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Speedplay Frogs
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lrzipris
Joined: 04 Mar 2004
Posts: 532
Location: Doylestown, PA

4/28/20 1:50 PM

Speedplay Frogs

Let's talk about something cycling-related.

My Speedplay Frogs cleats are beginning to wear out, I think. Wahoo Fitness bought Speedplay last year, and is not offering these--everywhere I look, I find "no longer available." Anyone know of a source for NOS Frog pedals and cleats?

If no NOS, are there other MTB pedal/cleat systems that offer a lot of float, a good-sized platform, ease of entry/exit? Crank Brothers, maybe? I've never liked the knee-unfriendly rigidity of SPDs.

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

4/28/20 2:16 PM

ATAC

Never used Speedplay but I love Time ATACs. I have them on gravel type bikes but I’ve also thought about putting them on my road bikes as I like them better than the Time road pedals I use. Secure, good float, easy in and out.

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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven

4/28/20 3:27 PM

A pair of new frog Cleats recently sold on eBay for $167, so I suggest you move to a different system.

Ive been on Time ATACs for about 15 years cleats last forever.

My favorite are the ROC Atac or the Alium, both are now discontinued.. I 've had most variants and these are my favorite. I have 13-15 pair....

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

4/28/20 5:54 PM

I have 4 or 5 pairs of Frog pedals that I would like to sell, but based on this thread, I imagined they're worthless now. However, they seem to be garnering reasonable prices on Ebay. I have some cleats, but they're all used. The last generation (sintered) Frog cleats were junk IMO, so I used the original style cleats. I do have a lot of cleat parts and it might be possible to rebuild them to some extent, but it's not a certainty.

As for suggestions, Crank Brothers pedals do have a lot of float, but much more friction than Frogs. Once the cleats get a bit of wear on them, they float better, but you can also run into issues with shoe soles rubbing the pedals. CB provides shims to address that.

I've recently switched to Speedplay Syzr pedals in order to get something with zero float, though they are adjustable to provide plenty if you want it. They're a rather odd mixed-bag. I find them really easy to get in and out of when they're wet and/or muddy, but it can be a real pain when it's dry and sandy or dusty. Go figure. Lubing them helps somewhat. Interestingly, the connection between the shoes and pedals actually feels more solid than the Zeros I use on the road. If, like me, you tend to walk and pedal like a duck, you may have ankle clearance problems with some cranks, because the cleats have no lateral adjustment. Originally, they made spindles in a bunch of different lengths, but when I contacted them, they said they aren't any longer. The clearance is fine on my hardtail (Next SL crank), but marginal on my gravel rig (FSA SL-K Adventure crank).

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

4/28/20 6:34 PM

"Crank Brothers pedals do have a lot of float, but much more friction than Frogs. Once the cleats get a bit of wear on them, they float better, but you can also run into issues with shoe soles rubbing the pedals. CB provides shims to address that."

Yeah, called Shoe shields, if that is what you mean by shims.

https://www.crankbrothers.com/products/shoe-shields

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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2625
Location: Canberra, Australia

4/28/20 9:07 PM

There's this, if you're Canadian, but it doesn't say what models will still be available: https://www.bicycleretailer.com/announcements/2020/04/16/wahoo-announces-new-speedplay-distributor .

I've been using Speedplay Syzr pedals on my bikes for the past three years or so, since they first appeared on the market, and the cleats for them look like they're going to last many years, as they're still more or less completely unworn. When it looked like the pedals and cleats were going to disappear off the market, I went out and bought three or four spare pairs of pedals with cleats, as I figure that should keep me going for the next 20 years or so, by which time I'll be almost 90...

@Brian - last I looked, you could still get J&L longer Ti spindles for Syzr pedals on eBay. I bought a pair of the +12mm spindles last year, to use the pedals on an old pair of Shimano Deore touring cranks where the straight fore-and-aft crankarms give no additional ankle clearance.

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lrzipris
Joined: 04 Mar 2004
Posts: 532
Location: Doylestown, PA

4/29/20 5:23 AM

Thanks, Nick. That article had this remark: "By focusing on the needs of cyclists across all disciplines, Wahoo intends to put Speedplay pedals on as many bicycles as possible and continue to drive innovation of this celebrated brand."

I've written to Wahoo, imploring the company to continue the Frogs; we'll see what the response might be.

I looked at the Time website and got lost, trying to figure out the differences between the different pedals.


Last edited by lrzipris on 4/29/20 7:01 AM; edited 2 times in total

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

4/29/20 6:01 AM

Nick, I agree about the Syzr cleats; they seem nearly indestructible, though perhaps there will be some degree of wear if you have them set to float. I bought them to use as the off-road equivalent of Zeros, set up with no float.

J&L advertises spindles in +3, +12 and +15mm lengths. The +3s are just their regular length spindles with 3mm pedal washers. Likewise, the +15s are the +12s with the same pedal washers. I've red accounts of people having problems with the washers deforming, jamming on the spindles and potentially causing thread damage in the crankarms, so I won't go that route.

I contacted them about +6mm spindles, which is what I want. They offered to make some (I don't think they actually do their own machining), but they'd be double the price ($80). I'll live with what I have for now and see how it goes. Perhaps they'll reconsider and start offering +6mm spindles at similar prices to their other sizes.


Last edited by Brian Nystrom on 4/29/20 5:43 PM; edited 1 time in total

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lrzipris
Joined: 04 Mar 2004
Posts: 532
Location: Doylestown, PA

4/29/20 10:01 AM

Wahoo's Response

"We are currently evaluating the entire Speedplay line and our inventory on some products is limited. . . . We hope to have these available in the future, but we do not have an exact ETA at this time."

Hope springs eternal.

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lrzipris
Joined: 04 Mar 2004
Posts: 532
Location: Doylestown, PA

4/29/20 12:54 PM

I don't know why I did not think of this in the first place: several local shops have NOS Frogs. Now I just have to figure out how to non-contact get them. A cardboard box left outside for three days? No, I don't think that would work.

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PLee
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 3712
Location: Brooklyn, NY

4/29/20 3:46 PM

All delivery boxes get wiped down with disinfectant, sit for a few hours before opening, and contents get wiped down or sprayed before coming into the house.

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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2625
Location: Canberra, Australia

5/4/20 4:37 PM


quote:
I agree about the Syzr cleats; they seem nearly indestructible, though perhaps there will be some degree of wear if you have them set to float. I bought them to use as the off-road equivalent of Zeros, set up with no float.

Ditto here - I bought them initially because I can set the float to zero with the grubscrews in the cleat.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

5/5/20 8:01 AM

It's nice to know I'm not the only one!

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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven

5/5/20 4:20 PM

I think the X series are discontinued also. Why buy something and essentially shut it down?

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

5/7/20 5:39 AM

Well, none of us know how well given Speedplay products are selling, so it's entirely possible that this is a sensible business decision. I'm sure that the Zeros took a big bite out of X-pedal sales and streamlining the line may make sense.

OTOH, it doesn't make sense to alienate customers by no longer offering cleats for older pedal models. Based on the prices, I suspect that they're quite profitable.

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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven

5/8/20 2:30 PM

$250

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Speedplay-Frog-CLEATS-Road-Bike-Cliples-Clip-In-Hardware/114213098246?hash=item1a97a19306:g:KPEAAOSwEXZeZkJx

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stan
Joined: 14 Feb 2004
Posts: 467

5/8/20 3:17 PM

Colorado Cyclist

Available for ordering at $32

https://www.coloradocyclist.com/speedplay-frog-cleats

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lrzipris
Joined: 04 Mar 2004
Posts: 532
Location: Doylestown, PA

5/8/20 4:47 PM

Available for ordering, but the Wahoo website still does not list Speedplay products. The Speedplay website cautions, "This product is currently not available. At this time, future availability has not been determined."

That ebay price (just for cleats?) is what titanium-spindled Frog pedals and cleats were listed for, $250.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

5/9/20 3:03 PM

They didn't sell so the dipshit listed them again for MORE money: https://www.ebay.com/itm/124179650436?ViewItem=&item=124179650436

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lrzipris
Joined: 04 Mar 2004
Posts: 532
Location: Doylestown, PA

5/9/20 4:06 PM

A 60% increase! If I were searching for Frog cleats, why spend $400, when for much less, I can switch to another system, pedals and cleats?

Luckily, I found NOS for the usual price.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

5/10/20 7:37 AM

I'm curious what your impression of these cleats is. I imagine that they're fine for road riding/touring/commuting, but I found them to be really fragile when used off-road. Specifically, the little ears that engage the pedals wear and chip quickly if you have to do any hike-a-bike in rocky areas. That's the main reason I switched to Crank Brothers pedals for my off-road bikes, though I've recently been using Syzrs, as discussed in another thread. Hopefully, they're selling well enough that Wahoo decides to keep them on the market.

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lrzipris
Joined: 04 Mar 2004
Posts: 532
Location: Doylestown, PA

5/10/20 7:55 AM

Brian, if you are asking me about the Frog cleats, I have them on my road bike, so I can't speak to their longevity under off-road conditions. I've gone through two sets of cleats on my Spectrum, over 16-17 years. And the current set (#2) still may have some life in them.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/10/20 10:08 AM

I remember seeing a guy on PaceLine saying he put some new in the package he'd not got to using on eBay. Was surprised what the listing closed at 26 bids later @ @167.50

Be nice if you had a box of them. ;)


https://ebay.us/mCIb2A

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

5/10/20 12:49 PM

The a-hole who posted the insane prices on Frog cleats is doing the same thing with Syzr cleats - $250.

What the hell is wrong with Wahoo? They buy a company that doesn't compete with them and basically bury it? I don't understand the rationale.

I wonder if maybe this is COVID-19 related, as they're probably not considered an essential business.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

5/18/20 1:01 PM

I asked a Support Rep what's going on with Speedplay products and here's his reply:

"Speedplay was acquired by Wahoo Fitness in December and had sold most of the stock they had prior to the the acquisition to existing retailers. It has taken some time to move the assembly operation from the West to East coasts and then produce more stock, with the process further delayed by COVID-19. We are currently evaluating all product lines carrying forward, but no decisions have been communicated at this time."

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