Cycling Cleats and Pedal Guide: SPD vs. look vs. Speedplay vs. SPD-SL

Cycling Cleats & Pedal Guide

All cycling lovers have one habit in common which is they have a tendency to make things quite overcomplicated for themselves. The most common example of this is pedal and cleats systems. Most of the professional and experienced cyclists are gear addicted and they all are aware of the pros and cons of each cleat and pedal system. They always have all the information about different types of cycling gear and equipment available in the market.

Here is a detailed guide on choosing the best entry level triathlon bikes.

However, if you are a non-gear junkie then this wide web of pedals and cleats and confuse you a little bit. When you are at the beginning stages of cycling then you have to make careful choices on different systems. This will put a great effect on your cycling shoes, bike pedals, and other decisions.

Thus, to help you out in choosing the right pedal and cleat system, here we bring this guide. Below is our overview of cleat types which are highly preferred professional athletes.

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Cycling Cleats Types

SPD

The SPD pedal is almost made according to the universal standard of cycling. This is the most common type of pedal and cleat used in bikes. You will see SPD on most of the bikes and this is perhaps the plain old generic kids’ pedals

SPD was originally developed as the kicker for road cyclists and now universally recognized as the trail and mountain bike pedal. These pedals work well on triathlon bikes and road. You can easily use these pedals on road biking and there is nothing wrong with that. Most of the tricyclists like SPDs because they are easy to use. In addition, they also use SPDs because they want to have one cleat system for all triathlon bikes.

SPDs are basically “two-bolt” cleat as it is very easy to fix them with just two bolts.

Now, let’s talk about the advantages of SPD and there are many.

Advantages of SPD

Best For

These are best for athletes who need universal cleats. Because these cleats can easily fit on many pedals, spin class bikes, road and mountain bikes, and other cycles.

Not Suitable For

These cleats are not suitable for high-end road cyclists. This is because most of the top cycling shoes are not designed to make them compatible with SPDs.

The Best SPD Shoes – Giro Carbide

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The Best SPD Pedal – SPD A530, Dual Platform.

Look

Look pedals are most commonly used for road biking but you will not find them anywhere with mountain biking and spin class bikes. In these pedals, the cleat connects to the shoe by using three points that make the Look pedals a more classic 3-bolt pedal. This gives them a wider contact and a broader power base. These Look cleats are easily compatible with most of the best road biking shoes commonly used by players.

Look actually is a native of the ski industry and it has used many concepts of ski binding world. Their concepts are applied to the bike pedals to make them better. There were some errors in the 70s and 80s but then the Look perfected its pedals design and quickly took a good hold in the market.

With these Look pedals, the bikers usually have a side-to-side movement or you can say a bit of “float” in the foot. This movement continues to happen even when fully clipped-in. These pedals make the legs to move in the natural range-of-motion and these are also very easy on the knees. However, these Look pedals give the feel of plastic and a triangular shape.

The efficiency to transfer power is very good these Look pedals and cleats. These give the feeling of stiff and direct transfer of efforts with every stroke. Plus, the shoes which are compatible with these pedals are perfect for professional triathletes and road bikers.

The only thing that is not good about Look pedals and cleats is that can be quite slippery and hard as well to walk in. Plus, you cannot use them with all types of bikes because they usually do not work well with renting bikes. When going for a long trip or ride with a rental bike, it is necessary to carry your own pedals.

These Look cleats function like SPD-SL cleats and these both are mostly considered as twins.

Best For

The Look cleats are most suitable for the high-end road cyclist. This is because these cleats offer higher performance.

Not Suitable For

These Look cleats are not suitable for those who cycle in spin classes and for mountain bikers as well.

Best Look Shoe

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Best Look Pedals

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Speedplay

Speedplay cleats and pedals are not very popular but they surely have some loyal road cyclists who always prefer them.

At first look, you will surely find these Speedplay pedal quite funny as the clip is in circular form. Depending upon the pedal you choose, the platform can be a little big.

However, you will quickly find out that the functionality of these pedals is good. These pedals have dual-sided surfaces that are best especially when you are in a hurry to get clipped. These also offer a good level of adjustability for floats and clip pressure. Moreover, their weight is also less than other options.

So what are the negative things about these pedals and cleats system? The main downside is the price. Speedplay has set its price that is quite higher than other options available in the market. Another main disadvantage is the compatibility as there are not many bikes that use Speedplay pedal. Moreover, there are not many shoes that have Speedplay cleat compatibility.

There is a four-bolt system in Speedplay pedals, unlike other common pedals which have two-or-three-bolt systems. Speedplay manufactures most of the cleat to make them easily fit with three-bolt shoes. This is a great option as it allows bikers to have a great shoe collection even when the pedal is random.

But this is not a good choice for someone who wants a high-level of compatibility with the bikes of his friends.

Best Suitable For

The Speedplay is best suitable for avid road cyclists who are looking for unique and high-end pedal and cleat system.

Not Suitable For

These Speedplay pedals are not optimal for new and intermediate cyclists who are just looking for a good, all-around system.

Recommended Speedplay Shoe

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Recommended Speedplay Pedal

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Best Speedplay Cleats

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SPD-SL

This SPD-SL cleat is quite similar to the cleats and pedals of Look.

But these SPD-SLs are not similar to SPD cleats.  In fact, it would be better if the company had chosen a unique and distinct name for this cleat and pedal system because they are quite confusing with SPD.  However, we are now going to call them just SL cleats because the naming is the only common thing between SPD-SL and SPDs cleats.

The SLs has a fine look of the actual Look cleat and pedal system in terms of both feel and style. As the Look has a 3-bolt system, similarly, these SLs also have a 3-bolt system and triangular design. These also have a wider and broader platform that gives the foot of bikers a good amount of surface to transfer power on the surface. These cleats also have a very good float from side to side that offers the optimal level of comfort to any cycling stroke. We have tried the Sls on our roads and they work quite well. They work perfectly with all types of shoes and moreover you can also use them with high-performance and tough biking shoes. Plus, these also help in increasing the speed.

The main question is whether the SPD-SL and Look cleats and pedal system are interchangeable. And the answer to this main question is that they are not really interchangeable in true sense. Yes, this is true that a three-bolt shoe fits perfectly in both Look and SL cleat. But there is a quite a difference in the size.

Best Suitable For

These cleats are best-suitable for advance road cyclists who are looking for a way to increase power transfer and compatibility with most of the high-end shoes.

Not Suitable For

This SPD-SL cleat and pedal system is not suitable for leisure riders who want versatile shoe/cleat. It does not offer the optimal level of comfort.

Best SPD-SL Shoes

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Best SPD-SL Pedals

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Best SPD-SL Cleats

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Tutorial for Beginners: Cleat and Pedal Basics

Here is the detailed information on 3 things that you need to achieve the high-performance in your road biking.

3 Things you need:

There are three components that are easily interchangeable in all the above-mentioned cleats and pedal systems. But it is good to get some detailed information about each of them to make sure that you can choose the best one for the exact needs and preferences.

A Pedal

In most of the cases, a road bike comes with no pedals. Or some of them have very basic alloy pedals that most of the buyers prefer to swap out. This is because every biker has different preferences and use different kinds of pedals. In addition, some bikers want to spend just $50 on pedals and others can spend $250, this also makes a huge difference. You can understand from the above-mentioned information that the types of pedals make a big difference in the cleats and shoes.

Spd Clip Shoe Cleat Pedal

Fixing a pedal on a bike is not at all a difficult task. To make every bike standard thread is used so that pedal can fit into properly. However, the right pedal can loosen when turning into the counter-clockwise direction. On the other hand, when you  turn it clockwise then left paddle might lose . This creates difficulty for many riders. But it is not a big issue as anyone with a pedal wrench at home which is a bike tool can easily fasten and loosen the pedals according to requirements.

The term “clipless pedals” is also quite common but in most of the cases, the new pedals are now clipless. Days are gone when bikers need to fasten their cleats and shoes on the pedal.

A Cleat

Another most important thing you need is a cleat. As in the above-mentioned reviews, you can understand that all cleats have to be compatible with your bike pedals for good performance. The type of cleat that you use for your bike plays a very important role in your shoes as well. This is because the configuration of the holes for fixing the cleat on the shoe is different in every shoe. Some shoes are designed for the 2-bolt SPD, others for the 3-bolt SL, and so-on

However, fixing the cleat on the shoe is very simple as this can be done by anyone at home. All you need to do is to just adjust the position of the cleat to make them perfectly align with the movement of the pedal strokes. Just make sure that you do this adjustment during the first few rides. This will make you sure about the point of contact between your feet. Plus, this will also give the right feel for knees and legs.

A Shoe

Finally, let’s talk about shoes. You should choose the shoe that offers good feel on your feet. But make sure that they are also practical for your needs. When going for long rides with professional and experienced riders, it is best to choose stiff and efficient SPD-SL. It is best to choose SPD if you are looking for a shoe that will be perfectly compatible with the spin class. If you are looking for a shoe that you make you easily and comfortably walk around without getting slipped on the floor then it is best to go for recessed shoes.

For beginners, it is best to use SPDs.  This is because these are the most universal and very easy to use as well. Plus, they are not very expensive. You can also look at Shoes and Pedals combos to take benefit of combined reduced costing

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Practice and Safety

No matter what type of pedal and cleat system you choose, it is very important to practice your bike riding with complete safety. Make sure that you feel entirely comfortable and confident in them when you go outside for triathlon race. Each of these cleat and pedal systems feels a little different from each other. For example, if you switch from SPD to Sls then you will feel like a rookie even if you have a good experience.

However, you use some simple but highly effective tricks to feel comfortable with the system. For example, you can take your new shoes out to try them out in a low-traffic area. Practice with them for quite a long time before coming to a complete stop. Just do not overdo it until you really feel the necessity.

Another very useful trick is to set the bike on the trainer. You can get a spin workout with new pedals. Just remember that you must clip and unclip with the same efforts that you put during road ride. This trick will be really helpful for you to use new shoes in a much-controlled environment.

Finally, make sure that everything you use is perfectly adjustable. If your shoes would unclip from the pedal quickly then it is better to make the tighter by adjusting the springs. On the other hand, you can also make it loose if the pedal does not unclip when you stop. You can also adjust the positioning of the cleat if that does not seem right. You can easily get the right tools to from anywhere and do the adjustments anytime according to your needs.

Main Glossary and Terms Used

Bolts: Bolts is the number of contact points in cleat with the shoe used for biking. Bolts are important for better cleat and shoe compatibility. Speedplay has 4 bolts, Look has 3 bolts, and SPD has 2 bolts.

Cleat: Cleat is a very important part that helps in creating a point-of-contact by clipping into the pedal and that bolts onto the shoe.

Clip-In: Clip-in refers to the process of fixing shoe to the pedal with the help of a clip.

Compatibility: Compatibility refers to the ability of pedal, cleats, and shoe to fit together easily.

Float: Float refers to the intensity of the side-to-side movement of the cleat. However, there are also some cleats that lock the foot in zero floats. Almost all  cleats provide float of 20 degrees.

Retention System Pressure: This is the ability of you cleat that how tight it will be locked-in to your pedal.

Stack Height: Stack height refers to the length covering bottom bracket and top tube of the road bike. The proper stack height is very important so that the shoe does not impact the stack height at all.

Stiffness: Stiffness here refers to the sole stiffness of bike shoes. The higher the stiffness, the better the transfer of leg power to the pedal.