Peloton - April/May 2011

spin.

Speedplay Zero Pedal System

When Richard Bryne founded Speedplay in 1991 he had already played a major role in cycling innovation. The steep seat tube angle ubiquitous in triathlon, the aero handlebars that revolutionized time trialing, and the turbo trainer that helps keep America fit over the winter are all designs that grew from his cycling-driven mind.

JRichard Byrne Founder

three Grand Tours, world road and time trial championships, and just about every one-day race that matters.

When he was looking for his next project he simply contemplated the bike. What was ripe for redesign? The clipless pedal. While most manufacturers and riders were still basking in the glow of the demise of the toe clip, Bryne saw a product that had a long way to go.

How did the old guard of European cyclists adopt such an odd creation from America? Word of mouth. With humble beginnings on the Mercury squad in the mid ‘90s, the pedal began to spread through the European peloton. As riders moved to different teams they began to request Speedplay, and as the pedal spread to new teams, the movement picked up steam, eventually becoming the winningest pedal in cycling.

Why couldn’t it be double-sided? Why couldn’t it be lighter? Why couldn’t it offer better cornering clearance, power transfer, float adjustability, and a lower stack height? His patent filed in 1989, for a funny looking pedal, called the “X,” addressed every one of these concerns. The resulting pedal looked like a lollipop and that created his biggest issue. It didn’t look like a pedal.

But rider after rider chuckled about
the funny shape and then rode the
pedal. They weren’t laughing any
more. In most cases, they were finding
out where they could buy a set. This
funny looking pedal has now won all
While the pedal has some amazing
stats to trumpet— 8.5mm stack height,
37-degree cornering clearance, and an
82-gram pedal weight for titanium—
the true brilliance of the pedal comes
from its tight tolerances. The locking
edges are metal, not plastic. While a
relatively small platform, the pedal
actually offers more contact with
your cleat, thanks to those tight
tolerances, than just about anything
else on the market. Look at your
shoe engaged with your pedal from
cleat height. Do you see daylight
between your cleat and pedal? If you
do, you’re not riding Speedplay. The
end result is fantastic power transfer,
zero toggle, and movement limited
to the float you set precisely with the
micro adjust system on each cleat.

They also come in cool colors—a fact
not lost on Liquigas-Cannondale.
As the team embarks on a season
targeting all three Grand Tours, they
will once again be riding Speedplay
Zeros in their signature team green
color. Of course, Speedplay will
also need to supply some custom
pink, yellow, and gold pedals to
the boys—just in case. ]p[