 So welcome back to the seventh edition of the RCA training tip show where every Wednesday Aussie time I'm gonna be your YouTube road cycling coach and host of the show Cam Nichols Now if you're a channel supporter or a subscriber to the RCA training tip show and if you haven't subscribed yet Please consider doing it below. You'll know that from time to time in between road cycling training tips I like to do a gear review and this review today is based off requests from you I've had a number of people over the last few months pose me this question Hey Cam, can you please review the speed play pedals you use on that giant TCR and also your BMC Team machine now as I originally use Shimano pedals when I first got into road cycling about 11 years ago And as I've attempted to go back to Shimano on two occasions over the years including within the last few months I thought it would make sense to do a comparison video between speed play who were purchased by Wahoo actually late last year and Shimano pedals while I personally use speed play on my road bikes and plan to use them for the rest of my cycling journey My goal in this video is to not try and tell you why you should buy speed play or why I think speed play Better my goal in this video is to give you a general overview and understanding of each pedal system The pros and cons of each but I will conclude with why I think speed play pedals best suit my needs as a bike rider In addition to my views in this video today I will also share an expert's opinion on the topic of speed play versus Shimano pedal sharing with you an interview I did with a well-regarded Australian bike fitter based out of Brisbane, Australia Who has been fitting road cyclists for 10 years and prior to bike fitting has worked as a sports Physiotherapist for a number of years. So in this video today, we're going to break it into four main parts Number one We're going to talk about the price and weight of each system in this section We'll be weighing both pedals and the shoes to understand the weight impact of the cleats Number two the general design and practicality of each pedal system number three the pros and cons of each system and number four my Experiences with each system and why I personally choose speed play But before we get into these four main items if you're a road cyclist out there looking to take your performance to the next level Don't forget. I've got a free e-book and free online training for road cyclists looking to go next level Which I'll link to below. So number one, let's talk about the price and weight So each brand has multiple pedal systems, but the three most commonly Used appear to be from Shimano We have the durace the Ultegra and the Shimano 105 and from speed play We have the zero chrome molly the stainless steel and the titanium now the two that we're going to weigh and price Compare here are the two I have in front of me, which are the mid-range pedals That's the Shimano Ultegra PDR 8000 and the speed play zero stainless steel black pedals now It's hard to find the exact recommended retail of each pedal system because it doesn't appear to be listed on the Shimano Website, however looking online here in Australia, you can get the speed play stainless steel pedals for 240 AUD and the Ultegra pedals for 191 AUD and across the board the speed play pedals appear to be slightly more expensive Than the Shimano's in regards to weight the actual pedal for the speed play stainless steel was 105 Versus the Ultegra at 124 grams so a combined weight saving on the speed play pedals alone of 38 grams However, when we bring the cleats and the associated attachments into the picture things drastically change The shoe weight on the speed play is 38 grams heavier than the Shimano's coming to a total difference of 76 grams in shoes meaning we have a total weight difference of 38 grams going in favor of the Shimano pedals However, if you remove the walkable aero cleat covers from speed play we can bring that difference down to 16 grams However, I would not recommend removing these cleat covers because you'll damage the cleats and you'll walk around very awkwardly So while speed play promote their pedals as being a lighter Proposition don't be fooled if we combine both the pedal and the overall system The speed plays appear to be heavier than the Shimano's Number two the design and practicality of each system from a design perspective The speed play kind of look like lollipops They're smaller with a circular shape and have a longer axle to accommodate a smaller pedal circumference size In comparison to the Shimano pedals which take on more of a hexagon look from a sizing perspective They're almost double the width creating a more stable platform, which we'll talk more about shortly So in regards to tension release, this is my wife shoe now Which is essentially the mount of ease or pressure You can put into the pedal system for when clipping in or out on the Shimano pedals You have the option to change the tension using this bolt feature here in order to change the actual Float or range of movement you have when pedaling you actually need to change the cleats with Shimano pedals The red cleat does not allow any float the blue cleat allows two degrees of float and the yellow cleat enables six degrees of float Speed play on the other hand. They do not offer a tension release system However, they do offer an incredible option for float without having to change the cleat system You actually have up to 15 degrees as an option of float range using these inward and outward hill limit screws That enable you to adjust float without changing the cleats over you can even have a fixed float riding position by tightening both screws To their limits now is that option of float actually a good thing. Let's hear what bike fitting expert Neil had to say about that They're more adjustable. They've got more ability to go back and sideways and adjustable Is that a bad thing? It can give you too many options to think about. Yeah, it's great for me My left leg was floating around a lot in the pedal and it enabled me to do that Are you better off locking it in or would you rather let the natural movement happen? It depends on the rider It's one of those For some people locking the foot in is a necessity because it's the only way they can function In your case using the speed plays with more float allowed your knee to not hurt Yes But the reason your knee was hurting and your foot was squirreling on the pedal in the first place was because of a right-sided leg length difference Yeah, so you would be fine with Shimano pedals or looks or whatever now assuming we used a six millimeter Shim, which we can do one of the other promoted features that speed play go on about is the dual sided entry So I can enter on that side of the pedal and also on that side simply by pushing down Shimano on the other hand is obviously one sided and to enter It's a slightly more technical. You don't push down. You actually have to come in from the side And clip in now once you're into the pedal It should be noted that the stack height is actually different on speed plays than Shimano's According to the speed play website, which I hope Wahoo decides to revamp because it's looking a little 1990s The stack height difference is roughly two millimeter Lower than the Shimano pedal, which means your foot is actually closer to the pedal for better power transfer According to speed play which also means you will need to drop your saddle height on speed play ever so slightly Lastly the speed play pedal system the way it connects said to Reduce aerodynamic drag and also offer more clearance for when pedaling around corners ideal for criteria junkies that like to take a risk or two now combining these characteristics Into practicality and the way they're implemented and used by a bike fitting expert. Let's hear what Neil had to say speed play double sided entry um a much more Forgiving entry because you don't have to flip the pedal over so you just stand on it and goes in They take a bit of wearing in so they have a downside when they're new They're really stiff after 50 clip in and out cycles. They become a lot easier So some people don't like that So the speed plays require a little bit more maintenance You got to keep them clean You got to lubricate them and be in that kind of stuff But if you've got some mechanical aptitude and you don't mind doing that They're a really good pedal system. I use them a lot for weird and wonderful cases because they're more adjustable Um, there's more you can do with them in terms of cleat placement for enough with the the base plate extenders But there is nothing inherently terribly wrong with any of the three bolt systems And what about Shimano? less maintenance Um, they can get dirtier and it doesn't matter Shimano any of the three bolt systems They wear out by walking on them rather than clipping in and out Whereas these wear out from riding and clipping in and out as opposed to walking on them Interesting So you don't want to be if you don't walk on your Shimano cleat. So last forever number three the pros and cons of each system So now understanding the practicality and design of each system Let's put a list of pros and cons together starting with the pros with speedplay pros. It's easy to clip in It's easy to adjust the flow. It's a more aerodynamic system You're closer to the pedal for greater power transfer Apparently and there's more clearance for pedaling around corners the Shimano pros. They're more cost effective Easier to maintain. You have the ability to adjust tension for clipping in and out It's a more stable pedaling platform due to the larger pedal circumference And it's a more mainstream pedal for purchasing and repair needs speedplay cons. It's more expensive There's more maintenance required the range of float can potentially accommodate bad habits for poor bike fitting And it's an unstable platform if cleats are not maintained and replaced often the Shimano cons Adjusting float requires different cleats And the plastic cleats can become worn from walking over time And here's an example of my wife's cleats. She uses Shimano You can see on that side it is a lot more worn than the other side and probably that needs to be replaced So if you've got experiences with either pedal system You've got anything to add to the list. I'd be keen to get your thoughts below Number four why I personally choose speedplay. So it would have been maybe into 2010 the start of 2011 I was at my local bike shop in melbourne at the time It was total rush and speedplay had become all the rage Maybe it was because fabian cancelara had just won parry roubaix for the second time and in the year of 2010 He achieved the flanders roubaix double on speedplays Now I was complaining to one of the store associates at total rush about some knee troubles I was having so he said why don't you try speedplay? They're great for knee issues And also they're used by world champions and pro cyclists such as fabian cancelara So now my knee troubles actually went away and I became a speedplay man until mid 2016 I decided to go see a bike fitting expert in melbourne Australia and he said to me why are you on speedplay you should be on Shimano because The platform is more stable and there's more power transferred due to the size of the pedal system The exact same thing happened with another bike fitter only a few months ago here on the sunshine coast And on both occasions I went back to shamanos for about a week or two each time Now as soon as I was on the shamanos pedals I wanted to go back to speedplay immediately Why for me? It's not actually the float as I once thought it might be nor is it the aerodynamics or the pedaling through risky corners Or the weight of the pedal or any of that for me I genuinely feel that the power transfer from the shoe to the pedal into the bike with speedplay When seated is superior However Out of the saddle because of the size of the pedal and because you can be better connected with the tension Into the pedal I feel like if I was the sprinter getting out of the saddle or if I liked punching it up a climb getting out of the saddle So accelerating really rapidly out of the saddle and putting pressure through the pedals Then I feel like the shamanos are a better pedal system for that type of rider But for me, I don't typically do those things very rarely Do I get out of the saddle and sprint unless I'm trying to close a gap in a criterion and when I'm climbing? I tend to say seated so I am predominantly a seated rider and because of that I think the speedplay pedals are better for me because as soon as I start to put pressure Onto the pedal system when seated I feel like there is a better connection between my foot And the pedal and that is going directly into the bike I'll be keen to get your thoughts below and I'll catch you all in the next video