"You should be able to have a foot come out during a sprint and not fall on your head."
Mike Murray
Although this may be true some of the time I have scars and memories of a week long hospital stay that say it is not always so. If you are having pedal/cleat issues and race, attend to them expidisously.
Ken Finch
Everything wears out but I have some Speedplays back to when they first came
out that are still going strong even with no maintenance. The initial
version where the pedal body was all aluminum had some problems and now
don't hold tight and would probably fail if used extensively but since the
bow tie design came out the pedals have been bullet proof. In fact, the
only issue I have had was with a pedal I WAS doing maintenance on and I blew
out the O ring seal which was a bear to get back together.
Cleats do wear out and parts need to be replaced. Even with replacement
springs will occasionally fail unexpectedly. There is little reason why
this should be as big a safety problem as it often is. I had one break at
full tilt in the middle of the pack on the velodrome. You should be able to
have a foot come out during a sprint and not fall on your head.
Mike Murray
-----Original Message-----
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
Behalf Of Lindsay Kandra
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 07:59 AM
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Longevity of Speedplay pedals
Even with proper maintenance, do speedplay pedals eventually wear out?
I have two pairs of Light Actions that have 4 years of heavy riding on them.
No amount of maintenance (on both the cleats and the pedal itself) is
keeping either pair creak-free for more 100 miles. The noise is making me
insane and I'm wondering if its just time to replace them.
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Worn Speedplay cleats is a safety issue for yourself and those around you.
If it lets go, you could crash. Parts are available to freshen your pedals
or you can send the pedals to Speedplay to be rebuilt. If you don't do it
(keep your bike in top mechanical shape) for yourself, do it for your riding
companions.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lindsay Kandra"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:59 AM
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Longevity of Speedplay pedals
> Even with proper maintenance, do speedplay pedals eventually wear out?
>
> I have two pairs of Light Actions that have 4 years of heavy riding on
> them. No amount of maintenance (on both the cleats and the pedal itself)
> is keeping either pair creak-free for more 100 miles. The noise is making
> me insane and I'm wondering if its just time to replace them.
>
> _______________________________________________
> OBRA mailing list
> obra@list.obra.org
> http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra
> Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org
Hi Lindsay,
I rode Speedplay pedals for 7 years and never had a single issue with them. The axles tend to get worn in that they develop a groove in them where the cleat will rub against the axle but those can be replaced if it gets too deep. Also, engagement plates (metal hour-glassd shape top plate on the pedal) can be replaced as the pedals get older too. Speedplay pedals are very dependable and rebuild-able.
As for the creaking...that is usually from dirt/contamination in the cleat itself. You should make sure you clean out the cleat regularly if you find yourself walking a lot in your cycling shoes. Dirt loves to get trapped in the spring/clip area of the cleat. It is best to clean that out and add a dry lubricant to the cleats every so often and you should find that creaking going away. Try a wax-based lubricant and squirt it in between the metal clip and plastic body. That sound should disappear.
Good luck.
Chuck
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lindsay Kandra"
To: obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:59:23 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Longevity of Speedplay pedals
Even with proper maintenance, do speedplay pedals eventually wear out?
I have two pairs of Light Actions that have 4 years of heavy riding on them. No amount of maintenance (on both the cleats and the pedal itself) is keeping either pair creak-free for more 100 miles. The noise is making me insane and I'm wondering if its just time to replace them.
_______________________________________________
OBRA mailing list
obra@list.obra.org
http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra
Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org
Even with proper maintenance, do speedplay pedals eventually wear out?
I have two pairs of Light Actions that have 4 years of heavy riding on them. No amount of maintenance (on both the cleats and the pedal itself) is keeping either pair creak-free for more 100 miles. The noise is making me insane and I'm wondering if its just time to replace them.
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