal that I'm referring to. If you keep 'em dry and nothing gets past the seal...it's sealed.
Pressure from a grease gun can get past the rubber o-ring (similar to how hub bearings work on boat-trailers).

Basic principle here (although using a syringe here) - found this in a YouTube clip.
(And apologies to the OP and anyone else still reading for input on what cleats people use; sorry to derail the topic.)

ShortWhiteGuy

Back in the 80's I rode one of the first Mavic clipless pedal systems, then through a sponsorship, it was strictly Shimano, and eventually Look. I decided to to go in another direction with Crank Bros. But, you know, after all these years, I am still a 0-degree float!

spilot101

Look Keo Red (9°) float. I've recently tried the 4.5° ones but they aren't to good on my knees.