Speedplay Zero Stainless Steel Pedals

Speedplay have a radical approach to their clipless pedals. In other systems the pedal contains the locking mechanism, in Speedplays it’s in the cleat.

This has one huge benefit: you can set the amount of float for heel in and heel out directions, adjustable from 0-15 degrees, letting you tailor the movement and release point. There’s also plenty of side to side and fore and aft adjustment, allowing you to make very fine adjustments to their setup.

The ease of entry is excellent too, as the pedal tends to slip straight into the hole in the cleat first go. With needle bearings, two sealed cartridge bearings and grease injection ports they’re durable and serviceable too. Excellent.

(Posted on 09/05/2012)

With their compact bodies, double-sided entry and free float, Speedplay's pedals are different from most others. They feel a little odd at first, with no spring tension centring your feet, but they offer great freedom to find your own natural position for pedalling.

(Posted on 15/02/2011)

Bearing in mind that I have not altered anything else on my bike I am still amazed by the new levels of comfort I now experience with these pedals. Speedplay have always had a good reputation among knee sufferers, but this really is limiting the real gains of the system. Comfort and performance go hand in hand and I can now see why these pedals are so popular. I think that these pedals answer all the important questions that you can ask of a pedal; good shoe to pedal interface, low stack height, aerodynamic (not many pedals can claim that), lightweight, ergonomic fit and ease of use.
Pedals are a personal item on the bike where one person’s passion is another’s poison. Besides all the technical benefits to this pedal, and there are many, the biggest bonus for me was the increased comfort given over extended efforts. If you are currently unhappy or like myself have been curious to how the pedals feel and perform I would encourage you to try a pair. I think you will come back with happy feet

(Posted on 15/02/2011)

Zero pedals feature low weight, low stack height, high cornering clearance and adjustment of both float and release angle. Plus their double-sided design makes them incredibly quick and easy to get into, a boon for riding in traffic. It's a package that makes them one of the best clipless pedals, despite disadvantages of pricy replacement cleats and poor walkability.
Low weight is an obvious advantage. A low stack puts the rider's centre of gravity closer to the ground , which makes for more confident cornering. The compact shape of the Zeros also provides lots of ground clearance. These are great pedals for accelerating out of tight corners while your rivals are still coasting.
After many thousands of kilometres on Speedplays I'm happy to recommend them to anyone switching to clipless pedals. I've noticed that mountain bikers switching to the road get on well particularly with them because of the double-sided design.

(Posted on 15/02/2011)

These pedals are unique, much better for my knee than LOOK pedals and also great to be able to add the for/aft adjustment mount.

(Posted on 28/12/2011)

A great pedal for the road racer due to infinite adjustability and super low stack height, you can be on the gas very early out of a corner. They are a more time consuming to set up than a standard pedal but well worth the effort.

(Posted on 12/12/2011)

Great for eliminating the locked in feeling of many conventional pedals. Save your knees with the adjustable lateral play (adjustment is good here to avoid hitting the frame). Stainless have superior bearings to the chromo

(Posted on 16/11/2011)

I've been using these for 1 season (prev using Shimano SPD)
I found the float took getting used to - but the ability to adjust inturn/outturn separately is great. In addition to reduced fatigue on long rides, I found I was far more comfortable when climbing out of saddle. Double-sided engagement is a huge plus (and makes the transition from SPD a whole lot easier). With proper lube, the engage/disengage is smooth. The stack height is already better, but I currently use a shoe with a 3-bolt pattern. What would make these peddles perfect is if Speedplay could design them to natively fit on a 3 bolt sole without the use of an adapter (which adds to the stack height). PBK sells the Lake shoes with the 4-bolt sole but there aren't many shoes out there designed for Speedplay peddles.

(Posted on 26/07/2011)

I have upgraded to the stainless since trying the Chromoly and the Track version. These have been invaluable for commuting - esp as they are quick to release when you need it (in an emergency). Also perfect for long road rides and climbing - I feel like the power transfer has minimal wastage. I also like having a custom degree of float to preserve my knees.
Like the other Speedplay pedals, I don't need to look down - the double sided nature of these means that I can stomp down and get faster off the mark. They will need some time to break in, but not long. If you can afford to buy these right from the get-go, I'd highly recommend it.

(Posted on 22/06/2011)

These are a true racing pedal. They do take some getting used to and I do understand some peoples complaints about the float but it just takes time and adjustment (which is easy). If you are tired of not clipping in easily and having to look down at your single side pedal then get these.

(Posted on 10/04/2011)

I came to Zero pedals from X pedals. The X pedal has a position sensitive release mechanism - no adjustment, you get free if you turn your foot a long way. There were a couple of things I didn't like about X pedals, so I swapped to Zero when they were first released. Well the Zero does permit adjustable release position, but the release is so easy that trying to lock my foot into a zero float position always results in unwanted releases. My solution has been to run as much float as possible and then I never come out unexpectedly.
My other gripe with the Zero is this little plastic tab on the cleat always breaks off on mine after a few hundred km of riding.
But for nearly 10 years and 75000 km the Zero has served me well.

(Posted on 04/04/2011)