frogman

Another Speedplay user here. In the past I have tried just about all the systems and the Speedplays are my favorite. Been using them now for about 18 years.
Easy to click in and out. Very smooth float. They do need a little maintenance but super easy. The cleats like to be cleaned occasionally and spritzed with your favorite
lube. I use a Teflon spray lube on mine. As far as worrying about being locked in an accident, I found this not to be a worry. In the spills I have had I didn't even think about it and disengaged from the pedals. After you ride with any pedal system for awhile it becomes second nature to disengage. I just happens............

Litespud

Not sure where you get the idea that “Look and Shimano equivalents have some float yes, but high friction - you set the angle you want, and friction holds it there until you clip out.” I’ve been using Shimano SPD-SL yellow cleats (6 degree float, IIRC) for years, and there’s nothing stopping my feet using that float - friction or otherwise. Nor was there an issue with the several sets of Looks before that. Speedplays might be like standing on ice, but what’s the advantage of that? It sounds like an academic advantage, because SPD-SLs float fine, if not icily, but since I’m not a penguin, I don’t need ice.

unterhausen

SPD has a few degrees of float. I don't think it is particularly difficult to utilize the float, but it's almost not there in comparison to speedplays.. I have knee problems, and it is better with speedplays. But really, I don't use the float much. You get used to them and it no longer feels like you are walking on ice. I remember that feeling from the first couple of times I used them, but it quickly went away.

AlgarveCycling

When I sprinted or put in a hard effort my right foot would rub against my crank arm and my right knee would hurt after the ride. It was only with Speedplay's that I could get a pro bike fit that adjusted the cleats to prevent this from happening by restricting my foot from being able to twist to the left while also retaining some float to the right, to avoid being in a fixed position and allowing for some flexibility but there is no feeling of floating on ice, it feels the same as my SPD's did but with my foot position vastly improved. The net result: no knee issues.
This despite a serious knee injury that pretty much ended my racing in my late 20's. Now I am racing again.

fourfa

I get this idea from the old school Looks I had from in the 90s, and Dura-Ace PD-9000 with yellow cleats. I have slightly different leg lengths and my right knee needs to rotate a bit at the top of the pedal stroke. The years I spent on 3-bolt pedals had some degree of knee pain that would come and go. It went away completely when I tried Speedplay. Spent a decade on them, then tried the PD-9000 and the knee pain came back right away. Replaced with Speedplay again and knee pain gone again. It's not academic at all for me.

If this all sounds weird to you, congratulations! Sounds like you don't have knees that want frictionless float. It's up to you - observe the various comments in this thread about some people's knees preferring Speedplay, and maybe decide everyone's different and it's a good thing there are a variety of systems. Or perhaps try to convince people they're crazy and their experience must be wrong. Nice to have that luxury of choice.

For what it's worth I wanted out of Speedplay because the owners seemed like sociopaths and trash (that's why I tried the Dura Ace). In recent years I started touring on 2-bolt SPDs and found they work for me too - but only after brand new cleats are worn in and polished up to reduce the float friction, and only with small pedals (not the mid- or big-platform pedals). I definitely miss the big stable platform of road pedals sometimes, but I don't plan to go back to non-hikeable shoes as I mostly ride gravel and mixed surface now. But no one asked about SPDs so I'll leave it there. In the meantime the original Speedplay owners sold to Wahoo, so maybe I'll end up back there someday.

fourfa

Good point here - the original X-series have huge +/- 20 degrees of float, which is what feels like ice. Zeros (and Light Action I think?) can be adjusted down to little to no float, or float only in a certain desired range. If you do (like AlgarveCycling here) you might not feel the ice sensation at all.

Another related aspect no one touched on yet is spring re-centering force. Shimano red cleats, Frogs, Time, Crank Bros, and others have a return-to-center spring force on the float. This is instant agony on my knees. Again if you have no idea what I'm talking about, lucky you. SPD and most Speedplay have none. Anyway this is very far from the original question, sounds like the OP has enough to answer their questions

Nerdftyu

I been using speedplay pedals

msl109

I wouldn't say it's a major worry. Pretty satisfied at this point that they disengage as any clipless would. The zeros have the same caution in the instructions.

msl109

Seems the majority of folks here using Speedplays have found disengagement tonbe a non-issue. Thanks for corroborating.

greatscott

I have a pair of Speedplay Frogs and I love them, I've never fallen with those pedals since 2013, I don't find them the least bit difficult to get out of, heck my my Shimano pedals are more difficult to get out of, but I haven't fallen with those either.

pdlamb

I've been using Speedplay Frogs for nearly 20 years.

I had a problem unclipping once during an accident. Starting off at a traffic light, the crank broke and I fell off the bike. Shoe was still attached to pedal which was still attached to the end of the crank. Hard to blame the Speedplay for that one. No problems for the other 19 years, 364 days.