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IB15: Speedplay Syzr MTB Pedal Finally Cutting Trail, Zero Aero Helps Set the Hour Record

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speedplay aero pedals syzr mtb pedal (4)

It’s certainly been a long road, but the Speedplay Syzr is finally here. First shown as a prototype as far back as Interbike 2009, with each iteration Speedplay kept finding areas they wanted to improve upon. Knowing that the Syzr not only had to work, but work better than most of the competition right off the bat made designing the pedal no easy task. However, like all good things Speedplay promises it’s worth the wait…

speedplay aero pedals syzr mtb pedal (3)

Compared to other pedals on the market, one of the biggest differences is how the Syzr interfaces with the shoe and cleat. Speedplay points out that on the road, the connection between the cleat and the pedal is what transfers the energy. You would never use a soft material for this purpose since it would rob you of energy. So why do many mountain bike shoes rely on the rubber from the tread to push against the pedal (providing it is set up properly)? Speedplay instead wanted the full effort of each pedal stroke to be directed from the cleat into the pedal using Direct-Drive metal to metal contact. Shown above mounted to a road sole just to make it easier to see, Speedplay claims the Syzr will be the most efficient mountain bike pedal available.

The production version also carries forward their ceramic roller cam release technology which uses 4 tiny little ceramic rollers built into the cleat to prevent metal on metal binding during release. Tested in all conditions, Speedplay says any combination of mud, dirt, sand, or grit will not cause the pedal to bind. The cleat also offers Micro adjustable float with up to 10° of range built in. Even though the mountain pedal is new to the lineup, it uses all of the same service items as the rest of Speedplay’s pedals. Available in chromoly, stainless, and titanium spindles, claimed weights are 338g, 320g, and 275g per pair and they will sell for $165, $199, and $389 respectively. With the exception of the chromoly model which will ship in November, all other Syzrs are shipping now.

speedplay aero pedals syzr mtb pedal (5)

The other newest addition to the lineup is the Zero Aero, which is already proven to be fast capturing the UCI Hour Record and the IronMan bike course record.

speedplay aero pedals syzr mtb pedal (1)

The single-sided pedal forgoes ease of dual sided entry for improved aerodynamics with a dimpled surface. All Zero Aero Pedals are compatible with all Zero Cleats and the same goes for the Zero Aero Walkable cleat which will be available separately. There is also an Ultra Light Action Walkable cleat, and both Walkable options include Cleat Buddies which plug the hole when you’re not clipped in, and attach to each other for storage in your jersey pocket, when you are.

Zero Aero pedals will be offered in stainless or titanium spindles for $275 dollars or $399, and 210 g or 158 g respectively.

speedplay.com

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scotty
scotty
8 years ago

there’s a reason that that mtb pedals rely on the shoe for contact. it’s because the shoes need to work for walking. Also, that cleat will be useless in the mud.

Dsand
Dsand
8 years ago

Picturing phreds looking down at their looks and shimano pedals trying to clip in when the light turns green. We’re things too good?

Tom
Tom
8 years ago

The SYZR looks promising. I’ll be looking closely at them after a year on the market. Maybe they will be the Holy Grail of pedals: a mixture of Eggbeater’s seductive smoothness and SPD durability. I sure love Speedplay’s road pedals, so fingers crossed!

Pistolero
Pistolero
8 years ago

I´ve been using the same pair of Speedplay Frog pedals since 1998, I don’t think this new model is better, to start off this one is heavier, more expensive, and that cleat seems to be over complex and expensive to replace and/or get several cleats for several shoes… I would have prefered to see an evolution of the great Frogs rather than this, I just hope the frogs are not discontinued, I love them.

Pat656
Pat656
8 years ago

I have been using the SYZRs for about a month now and absolutely love them. I’ve ridden SPD and Look s-track. The SYZRs have great contact, free float, and easy to adjust (with the right tools). A regular multitool is a pain to use, have to use l-handle allens. I have raced them in extremely muddy, Pisgah type conditions and the float still works (despite what you might think looking at the cleat) and the pedals clear mud easily. Highly recommended.

Michael
Michael
8 years ago

Their Frog pedals were unuseable with the smallest amount of dirt, but I am curious about these.
I would like to see how fast those flared wings on the cleat break off once you walk on some rocks.
If the wings on the cleat break off, will the cleat be as wobbly and unstable as an eggbeater pedal?

Alistair
Alistair
8 years ago

@Pistolero, agreed. Only thing the Frogs are lacking is the ability to switch out axles to shorter/longer lengths. I’ve used Frogs since 1996. Good pedal.

George Petrovich
George Petrovich
8 years ago

After a couple of dozen rides on Syzrs, I removed them. Why? They are quite sketchy. As compared to SPDs these are significantly harder to engage, yet significantly easier to disengage. Fix one, screw up the other. Oh… the catch – these things pop loose at the g-d worst possible times. I bought these because of positive reviews by cycling “journalists”. The inferior/dangerous functionality makes me second guess test editors ability to offer accurate, thorough reviews.

If you stick to bike paths, spin sessions, or… if you’re looking to use these pedals for urban riding thne go for it. If you plan to do reasonably challenging mountain biking, avoid.

Paul S.
Paul S.
8 years ago

I’ve used frogs for about 15 years in conditions from Arkansas to New England to California, and never had a problem clipping in. I finally had to replace some 8-year old cleats this summer because the tabs broke off. The pedals are still going strong though. I don’t ride as much as I’d like, but I can’t imagine a better performance/longevity per dollar than the frogs…

Mark @ GRAVELBIKE
8 years ago

Been riding the SYZRs since I got back from Interbike, and they’re a huge improvement over Frogs (which I rode off/on for 15 years). Way too soon to comment on long-term durability, but no issues with mud and moon-dust dirt, whether clipping in/out. The pedal/cleat interface is very secure with no rocking or slop.

Rod
Rod
8 years ago

At Scotty – been using these (Syzr) for about 2 months of cyclocross including 2 races.

So far so good – I moved on from Shimano because of clogging issues, especially at sub-zero temperatures (i.e. blocks of unclippable compacted snow). Crank Bros. didn’t have that issue but it was maddening to me to keep the pedals firm but engaging due to lug wear; those pedals push on that which feels vague, especially when the traps open a little bit an/or pre-release.

These cleats work ok for walking, at least with my shoes (SIDIs non-carbon sole). The lugs in that shoe didn’t allow for much float but I didn’t mind that. So far no issues clipping in or out in moderate mud, wet and dry sand and general grass. Temperatures have been high so far so no reports on riding on the snow yet – shimanos were useless for me which prompted me to change.

Drawbacks so far are price (more expensive than Eggbeater/Candy), and a little harder to clip-in than crank bros. The latter might be simply because the motion is different and I’m not used to it yet – you push down as with Shimano instead slightly of forward/backward with EggBeaters.

If people are happy with their pedals no point in changing – some of my successful CX mates have used Time for decades. They are happy with them so why change? I wasn’t totally happy with either Shimano or Crank Bros. and so far happy with these. YMMV.

Mark @ GRAVELBIKE
8 years ago

@Rod–I’ve found that an exaggerated toe-down, sliding motion works well for clipping in with the SYZRs.

Alex
Alex
8 years ago

I’ve been using the SYZR pedals for about 3 months. They’re amazing! Ridden them in very deep mud, with absolutely zero issues. @Michael: the cleat wings (antennae) are not involved in cleat stability. They’re simply there as a guiding mechanism to help the cleat locate the pedal. They’re made out of steel, and will be very difficult to break, as they’re recessed into the MTB shoe sole.

Matt
Matt
8 years ago

It amazes me some of the mindless comments on here….especially from people that haven’t even ridden them.

Pistolero
Pistolero
8 years ago

It amazes me even how many people are commenting who already have the pedals, it’s like payed comments from Speedplay tester. Really akward if you ask me.

Matt F
Matt F
8 years ago

The article doesn’t really mention what I thought was the main benefit of this pedal (other than the interface between cleat and pedal). I thought that this was the first mtn/cross pedal where you can insert a shim (to help compensate for actual/functional leg length differences) and it still feel like a good connection. Anyone?

Robo
Robo
8 years ago

Pistolero, we had these on our floor 4-5 months ago. What’s odd to me is that they’re just now being announced as hitting the market. Did we get some way super early pair and just not notice? haha

The Heavy
The Heavy
8 years ago

@Pistolero, the article would have you believe that the pedal just came out this week. It’s been available since March of this year. At least that’s when my shop stocked it. I wouldn’t call this pedal the holy grail by any stretch. Unique yes, but that’s about it. The bearings were smooth, engagement and float are nice. The range of float is more than any human knee could ever use. The problem that I had is that my cleats would disengage on hard uphill efforts. I cranked the tension and it still happened. Dirt/mud didn’t seem to bother the pedal which was nice. In the end, I went back to my old pedals. I think the biggest obstacle for the Syzr is the price. It’s just not justified.

Brian
Brian
8 years ago

Yeah pistolero these have been for sale for a while. Don’t think there are paid commenters. I bought one pair and a secondhand one off ebay

scentofreason
scentofreason
8 years ago

Ha ha ha ha, someone said ‘frog’ “Unusable with the smallest amount of dirt”. Two years ago I did the Northwest Epic race at Stottlemeyer in washington state. On the first lap the standing water (from the weak of rain prior) was hub deep in places. The mud covered 80% of the 15 mile loop, of which I did 4. The frogs were outstanding. I’ve been riding them since they were introduced, flawless design.

tw
tw
8 years ago

Been on frogs for nearly 20 years. They take an incredible beating and function amazingly well when worn. Yes worn. old cleats and new pedals or old pedals and new cleats get the best performance in my opinion.

I ride them on steep North Vancouver terrain.

Huffytoss
Huffytoss
8 years ago

Never liked Speedplay road pedals even when our team was sponsored by them. Don’t know why, but I was breaking their cleats in about a month.

Tried using the Frogs. Never had a problem except when crashing where the cleat won’t release inward so now you have this huge lever arm (bike) twisting your knee.

scott
scott
8 years ago

So I’ve used syzr’s and they are not for me. The slightest movement of your foot and they would unclip. Tightening the screw just makes them harder to clip in but not any hard to clip out. Then one day I had to walk in some wet sand, they got locked in. I thought I was going to crack the sole of my shoe unclipping. Any casual rider in that situation would not have been able to unclip at all.

That said they did pedal amazingly. It felt like riding road pedals and not mtb pedals. The connection was super solid without any looseness to the cleat/pedal connection like with shimano pedals.

I’m a huge fan of the zero’s we sell a bunch of them, and I have 3 sets. But the syzr’s are a turd that need to go back to the drawing board or marketed as spd shoe compatible pedals for the road.

Mark @ GRAVELBIKE
8 years ago

@Scott–If you’re unclipping because of foot movement, you need to open up the float on the cleat. Backing out the grub screws will give you more rotation before the pedals release. You don’t need to bother with the screws on the pedals, as they won’t affect how far your foot rotates before releasing.

Pistolero
Pistolero
8 years ago

Frog is the way to go on pedals, only problem is the 40€ cleats, and no spare titanium spidles, due to speedplay lawyers… only the original from speedplay that rip you off 200-250€ for a set of titanium spindles…

docfink
docfink
8 years ago

Ive used the szyrs now for three cross races and so far, so good. They ARE easier to disengage, but don’t do do unexpectedly; it’s actually useful for run ups and dismounts. That being said, some engagements are a bit tougher than expected, possibly because it’s a metal-metal interface, so if you hit it right, it’s easy; if not, your leg goes skimming away without rubber to slow it down. Only once did I have trouble clipping in. After a super muddy runup, my left cleat was loaded with muck. I stamped my foot on a cement section and was able to reengage. I’ll try them on my Mtn bike shortly, and have few more cx races and gravel rides first.

Rod
Rod
8 years ago

So a follow up after a muddy, snowy cyclocross race on clay soil.

I tightened the screws on a previous day for a gravel ride. I must have overtightened one side of the right pedal because it was absolutely impossible to clip in once mucked up, while the reverse just barely clippable using a full body push. No issues on the left side.

So, user error from a former Crank Bros. user. I’ve now loosened the tension a bit and will test on the field tomorrow, but something to stay aware of.

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