Coming out of nowhere this morning, Wahoo Fitness has announced the acquisition of Speedplay – the makers of cycling pedals. The acquisition marks the second company that Wahoo has acquired this year, following The Sufferfest a bit earlier in the year. The move will see Wahoo take ownership of the entire Speedplay business, which is based in San Diego, CA. The purchase also includes 24 patents related to the pedals, including numerous non-road pedal based patents including cross and mountain pedals.
I had a chance to talk with Wahoo Fitness CEO Chip Hawkins this morning about the acquisition, including both their near term and long term plans. It’s clear from the discussion that Wahoo has big plans for Speedplay. Chip noted that there were two initial catalysts for the acquisition, mainly centered on the appeal of the product itself, but also the lack of clarity around which pedals a consumer should choose.
For example, he highlighted that if you did a comparison chart between the Speedplay pedal and most other competitors, a consumer would find that the Speedplay was lighter, more aero, better cornering clearance, as well as being dual-sided. But it was actually when he as a triathlete, went to pick out a pair on Speedplay’s website that everything went a bit fuzzy – with so many options to choose from and so little clarity about which was the best option.
Going Forward:
He said that going forward their plan will be to simplify and clarify a bit of the product lineup, and “reduce the confusion when people go to buy the products”, which is an area that Wahoo has largely excelled at over the past few years. If you look at where the trainer market was when Wahoo first joined the scene, companies like Tacx and Elite had dozens of models to choose from. These days, those companies are down to just a handful of core models each – mirror Wahoo’s simplified Apple-like lineup.
Still, he sees room for product expansion as well. Saying that based on the patents in place “We can do cross pedals, and mountain pedals… and there’s lots of opportunity. I’m just excited, I love the mechanical gadgetry stuff!”
He says that the approximately 25 employees and the company’s operations will continue to be largely San Diego based for now. Though, he concedes they’ll be looking to dramatically increase production and capacity (all products are currently made in San Diego today). As such, roles and locales might shift over time. One of the two husband and wife founders, Richard Bryne, will remain onboard in a consulting position. However, the other founder, his wife Sharon Worman (previously serving as President of Speedplay) will depart the business.
Speedplay as a brand will continue, and simply be another product line in the Wahoo basket – just like KICKR or ELEMNT is today. It doesn’t sound like Speedplay will need to lose any vowels in order to stay within the Wahoo branding playbook.
He did note though that with the acquisition they’ll be looking to simplify and streamline interactions with the local bike shop/retailer base, in particular making it easier for them to obtain products and making it easier to sell Speedplay products. Further, they plan to “dramatically expand” the retail base for Speedplay products, which has dwindled a bit in recent years.
A Speedplay Power Meter:
So, the big question is: Is a Speedplay power meter in Wahoo’s future?
When asked, Chip laughed a bit. As for an answer, he was clearly trying to be a bit coy on that, but his ultimate answer doesn’t really leave much ambiguity. He says that “It is definitely an intriguing space”, followed a few seconds later by “I’m definitely interested in pedals for power.”
As readers may know, there have been attempts in the past for Speedplay based power meter pedals. Notably first by Metrigear (who was ultimately acquired by Garmin, and became Vector), and then as well as by Brim Brothers. Neither ever came to market with a pedal based power meter. And while it’s unlikely anyone from those or other companies would agree to be quoted on the topic – Speedplay is well known within the cycling industry for their ‘lawyers first’ approach, being aggressively litigious.
But Chip says, he plans to change that, in particular around licensing. He even noted that “We have a ton of patents that cover every aspect of that pedal and that fashion. But I think we’ll be more open with others, and we won’t be considered litigious…we won’t be hard to work with.”
He went onto say that he wouldn’t be opposed to working with other companies, in the same way Wahoo today works with numerous other partners on a variety of projects.
Ultimately, Chip’s official response aside – there’s considerable demand for a Speedplay based power meter, and I suspect that demand is a large part of Wahoo’s strategy here.
Still, don’t expect anything near-term tech-wise. Unlike some acquisitions, the two companies (Wahoo & Speedplay) haven’t been quietly working on new products for years behind closed doors. Instead, Wahoo’s going to initially focus on the simplification and expansion of Speedplay’s existing business, likely well before they start focusing on anything in an ‘intriguing space”.
With that – thanks for reading!
FOUND THIS POST USEFUL? SUPPORT THE SITE!
Hopefully, you found this post useful. The website is really a labor of love, so please consider becoming a DC RAINMAKER Supporter. This gets you an ad-free experience, and access to our (mostly) bi-monthly behind-the-scenes video series of “Shed Talkin’”.
Support DCRainMaker - Shop on Amazon
Otherwise, perhaps consider using the below link if shopping on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot. It could simply be buying toilet paper, or this pizza oven we use and love.
A friend gave me a set of Speedplay pedals years ago and I was converted on the first ride. I found them much easier to use than my previous, one-sided pedals. I hope this acquisition will bring benefits to the consumer. I am interested to watch how this develops.
I’ve used Speedplay’s for years. Love them!
Didn’t see that one coming. Hopefully Wahoo can take these great pedals to the next level.
As someone who is committed hard to the aesthetic beauty of both Speedplay pedals and Cannondale hollowgram cranks, even a glimmer of a possibility of a powermeter option is welcome.
There’s always Stages, which is what I run on my Cannondale Slate.
I should have been more specific. L-R or total power meter that retains the Spiderings.
I’m a Speedplay fan and if they ever come out with their own pedal based power meter, I would definitely jump in. Come on Wahoo make it happen!
My thought too … good pedals. I’ll bet Wahoo is reading this post from Ray.
Happy to see Speedplay getting some support. Garmin would have bought Speedplay if they didn’t use ‘Kona Count’ to predict market demand.
Eurobike 2021 – Wahoo SpdPly power-meter pedals.
You heard it here first folks! 🙂
The “SPD” in SpdPly is probably copywriter.
?
Anything that makes it easier to keep using Speedplays is good news IMO.
If Speedplay can add accurate power reading to their pedals, it could really shake up the industry. I’m not a fan of Look style pedals or crank based power meters so having Speedplay as an option would be hard to pass up.
“Easy to work with”??
I’ll believe it when I see a collaboration with others. Right now their record speaks against them. IMHO of course.
I’m not sure I follow, are you another company trying to do business with them?
I think if we look at the history of Wahoo as a product company, they’re pretty easy for other companies to work with. After all, they were the first company to have an SDK to control their trainers – which ultimately set the direction for this entire industry.
That doesn’t mean we (the Royal We) always agree with what Wahoo is doing, nor does that mean they’ll always say Yes. For example, them backtracking on 3rd party CLIMB integration is a good example. Or, ultimately not implementing the Running Dynamics standards in their TICKR straps. I think a case could be made that when it comes to standards, Wahoo’s maybe not quite as strong as they used to be (another example would be lack of FTMS).
But on the flip side, they did integrate recently Varia Radar, and they’re doing some stuff around the indoor bike and technical broadcasting bits that nobody else is doing (and doing it in an open way).
Still, I don’t think that the line means Wahoo is always going to say yes in every situation, especially if it hurts their business. I think that’s true of just about any company.
This was a subtle troll about someone at Speedplay who was rumored to be behind litigiousness, not a comment on Wahoo.
Great history here was not aware of SDK.
Hesitant to jump in b-c I always seem to be piling on Wahoo. But the Climb backtrack always stands out to me as petty. I also view Varia support as indicating GARMIN is easy to work with, not Wahoo. Tho takes 2 to tango.
Speedplay a MUCH better experience than Keo. Nice development. Assuming the DCR Shimano thesis doesn’t outrun em all !
Yes, my comment was mostly about the standards, and their backtracking.
The thing that boggles my (emphasis on “my”) mind is how it took them almost two years of consumer pressure to incorporate radar and how it would have hurt their business to allow others (tacx and elite come to mind) incorporate Climb*. That could have only resulted in increased sales, no?
But you are correct, we are outsiders, and Wahoo does not have to answer to anyone but the shareholders in their business decisions.
*(or even Zwift for that matter, so that they didn’t have to share anything with other trainer companies)
Great answer Ray
“first company to have an SDK to control their trainers” They also didn’t have any good software to control their trainers so let others do that work for them allowing them to sell more trainers. There was no downside.
“integrate recently Varia Radar” An open Ant+ standard from Garmin they decided to support after a pretty long time of the Ant+ standard being out. Garmin is the one who helped others, they could have kept the broadcast protocol from their radar unit proprietary.
Looks like Wahoo is a privately held company, meaning there are no shareholders to answer to.
To me it’s surprising that they have backtracked on the CLIMB. I would have thought that they would get more sales/revenue from non KICKR owners buying CLIMB. They obviously have run the numbers and worked out they will get more revenue by encouraging people to switch to a full Wahoo ecosystem
one of teh first things they could do it tidy up the instructions/documentation that comes with a set of speedplays – the number of times things are repeated is ludicrous and forces everything to be printed to small, so that they can repeat everything 3 times.
getting spares is a PITA as well so quite a lot of room for improvement there.
speedplay PM would be a game-changer
“It doesn’t sound like Speedplay will need to lose any vowels in order to stay within the Wahoo branding playbook.”
Bwahahaha. Maybe the next Wahoo acquisition will be a set of vowels.
4iiiiiiiiiis?
You win the internets today!
Yeah, but then we wind up with the Kiiiickr.
Oh for sure we are going to see Spdply pedals. It is just too easy.
Having Vector 2 (now sold) and currently Vector 3 (with no door/battery/electronics/missing right pedal/etc issues, knock wood) I have considered SP pedals but have too much invested in the Look compatible pedals. And dont want crank/hub power.
BUT-if Wahoo/SP develops a PM pedal and its as stable as Vector 2, I will be interested in it replacing my V3 as the next step, so to speak. While my customer service issues with Wahoo a few years back drove me to Tacx (actually a great move for me) I am willing to give Wahoo a chance on the pedals.
Having used SPD on mountain shoes since early 90’s, I would like the SP for road/tri.
Speedplay power meter pedals, that’s not something i thought i would hear today. but truly awesome!
and, hopefully they can re-design the ‘walkable’ cleat covers to not fall off after about ( sorry, ‘exactly’ ) 1,000km.
would seem an odd purchase for Wahoo unless there was some tech principle to apply, so i’ll start saving up now.
I’ve been using these things for several years: link to keeponcovers.com and the only time one ever came off was during a slow-speed crash in a circuit race. They work very well, and are pretty inexpensive to boot.
I’ve been using the Keep On Covers too. I use the X-2 pedals. Speedplay doesn’t make walkable cleats for the X nor do I think they ever will; the X is a legacy pedal and I’m just happy I can still buy them. I’ll stockpile a few extra soon as I have a sense Wahoo will eliminate. I would imagine that Zeros or LA work fine for 99% of Speedplay users.
Fall off? – never had this happen but have a seen a few people who haven’t attached them properly in the first place
Just saying
Yep, just as I sensed, Wahoo has eliminated the X and Frogs. Glad I have some extras
IMHO the Frogs were the only decent pedal they made. The problem with Speedplays is that they made a ton of different pedals and all were over-complicated with various shims , etc for the cleats. My feeling is that if you have to over-complicate things, you never understood the problem to begin with.
“But it was actually when he as a triathlete, went to pick out a pair on Speedplay’s website that everything went a bit fuzzy – with so many options to choose from and so little clarity about which was the best option.”
I’ve been using Speedplay pedals for years and this statement is 100% correct. I think they mostly succeeded in business in spite of themselves. Certainly acquisition shouldn’t have been needed to clean-up their marketing and product line, but maybe it was. The other comment about their instructions is also accurate, however I’ve purchased several Wahoo products over the years and always thought their directions were pretty bad as well. Always noticed an aversion to using helpful diagrams rather than just words. Maybe that has gotten better.
I’ve loved Speedplay’s products since their first “X-series” pedal. For me the jury is still out on Wahoo – love some products while others just seem “meh” which does not mean bad to me.
Bottom line is that I’ll continue to ride Speedplay Zero pedals as long as they remain as purely and simply functional as they are today. Any power meter they add will need to display vector mapping, like Pioneer, on a Garmin bikecomputer
Maybe Wahoo can help Speedplay improve their gravel pedals (Syzr). That would be ironic but very welcome.
I think you’re onto something. SYZR already is a Wahoo like name. It’s probably what caught their attention.
Syzr are innovative, however challenge is price I think.
In Australia:
Shimano SPD cleats are $10-$15, cheap M520 pedals for $40
Speeplay Syzr cleats are $90. cheap Chromo pedals are $250
Sure, some people (like me) need lots of float.
But 5 or 6 times the price of its competitor?
I’m a Speedplay user for life most likely, unless someone can come to market with a pedal with more float and more ease of entry. That said, it has become more and more aggravating to find replacement cleats and parts. Hopefully this will improve that side of the experience and not just mean their rpad pedal line is reduced to indoor cycling accessories. I did notice that every glamour shot of the Wahoo Bike showed Speedplay pedals…
I’ve been using speedplay for years and was on the original Brim bros. waiting list. I would love to see Wahoo finish the work that Barry and co started. Brim were near before they folded but given the size of Wahoo you would expect the the R&D spend to be available to do a good job and package more effectively. I have no clue where the Brim brothers Zone DPMX IP resides but it would be good if Wahoo somehow took profit of that R&D and covered some of the Brimbrother’s investment. It needed to be worked on and I never liked the pod that sat on the shoe with the Zone DPMX. Times have moved on and I see no reason why that could not now be built into the wearable rubber cleat.
Glad to see this, and hopefully Wahoo will broaden the range into PM pedals. I’ve been using Speedplay road pedals since the 90s, and converted from SPD to Syzr pedals about a year and a half ago for mtn/gravel/cross. They are such a stable platform and allow for a great amount of float–I’m not looking back.
Favero seems like an easy partnership to produce a speedplay version of the assioma. Change the end of the axel to match speedplay’s design and license the body from wahoo. All the electronics are in the “pod” so probably shouldn’t have to change… should only take as long as it takes the lawyers to argue about the ?
I experienced the “being aggressively litigious” attitude from Speedplay, I was selling some Speedplay cleats on eBay awhile back and Speeplay had my little auction ad thrown out completely. My crime was using a photo of theirs which illustrates all of the individual pieces of the cleats,
Hey Wahoo, please don’t retire my beloved Frog pedals or I might have to disown you 😉
Seriously, I love those things. However old the design is (and this is coming from someone who loves everything new and shiny).
First Sufferfest. Then SpeedPlay. Who do you think is next, Ray? Suunto maybe?
I think Wahoo is playing with fire here. They have purchased the SINGLE MOST DANGEROUS PRODUCT EVER MADE in the history of the universe.
I justify this 100% factual statement by presenting Speedplays ridiculous and verbose disclaimer paperwork which comes with every product they sell.
For one set of cleats I purchased, I counted 3 separate paper documents containing over 50 WARNING’s CAUTION’s and DANGER statements. Copious amount of BOLD TEXT and UNDERLINED text everywhere. These things are seemingly designed to kill, maim and destroy people.
You think I’m joking? Read just one example from speedplays own website –> link to speedplay.com
Wahoo – here is how you can turn speedplay around:
1) Fire the lawyers
2) Fire the hostile customer support
3) Fire the lawyers
4) Fire the hostile product reps
5) Fire the terrible web page designers
7) Fire the lawyers
Start from scratch with slimmed down product line, a coherent web site and decent customer service.
Had a read. I take it as advice so you don’t make an error fitting them or similar. Over tighten screws, un removable bearings, dirt, oil,maintenance etc. Not sure how it will kill or maim, but ok. Do agree on the website though pretty old looking. I had good experience with them when I needed to replace a damaged dust cap. Just sent out a replacement free of charge. No problem. I thought I was going to nothing but problems trying to get one. I was pleased with that. I do find the replacement cleats quite expensive. And the recommended replacement interval too short. They last longer. I just thought that was a business thing to gouge money from your wallet.
After being recommended speedplays due to knee issues, I was very excited to have a solution to the pain.
They are great pedals and I love their design and float. But It took me days to work out exactly which product I should buy and why. That is a huge entry barrier to new customers.
I also find their replacement parts are expensive.
Attempting to decipher their website…
Frog vs Syzr. why sell both? So… I guess these are for gravel or MTB or both?
X series vs Zero vs light action? ok, makes sense I guess, sort of…
x series not compatible with Zero? Sure, ok then, why? Why still sell x series?
Zero are incompatible with Light action. Well, turns out in practice that statement is not true at all. Why make such a statement?
Zero stainless ARE interchangeable with Zero chromo. ok, sure, great.
Light action stainless NOT interchangeable with Light Action chromo. ok then… why bother with the extra SKU?
Zero track are not compatible with Zero? its hard to tell… why is this?
What shoes are are compatible… hmmm their downloadable list is confusing as anything.
So much opportunity for Wahoo here.
Read the quoted portions of the press release. The lawyer “will depart the business.” You can probably post pictures of your pedals on eBay now.
Frog vs Szyr: Frog has no moving parts in the cleat (and is well loved by commuters/random eyes/tourists), Szyr has stronger retention for racers.
Why still sell X series? Because people who find a pedal they like tend to want to keep buying it. It’s like why Gillette still sells the Mach 3 even though they’d rather sell you the Fusion (which is newer and has more tech).
Zero is incompatible with Light Action. Sure, you can shove a Light Action cleat onto a Zero pedal, but it doesn’t release as reliably.
Light Action has several SKUs because of the different spindle materials. Some people want the additional strength of chromoly steel, or need the stronger spindle because of rider weight limits.
Zero Track is different from Zero because track cyclists tend to have much more power at the cranks, and because they are riding on fixed gear bicycles an accidental cleat release could result in significant injury. So Speedplay makes a pedal that has a much, much higher cleat release setting that is incompatible with the regular pedal, even if they look similar from the pedal body.
Mach 3? I’m still using Sensor Excel blades with only (gasp) 2 blades.
Oh yeah – and please don’t take away my Frogs!
Frog has more float than Syzr. Frog float is 20 degrees to release point, 6 degrees to the inside. Syzr has 10 degrees of float.
I have known Richard Bryne since 1970…my mentor my friend and one of the people in the industry I have always admired. He knows more about bikes than anyone I know. Wahoo are good folks…I hope this is good for all concerned.
the next Wahoo bike computer… will look like an oreo and come in different colors.
I am pumped about this. I’ve been using Speedplay pedals for a long time and have really wanted a power meter version. This will hopefully make it easier to get cleats and parts for rebuilding.
I might switch pedals back when they’ll release the Wahoo SPDPLAY power meter pedals 🙂
It has a nice kind of ring without the EE.
As a long-time, dedicated, Speedplay user this is HUGE NEWS! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Speedplay under Wahoo’s ownership.
i’ve long been interested in speedplay pedals but it seems to me their weight and aero advantages disapear as in order to use them with most shoes you need adapter plates which add weight, frontal area, stack height and complexity (on top of all the model options), all while reducing walkability.
if they were directly compatible with standard shoe mounting designs (or could persuade my favoured brands to support their interface) i would probably be riding them, but i’m not.
Best solution I’ve found to this are northwave shoes with their proprietary speedway adaptor which converts their 3 hole shoes to 4 hole speedplay style without adding any stack height.
But, I had to spend time messing about with the adaptor and then do a hack to make them work with the newer aero/walkable cleats. It worked well in the end but was a pain getting there.
You’re over egging it a bit and worrying about nothing when it comes to aero and stack height on a Speedplay cleat.
First up, the adapter plates come with the pedals and are nothing more than very thin pieces of plastic, hardly blocks of Lego, and weigh next to nothing. The energy gels and bars you carry in your pockets weigh more.
Secondly, the aero perfornance you gain or lose from any cleat is barely worth worrying about. Again, if youre so worried about 0.001 watts of aero loss from a ‘slightly raised’ cleat then tuck your elbows in when you ride and save 2 watts instead.
You’re missing the point about Speedplays which is they rarely cause knee pain or pull ligaments.
I also have Northwave Shoes, with the low stack 3hole to 4hole adaptor, but my point would be, to achieve all of Speedplay’s advantages (low weight, low stack, ease of use once you’ve trawled through their unnecessarily confusing documentation) it seems you really have to get through a minefield of obstacles — the overwhelming majority of shoes are 3 hole, requiring a thick kludgy adaptor to fit the Speedplay cleat, which defeats one of the main advantages.
Also, I’m not sure I’d hold my breath waiting for a successful SP Power meter. Why did Metrigear give up on SP? Were the technical challenges too great? And I really feel sorry for Brim Brothers — I was rooting for them and was really sad when they folded after all that work. But even if they had succeeded, their vision was with a component that added considerable stack height to the pedal-pm-cleat-shoe combination. In this day and age, a PM will have to have unmatched advantages, and with SP it would have to be without adding stack height. I really don’t see how they are going to do it. Strain Gauge in the pedal spindle, maybe? That’s awful tight for space, and I understand the engineering and mathematical problems are huge; but then computing power and knowledge both progress steadily over time, so maybe I should retain an open mind.
I’ve been using Speedplays since they first came out with the X. I had been using Time pedals as my knee needs float to ride pain free. The free float of the Speedplays was a game changer for me, and I’ve stuck with them since.
When I read “simplify” I fear that means eliminating the X. I still ride the X’s because they have more float than the Zero or Light Action. My knee can tell the difference unfortunately. I say unfortunately because it’s clear the X is a legacy product that Speedplay isn’t investing in and probably would like to eliminate but there are some oldies like me that stick with them. For example, the walkable cleats — which are really nice — are only for the Zero and Light Action. Of course, if/when the PM pedal comes out, I would imagine it’ll be Zero/LA based.
I used the Frogs for years on my mtb (I ride flats now) and my road bike as a touring pedal. Indeed I used the Frogs as my every day road pedal for some number of years, but went back to the X’s a few years ago. I get the sense that the Frogs are also a legacy pedal, maybe to be eliminated as a simplification move.
In any case, I applaud the acquisition of Speedplay by Wahoo. Wahoo is more open minded company. Speedplay has been litigious; they don’t have their own PM pedal and blocked others from creating a Speedplay based one. As someone else in this thread said, it seems Speedplay has succeeded in spite of itself. They have a superior product; hopefully now they will have a superior owner and business.
I totally agree with B. Silva’s comments below. I have been a Frog person since the previous Magnum pedals and use them for all my bikes. They are probably a legacy product that will have a limited lifespan within Wahoo’s ownership. I tried the SYZR and found it a compromise to a SPD with the front entry and came off my bike quickly.
The litigious personality of Speedplay, I have experienced with eBay auctions and in fact I make fun of them in my listings. Somehow their company became this way probably through the desires of its previous owners. This has carried out into their customer service, that they are above everyone else. On the other hand Wahoo customer service has been one of the best experiences I have had. Now on my 5th KICKR 18, the only reason I have not dumped the KICKR is the customer service. (I think I have a good one now) I look forward to the Wahoo experience with the Speedplay product. I better stock up on Frogs’s though or switch to their road pedals.
n any case, I applaud the acquisition of Speedplay by Wahoo. Wahoo is more open minded company. Speedplay has been litigious; they don’t have their own PM pedal and blocked others from creating a Speedplay based one. As someone else in this thread said, it seems Speedplay has succeeded in spite of itself. They have a superior product; hopefully now they will have a superior owner and business.
I think we’ll both need to stock up on X’s and Frogs.
If Wahoo want to dump their stock of titanium Frogs for $100 a piece, then I’ll take them all!
You’re on your 5th Kickr and you THINK you have a good one and that’s a company you want to support?
No wonder this industry cares so little for quality. I had one Kickr that vibrated like a rabbit due to shitty manufacturing tolerances and poor QC and immediately returned it to buy a Tacx (which has minor issues of its own due to shitty firmware and poor QC).
These are premium products that cost WAY more than they need to because they are premium products. If number two doesn’t work we need to stop dealing with the company or they’ll never change. An ability to quickly swap out units is a result of practice swapping out units. That’s not good customer service, that’s an investment in the wrong part of the manufacturing process/supply chain. Imagine if they spent that money on quality control instead of swapping out units endlessly until you THINK you get a good unit…
Speedplay Powr incoming!
It seems to be hard, if not impossible to get a power meter for a product like a Cobb crankset on a TT bike, with a Speedplay pedal. I would be first in line!
I hope they take the SYZR MTB pedal back to the drawing board.
They can keep the name though, it’s very WAHOOish.
no comment
Do you have the bicycle which implemented these pedals? I want to see how it looking on.
Unfortunately I’m stuck with speedplay since any other pedal causes my knee to burst into flames after a few hours. I say unfortunately because they are insanely costly to use. Every year the cost of cleats keeps going up and up. To add insult to injury, even if I replace the cleats every few thousand miles, the pedal body wears down and I end up with lateral rocking. Despite this being a very well known problem, speedplay refuses to acknowledge it. I switched to the ridiculously over priced pave, and at least the pedal can survive a season or two now without the pedal body wearing out. I really hope wahoo can make some changes to the design, or at the least make things more affordable for real world users. Even 10years ago almost everyone I knew was on speedplay, now I am pretty much the only one and the reason everyone left was cost of cleats/maintenance. If I had any other option, I would have left as well.
What model are you riding? I’ve put tens of thousands of miles on a pair a Zeros. Only replaced the cleats once.
I’m old school Speedplay. I have X-2 series pedals on my bikes. Some of the pedals are 10+ years old with over 20,000 miles of use. I buy a set set of cleats once a year. If a power meter pedal comes to be I’ll switch over to the Zero since I feel certain that it is the preferred platform, personally I viewed as adding complexity to stop whining about “too much float” or “slipping on banana peels”.
I have used Speedplay zero pedals for more than 20 years and I am still using the same pedals. Changing the cleats every 10000 km is fine for me. Best pedals ever!
I hope Wahoo’s aqusition won’t affect quality and availability negatively.
I was just rooting around on the web trying to find Syzr cleats. Speedplay’s web site says, “This product is currently not available. At this time, future availability has not been determined.” I haven’t been able to find any of my usual internet retailers carrying the cleats. Maybe this is a temporary situation due to Wahoo’s purchase and the current COVID-19 situation.
I hope this will result in more Speedplay specific shoes. Currently there are no mid level shoes with Speedplay soles.
+1 +1 +1 🙂
I love my speedplay zeros and lwould love a power meter option
Unexpected? Yes. Exciting? Absolutely! I use Speedplay pedals exclusively. While I’ve wanted a pedal-based power solution for years it hasn’t been enough to get me off Speedplay pedals.
Been awhile since this went down and I am bummed to report that the Speedplay supply chains is drying up, especially for spindle parts and cleat protection plates. Speedplay was a fitters dream because of the sensible parts that allowed adjustment. If we lose that I am afraid of where the path could lead.
I actually talked with Wahoo about exactly this, this week. They say that existing retailers should continue to be able to place order for parts as normal.
Whereas, they aren’t accepting new retailers quite yet under the Wahoo side of the house for Speedplay bits (while also not accepting new Speedplay dealers either). It’s in somewhat of a transition period, but I asked exactly what you noted and they seemed pretty clear that existing retailers should have no issue placing orders and having those being fulfilled.
Thanks for the update, that’s good news, I agree a transition seems to be in progress
Thanks for the update, that’s good news
Ray hi!
Not sure if this situation has changed much since you shared the start of the year update.
However after looking for a few spare pedal parts across several online retailers, stock seems very low across the board.
As an example, Excel Sports in Boulder, used to be my go to store for everything, but they only have 11 items listed, when normally there would be 75+.
Any insight you can offer would be great
Wahoo support was able to help me find cleats. Maybe they can help you? If nothing else, it lets them know how many people are searching for parts and product. The longer they have parts and product off the market, the harder it’s likely to be after they start up to get people back.
Thanks Rob.
The feedback, together with that from James is encouraging.
I’ll also email wahoo, to hopefully add more momentum
On a positive note, received an update from Wahoo today:
We are planning on having these items though with manufacturing and available through our retailers in the next 6-8 weeks.
This was for spare parts for Zeros, but hopefully there’ll be lot more stock all round.
They’ve been saying that for weeks/months though. I am not holding out much hope to get any spare parts for my Frog pedals anymore.
I have Frogs on my commuter bike and Light Actions on my road bike and love them both, however there are no pedals, cleats, cleat covers or any other part for either system anywhere in the UK that I can find.
As excited as I am at the possibility of PM Speedplay pedals, I am also very frustrated at the lack of support for older products; this makes me wary of investing further in Speedplay unless I feel that the spares situation is improved.
The thing that sucks for me, is that the only dealer/reseller in our area went out of business, and I haven’t been able to convince any of the other shops to carry them. I know there are lots of people that use them.
The shops reason is probably a familiar one: ‘Why should I work to be a ‘registered’ dealer of theirs, when Amazon can sell them all day, and they apparently aren’t a registered dealer’. I explained that there could be quality, and counterfeit issues with buying from Amazon, but they aren’t willing to bend. One said that Speedplay had/has onerous reseller requirements.
My hope is that Wahoo gets Speedplay into more shops, and maybe ends the Amazon deal (unlikely). I need more cleats for new shoes, and new pedals for a new bike, and have had to use my old SPD-SL’s in the interim.
And it does look like they have killed some models, possibly. Not sure…
No, they haven’t dropped anything, I didn’t scroll down enough. Looks like nothing has changed.
Has there been any more hints at a speedplay based power meter pedal? Looking at my next bike and not really wanting to transfer my Stages LR over.
Just an opinion, given the current challenging business environment, I would expect most smart manufacturers to pause projects and conserve cash for now. I would observe that projects like consolidate wahoo and speedlay websites, or even update speedplay’s website have not happened yet. I would also observe that a pass has been made before at speedplay power pedals that did not happen. Most of the power pedal efforts to date have been rather bulky affairs(Garmin and powertap come to mind) without the advantages of speedplays. So… if you are thinking new bike I would hope for new power pedals, but plan on something else for power.
I’m just reading this months later, but I’d surely be interested in Speedplay pedals with a power meter! I’ve been riding Speedplay since 2000; these days I have multiple sets (for multiple bikes). I’m just getting into power as a metric for my cycling because of a trainer. Seems a great next step–to get a power meter for road rides, etc.
Keep the Frog in the lineup! One of the best high performance and racing mtb pedals ever made. Clears debris, mud, dirt, snow on its own and the design has the shoe engaging the pedal, not vice versa. Long live the Frog!
I agree – I’ve had Frogs on my commuter bike for years and love them but they’ve completely disappeared from the UK, and so have the Light Actions on my road bike
Been using Speedplay since ’92, owned a running & triathlon store near Stanford and they offered me a pair and I was hooked!! No more knee pain, and attempting to align my Look cleats!!
The “float” took a little getting used to, but only a few rides. My customers all fell in love with them, too. Had friends and team members winning Wildflower, New Zealand and more on them.
As I’m now in my early 60s living/riding on Maui (using titanium Xs on my S-Works Tarmac) I’ve been researching PMs & was just ready to go 4iiii on FSA Supercompact Carbon (everything around here is CLIMBING) but if there’s a chance I could go SP pedals w/PM I’m all over them!! Any potential timing available? Months or years?
Hoping…
Please, please, please get Wahoo to include Speedplay X pedals!!! They are the best!!!
Wahoo has canceled Speedplay Frogs! My go-to pedals for at least 15 years. :^( I don’t think they have any others in their lineup that combine substantial free-float and walkability. Hope they can fill that segment – my knees will thank them!
Wow! They dropped a lot of models.
I never got the ‘x’ and ‘zero’ issue. Having two that were practically identical, but incompatible didn’t make a lot of sense. I heard a few locals that got the wrong cleats occasionally. I’m sure it happened too often. I did see a pair of Pave pedals. They looked so elegant. They are gone too…
Maybe some dealers somewhere have some Frogs left. Maybe Wahoo will reconsider. The message isn’t ‘They are permanently gone’ but it does sound grave.
I’m sure Wahoo is going through looking at past sales, and what they consider market needs, and trying to see what makes sense. I sound so meh because I have so many different pedal brands around here. Even one pair that was cancelled, that was supposed to be SPD compatible. Yeah, not much, and I lost the matching cleats!
Couldn’t agree more. Sad, but predictable. Wahoo don’t want to make a niche pedal, however much it is loved. I wonder if they could give the Frogs back to the old Speedplay owner and let them make some money.
I love the free float of Speedplays, but I really don’t think I can go to a road cleat for the gravel bike. I’d be interested in the SYZR, but that was just a debacle and I still don’t trust that it’s actually a good pedal.
Did they announce this today as they think everyone is so mad at Strava that they won’t notice? 🙂
I’ve tested a power meter (Assioma) on Look pedals that were lended to me by my bike shop. After that test I’m even more convinced there is no way in hell I’m gonna switch my Speedplay pedals that I’m using for now 4 years to another model. So now I really hope that with Wahoo we will soon have power meters on Speedplay as there is no more comfortable pedals on the market.
Hi
I have standardized on Speedplay Frog pedals and hopefully, Wahoo will supply spare parts like cleats for the foreseeable future.
I’ve checked a few online sites and they all show Frog cleats currently unavailable. You might need to buy from eBay. I checked eBay and price gouging has hit for newly unavailable Speedplay pedals and cleats. For example, new Frog pedals with cleats offered by one seller for $350 and by another for $500. I saw similar situation with X series. I’d been concerned for a few years that Speedplay would drop these pedals (Frog and X-2) so I have a few spare sets of pedals and cleats. They are what I’ve standardized on too.
I heard a Cycling Tips podcast this week with the founder of Wahoo who says interesting things are coming for Speedplay pedals soon, so we’ll see what’s in store.
I am finding the same thing. Frog cleats not available anywhere (except maybe ebay). Speedplay website says product is unavailable and may not be available again! Wahoo needs to tell us what is going on before they loose the customers.
Yes, I’ve seen outrageous prices for Speedplay pedals and I hope they never sell them. I remember when I was trying to buy a Shimano 10 speed long cage derailleur and some jerk was trying to sell one for $3000. Fortunately I was able to find two of them (both in use presently) for $90 each. There are still come good people in this world. Maybe Wahoo could be one of them.
Maybe ask what they did with their old stock? It’s a long shot, but might work. I doubt they buried it in the desert like Apple does.
I wrote them about finding Zero cleats, and they found someone with some in stock. They were a big help to me in my search. Good luck…
I love Speedplay pedals. What I don’t love is now I have two bike with the pedals and I cannot buy the replacement cleats for the X pedals. My local bike shop said it’s rumored that Wahoo will make one more run of these and then alter the design. Nice move to make us all spend hundreds for pedals that may not need replacement. I get tweeking the pedal and making improvements, but don’t phase out the customers who have been loyal to that style of pedal for years. Introduce your new tech and let us make the move. This would make people love the brand more vs being a bit disgruntled when they can’t find the $40 replacements so they can ride. Just a thought
There are some on ebay. One guy wants $175 for a set which is crazy. Yikes…
I get the idea why their lolly pop pedals weren’t compatible, but why. They are basically the same design. Three, or is it four, slightly different designs, and why. They should have dropped the older designs or somehow made them compatible. Could Wahoo put out an upgrade kit for the X pedals to convert them into Zero pedals? They are ‘rebuildable’, right?
Amazon has knockoff Zero cleats, which I thought was funny. I wonder if they are better. Maybe the same company knocking them off, could be coerced into doing the X cleats too.
I have a request into Wahoo. Their customer support site has an option for Speedplay support and Frogs are listed there. We’ll see what happens. Thought I’d at least get a plug in for my favorite pedals.
Encouraging e-mail from Wahoo:
Thank you for reaching out to us, I’m sorry that you’ve run into difficulty locating some Frog cleats for yourself.
What I can share with you is that we are working on getting more on the market. While I don’t have an exact ETA available to share with you, we will have have more available soon. I would recommend keeping in touch with your local Speedplay retailers, we should also have them available through Competitive Cyclist, Colorado Cyclist and Excel Sports. We’re working on it and appreciate your patience!
Tyler Hamilton gave Speedplay a huge head start when he finished the 2003 Tour in 4th place (With a broken collar bone) riding Speedplay. I installed them on my bike and have never moved to another pedal. The X Series are the best when it comes to float. The cleats have a somewhat short life but for those of us who want to ride and have a knee issue, there is no suitable replacement. I have done hundreds of bike fits and if someone hints at knee issues, I put them on Speedplay. The problems more often than not simply go away. I want more replacement cleats for my X Series and would like to get some new X Series later this year. I really hope Wahoo continues to make these Legacy pedals.
I use Keep On Kovers with my X cleats. That way the plastic cover touches the ground not the metal of the cleat, extending the life.
Thanks for your note, B Silva! The problem I run into with my X Series cleats are the spring bars that lock into the pedal. They rub against the lock point on the pedal and a flat spot wears into the spring. Once ti wears enough, the spring breaks. Where the cleat touches the ground gets some wear though it is never the cause of the cleat being replaced.
Got it, thanks. I’ve had the spring bars break a few times over the years. When I travel I bring a spare pair of cleats. I hope Wahoo will make X cleats available.
I agree and would like to get a couple of new pair of pedals!
I have a few extra set of pedals and cleats that I bought over the past 5 or so years as I had this sense that the X were legacy pedals that Speedplay would stop making. I much prefer the X over the Light Action and Zeroes. Similarly I have some extra Frogs and cleats that I bought for the same reason.
I’m really grateful you shared this information. If you have any updates, please post here too.
I’ve been using Speedplay on my road and mountain bikes for over 20 years. Now I need a new pair of Frog cleats and I can’t find any! I’m seeing that they’re discontinued and I’m very disappointed. I guess I’m gonna have to find another brand to be loyal to… Any suggestions for pedals with similar features?
Wahoo,
After teading quite a few comments, it sounds like people are pretty disappointed and you’re well on your way to messing this up. I have 5 bikes and 3 pairs of shoes with Speedplay pedals and cleats. Loyalty means alot to me and many others. Please maintain support for your loyal customers and family.
Thanks, Andrew
Agreed Andrew, they’re really dropping the ball on this one.
Wahoo made a HUGE mistake discontinuing Speedplay Frogs. Frogs are GREAT pedals – way better than SPD. Frogs were never marketed well. If Frogs were marketed and displayed in bike shops, they would take over the entire SPD market.
WAHOO BLEW IT BIG TIME!!
Bring back the FROGS!!
Agreed that Frogs weren’t marketed well. They work great, though I will say that they look kinda ugly. With a little TLC and marketing, they could have been a hugely popular option.
I bought bearing replacement kits for both my sets. I’m hoping to keep them running for as long as possible.
Here’s hoping that Speedplay have a least 1 more production run!
I agree they look kinda ugly. Big and chunky. But they work great.
Will you continue to manufacture the original X Series pedal? I have been on those pedals for 20 years and prefer to not go to the Light Action or the Zeros. Those options simply do not have the float available in the X Series.
I sure wish that while they are working out what to do with this business that they would continue to sell cleats for Speedplay Frogs. I’ve got them on 3 different bikes and can’t find cleats anywhere.
Agreed! 5 more sets of cleats would keep me going a long time.
For anyone that is interested, you can buy bearing replacement kits for the Frogs on eBay. They are a very easy pedal to service. I’m hoping I can keep my existing Frogs running until the cleats or cleat interface is too worn.
However, if Wahoo do a final production run, then I’ll buy a at least 2 new pairs of pedals.
It’s been a long time since this article was written …. are there any updates on the rumors of SpeedPlay power pedals?
I need to replace my crank-arm power meter soon and this time I’m looking for a solution I can move between bikes. I guess that would probably be Garmin Vectors, but I *really* love my Speedplay Zero pedals and walkable cleats.
Just drop us a hint Wahoo, please!
+1 to Paul’s comment. I’m looking at the assimio pedals as they seem to be the least incompatible with the Keo grey cleats (with 9 degrees of float) but really, really prefer to have a speedplay option
Several friends of mine have tried the Assioma pedals, and have dropped them because they are really hard to clip out of. Some went to a crank based system (Stages, etc), and others went to the Vector. A couple of people did stick it out.
I put Stages on after hearing of the Assioma issues, and not hearing much good regarding Vector reliability at the time. *shrug* (I did like my Powertap C1, but so it goes)
@Nick,
Keo gray pedals are 4.5 degrees. And no issues with the Assiomas.
@Cowrob,
They may have had the older springs. I believe Favero switched to a lighter spring specification and they’re quite easy to unclip. I’ve got mine May of 2019 and even then the springs were the lighter spec.
One thing that takes time to get used with the Faveros is that they spin quite easily, so a smooth get away from stop signs/ red light is helpful in keeping the spinnage to a minimum to help clip in.
I’m also leaning towards a Stages Ultegra R8000 crank-arm power meter right now, but it really annoys me that it isn’t even compatible with my wife’s Ultegra bike because the crank length is different. It’s super annoying to have to change the power meter each time I change my bike.
Speedplay pedals are awesome – and also the higher end of the market. Why is there no power meter option?
@Ihsan you are correct, I meant to type red but had a bit of brainfade 🙂
Are you using genuine Look cleats with your pedals or Favero’s own ones, and with what degree of float ?
Free-float and ease of clipping in and out are why I like my speedplays so much, hence I’m a little anxious that any Look-based system wont be as good. I’m hoping to borrow my son’s Keo pedals and cleats for a couple of weeks to see how I get on with them before committing to Faveros
Nick,
I’m using regular gray (non grip version) look Keo pedals with the Faveros.
I’ve used the exustar red cleats that comes with the pedals for about 4-5 months and switched to Keo cleats afterwards. I haven’t noticed any difference at all in the way either cleats engage/disengage to be honest. Non grip cleats are quite slippery, so I’m using Keo clear covers quite religiously.
I used to be on yellow (6 degree) SPD-SL cleats for all my road cycling past and am happy to say I haven’t noticed the 1.5 degrees of float I “lost”.
I’d say if you’ve been riding for a long time, I’d wager you may already have a genuine need for much less float than free float and you might be pleasantly surprised to find out you’d be happy with the Keo cleats. It may need more careful cleat positioning on the shoes though. But with Look’s “memory cleat positioning” once you get the position dialed in, putting on replacement cleats becomes a 5 second job, which is the primary reason I switched.
Ray – would be great if you could put a word in for Frogs for all us fans! It’s really disappointing to see them just acquire and kill without so much as a heads up for those of us that can’t ride with anything else.
I second this too, I have Frogs on my commuter / winter bike and am also frustrated that there’s nothing quite like them available any more
Hi I’m a Speedplay convert have been for many years but to my surprise I tried to get the larger size spindle which I have been using for years for my zero bowties and the retailer rang the wholesaler and said they are no longer selling them . So where does that leave me ? Do I purchase the normal size pedals and wear down my crank arm and chain stays ? Or do I go back to Shimano who now do an extended spindle Pedal.
You might check eBay, which seems to have a lot of Speedplay spindles for sale. They may not be Speedplay brand though.
Wahoo support said X cleats should be available soon and that we should see them sometime around August though it could be a bit later.
Just a comment on the quality of the ‘current’ Zero Walkable Cleats.
They are a mess. They dropped the machined aluminum style and went with a pressed sheet steel process to make the ‘walkable cleats’, for those that haven’t seen them. Then, over this pressed steel they snap a tight fitting rubber/plastic cover (which is a bugger to remove/install).
The problem is that cover seals in sweat, and the ‘paint’ on the pressed metal does nothing to retard rust, so pretty soon, unless you disassemble and dry out the cleat(?), you end up with a rusted mess. I also had a small piece of the ‘ring’ break off one cleat set, and I don’t know which one it came from yet.
If Wahoo is going to ‘redo’ the lineup, they really should be looking at the materials chosen for those cleats, and also using better seals in the pedals too. The rubber o-ring on the spindle side, next to the needle bearings, is a sad joke. For people that ride a lot, they will likely have to spend a fair amount of time trying to fight the rust and sweat leakage into that bearing. I am having to rebuild a set of pedals due to the rust and the needle bearing on one pedal bearing seizing due to the sweat getting in. Granted, it took a while to get that bad, but I’ve never had to worry about that with a Shimano pedal set (so far). (I ride between 4,000 and 8,000 kilometers a year)
Bring back aluminum cleats, better seals on the inner spindle side of the pedal. (Bring back a reasonably priced rebuild kit, although I’ve found replacement bearings pretty inexpensively, and they are loads better than the stock ones (which isn’t unheard of)), those would be my hopes/wishes.
I am no expert on paint/coating, but am wondering if there is a better coating than the stock ‘paint’ on the pressed metal cleat plate. I ended up smearing wet lube on hoping it would help stop the rust, which probably isn’t a bad idea to begin with. They are noticeably easier to clip in/out.
Has anyone else found a better way to deal with the rusting? Should I just toss the covers?
Have used X pedals for 20 + years and was very fond of them. With the Zeros being released I welcomed the revised metal clip over the previously used mechanism. Need to say however the Zero cleats wear down just as quickly needing replaced. I find fewer shops carrying these and need to shop for them online. I think its time to move away from these costly repairs and find a system that will take more of a beating. Yes, I walk on my road shoes and that impacts the wear but these should hold up longer. Had just read about the SYZR system and initially had hopes of converting to those but found they were discontinued (unsure if that was due to the Wahoo purchase or if the reviews were not what Speedplay had hoped for). It was a good run while it lasted.
Wahoo acquiring Speedplay is a complete disaster. Support is almost non-existent and there’s no way for anyone, including local bike shops to get spare parts like replacment bearings and different spindle lengths anymore. WAHOO SUCKS.
Sure, support could be better, but they did respond to my query about getting new cleats.
As for rebuilds, I’m ‘rebuilding’ my Zero pedals, and readily found all of the bearings. The only bearings that needed to be replaced were the needle bearings on the inside (spindle side) of the pedals. The two roller bearings on the outside were still perfect. The needle bearings are HK1010, and are between $5 and $12 each. I used the more expensive ones because the lead time was better. $24 for bearings thousands of times better than the stock ones seemed like a no-brainer.
Getting them out is interesting. There is a ‘c-clip’ holding the outer pair in. After removing that, I tapped them out with the spindle and the screw threaded into it. The needle bearing is held in by a circle clip, which comes out with a sharp prick. Adding the grease is for that bearing. There are two grease grooves running parallel to the spindle that a pin punch can fit in to drive the needle bearing out. There is a laughable simple o-ring to protect the needle bearing. It’s a joke. I’d think that 9 times out of 10, it’s the needle bearings that go bad.
Once you get all the bearings out, just use a long thin bolt and some washers to press the new needle bearing in, and then the two roller bearings too (press from the outside edge of the bearing, not the inner race). Pump some grease in, and you’re finished. A couple hours work, possibly, and like new pedals. The outer bearings are actually cheaper than the roller bearing is too. If a spindle is trashed, well, that’s a problem. Mine was pitted on the right side, so I polished it as lightly as I could, and will hope for the best. I hope Speedplay comes back soon, but bearings? I’ve almost always found my own bearings for replacements. So many companies use the absolute cheapest crap bearings they can.
Cheers…
Oh, also Wahoo doesn’t suck, well at least for buying Speedplay. I’d be leaning towards Speedplay due to their cumbersome and over complicated product line. Did they really need that many pedal models that were totally incompatible with each other, and all those warnings in the documentation? Yikes… And a simple rubber o-ring for those needle bearings? What?!?
I agree. I asked some weeks ago if there would ever be cleats available for the X series and got a quick reply saying that we should start seeing them I shops in August (See my comment up the the discussion thread). Well it’s mid August now and I just did a google search. Sure enough, they are now available.
Thanks for the update. Where did you find them? I searched but couldn’t find them in stock.
FYI: Wahoo directed me to Competitive Cyclist (www.competitivecyclist.com) that had Zero cleats at the time. They have more pedals in stock currently, but no cleats. They may be worth watching. They seem to have more pedals in stock than a month or so ago. I don’t know if they have a special relationship with Wahoo for Speedplay products. My LBS won’t touch Speedplay, and the only one that did carry them went OOB 2 years ago.
There is also a bunch of X cleats on ebay, some starting at $51.00, and one crook wanting $110.
It seems that some stock is trickling out to resellers though. Seeing no ‘X’ model stuff is potentially a bummer. I do wish Wahoo was clearer on what’s dead, and what’s not..
I still can’t find any Frog cleats (or new Frog pedals) anywhere, including Competitive Cyclist.
That is also my experience, and I do need Frog cleats.
Are the Zero and X spindles the same size, diameters?
I worked with a tool and die company a few years ago, and asked them if they would look at the spindle I have and quote on a replacement. If the X spindles are the same basic spindle, they might be an option for replacement spindles, or even different, if they have a spindle to model from. I’d imagine the first few might be expensive, but if enough people want them, the price would go down I’m sure.
It might be an option rather than dumping X pedals, and ordering whole Zero pedal kits. I’ll know more when I hear from them.
Bring back the speedplay frogs and you may be forgiven for all past discretions. I cannot tell you enough how disappointed I was when I attempted to purchase a pair of frogs two months ago for my new road bike only to discover that they are no longer manufactured and not available.
All the best,
Glenn
WE NEED an update on Frog Cleats. Its not nice that we’re being kept in the dark.
As if they care lol
I sent an email asking about X series cleats and Frogs cleats, I have 3 X series and 2 Frog pedals, and received an email back that both were available for pre-order from retailers and would be available in the next few weeks.
How soon will Cleats for Speedplay Frog Pedals become available again?
Is there any update about this?, are these pedals still developed? or has Wahoo destroyed this brand?, I see no website anymore for speedplay and a lot of dealets do not have any stock anymore, I can not find the extended spindles anymore.
No real update at this point, other than to say Wahoo is working on a re-launch, and things are in progress, but to expect what they said from the beginning a year ago: Their goal is simplification of the line-up. I’m sure elements of that will disappoint some, but realistically the trajectory of Speedplay as a business otherwise probably wasn’t going to be sustainable medium to long term.
Note that they have re-done dealers and such already, such that some existing Wahoo dealers are now selling Speedplay. Though, I think even inventory there has been pretty inconsistent.
In any case, sounds like they’re getting closer to that re-launch (which I can say with 100% confidence is definitely happening). As a few people noted up above, Wahoo CS had confirmed a re-launch was coming “in weeks” back in August, though, things have slipped a bit (like, the rest of 2020). But I don’t really have anything beyond that.
I was able to get to the Speedplay website today. But for the Frog and X it still says Unavailable and Future availability not determined.
Hopefully they will still provide spare parts for the Frog and X.
I was able to get to the Speedplay website today. But for the Frog and X it still says Unavailable and Future availability not determined.
Hopefully they will still provide spare parts for the Frog and X.
Regarding frog pedals and cleats, I contacted Speedplay/Wahoo on Oct 12. Asked about availability of frog pedals, cleats and when the Speedplay website would be updated.
They replied on Oct 13 stating: Thanks for reaching out to Wahoo customer support. Wahoo is not moving forward with the Frog pedal line. We are out of stock of all pedals and cleats and there are no current plans to replenish the stock. We apologize for any inconvenience.
There was no response to the question of when the Speedplay website would be updated.
They also stated that they do not have a mountain bike or cyclocross pedal at this time. Shows they haven’t paid attention as many road riders also use the pedals. Frogs were the only clipless pedal system without having to fight springs to release.
As for replacing Frogs I am trying Time Atac XC8. They have float but it is against spring tension so it feels different. There is practically no cleat angle adjustment, the float makes up for most of this but it’s not quite enough. Will likely try to file the cleat holes to get the neutral setting correct. The springs are set to the lowest setting. I currently have the cleats set for 17 deg release.
Really frustration trying to get use to fighting springs to release after 20+ years on Frogs.
If they truly have no interest in the Frog line, then I wish they could find a way to give the product back to the original Speedplay owner and let him sell them direct to consumer under a different brand name. He already has all the manufacturing set up and it would be easy to set up a little Shopify website to sell them. Seems like there are plenty of people that would still buy and the profit margin would be way bigger than through distribution.
Maybe I’m being naïve and the logistics are way more complex than that, but it’s super frustrating we were given no warning and didn’t have the opportunity to stock up.
Ben, well put. I share your frustration 15 years standardized on Frogs across all my bikes. Bummer!
Ben, I agree 100% I hope Wahoo is open to selling the rights to the Frog pedal.
It’s really a shame to loose such a unique product.
Sadly, I think less of Wahoo because of all this.
I tried Time Atacs years ago. The spring tension required too much effort to release and hurt my knee, and they didn’t have enough float. I stuck with Frogs.
Or they could give or sell the Frog technology to anyone at all, since it clearly has no value to them. Then we could all buy replacement cleats instead of having to scrap hundreds of dollars worth of pedals (I personally have 3 pairs, I know a lot of people are the same). And their window of opportunity to do the right thing is rapidly dwindling, as everybody needs new cleats, and if they can’t buy them, they switch pedal brand. Maybe they’ve missed the boat already.
It’s been clear, to me at least, for the past several years that Speedplay was looking to abandon the Frogs. Thankfully I bought a few extra pair of pedals and cleats. The problem is that there is no good substitute for the Frog pedals. That’s the real shame of it all.
I’m still holding out hope that Speedplay had standing agreements preventing Wahoo from moving forward. If so they would hopefully expire at the end of this year.
I agree, Wahoo’s window of opportunity to back the decades of support riders has shown for Speedplay is just about closed.
It’s been over a year since Wahoo acquired Speedplay and not a single update regarding future plans. Wahoo has left a lot of riders out in the cold, without pedals and cleats! 🙂
I really like Speedplay pedals and have them on numerous road bikes. Started out with the X model but have now switched all them over to Zero. I have always thought Speedplay was an arrogant company with too many lawyers. I got off the X pedals because of the high price of replacement cleats. I would always break the wire spring clip in the right pedal (different from the left) and instead of selling replacement spring clips for a few dollars you had to purchase an entire cleat setup package for $40. Once you had the X cleats mounted you did not need 90% of the crap they forced you to repurchase. I had shoe boxes full of X cleat parts I never used and when I complained and tried to swap some back for parts I did need they said lawyers forced them to sell full kits and not replacement parts. I also did not like the way the X model allowed my expensive crank arms to constantly be scratched up.
The Zero cleats are not much better. You still have to purchase a full cleat setup for $50 when the only thing that breaks is the C clip in the right pedal again. At least in the Zeros the C clips are interchangeable between left and right pedals so I only have to purchase half as many cleats. (just replace a broken one with a used one from the last pair). I have a whole box of unused Zero cleat parts as well. The walkable cleat covers tend to fall off way to easy and the replacements have to be bought in pairs for $20. I glue my on with Shoe Goo to try to keep them from falling off.
I ave never had an issue with a Speedplay pedal in hundreds of thousands miles but their cleats break way to easy, are way to expensive to replace, and hard to locate. There is plenty of room for improvement in this area…………
Oh I had no idea but I do adore my speedplay pedals so good to know!
Guess what, I just ordered a pair of Frogs cleats from this site: link to bikebug.com I got an email alert they had stock, tried to order 2 pairs, it didn’t work, tried to order 1 pair and Bingo! Seem to have snagged the last pair for now. See screenshot, prices are in Australian dollars and include shipping to Thailand. Will have to pay some import tax but totally worth it at this point.