Why anyone would change their bike fit and potentially introduce issues just to snap into SPD-SL is beyond me. It’s not something I’ll be doing. Sure MTB/gravel/etc have wider stance, but they are other bikes with different geometry. They’re ridden differently.
Having these on my road bikes wasn’t to my liking at all. I’m sure others would find the same if they installed 13mm spacers on each side on their road bikes, for no good reason.
Asking riders to ride a 26mm wider stance-width is a work-around for this design that’s 100% on the rider to ‘deal with’. That’s shit. imo.
These had the potential to be the 10/10 go-go meter for a few years to come. I expected Favero to deliver a better product. My feedback 12 months ago was acknowledged and ignored. Favero went the easy route with a new oil-cap (o-ring), small metal sleeve, and called it a new product.
Pretty disappointing considering the excitement everyone had. On the LOOK/XPEDO cleat aspect, I’ve gotten used to them LONG ago. Sure the supplied XPEDO cleats are a bit slick on some surfaces, which could be remedied by using LOOK GRIP cleats, but I’ll take more careful walking (rarely have to walk on surfaces where they are not grippy) over potential issues with cleats coming out during pedaling.
In general, I’ve got no burning desire to go back to SL cleats, I don’t find their advantages or any disadvantages of the XPEDO apparent or relevant for my use.
I used spd-sl previously and I personally hadn’t noticed any big change in going to the assioma and look style, I definitely feel no big urge to go shimano. Of course I’m not going to discount any reasons why one would prefer spd-sl. It is too bad the Q factor wasn’t considered more carefully, so I think Shane’s and others’ concern is super valid
My big issue is:
I have 2 road bikes, they both have SPD-SL right now. The exact position of my cleats was set by my bike fitter so when I need to replace them I can just trace them and get an identical position.
If I were to install the normal duos, I’d have to put new pedals on the other road bike as well and change the cleats on my shoes. It’s really annoying that this isn’t a clean 1:1 replacement for the shimano pedals, but it’s still probably the most seamless solution out there…
Yeah, to me it’s a wash for anyone who uses different bike types (or heck, even an indoor smart bike - which all have wider stances). If you have a MTB bike, then it’s more than this is, and folks swap back and forth without concern.
Certainly, if someone has only ever ridden a given q-factor, then it might take a ride or two to feel ‘normal’, just like any other bike. But for me, it’s just a non-issue.
No worries though, while @GPLAMA and I agree on lots of things, we don’t always agree on everything. For starters, his countryman eat Vegemite. Talk about a non-starter.
I went from Speedplay to the Assiomas, and I didn’t die either (even if the stack is quite a bit taller). I switched to Keo Grip cleats, they are at the same time better (less slippery to walk, less drag in float, you can get cleat covers for them) and worse (clip-in is not very crisp, needs a lot of pressure, although that seems to improve as the cleats wear a bit). I wouldn’t trade this setup for an SPD-SL one.
XPEDO cleats are slippery on polished wood and tile (coffee shop floors?) and nylon decking used to build some bridge walkways here. On pavement (asphalt, concrete, etc) and regular wood boards, they are not slippery. I don’t do a ton of walking in mine so it’s never been a concern, just an excuse to walk purposely goofy in front of friends
I am using Keo Grip cleats with the older Favero be pro S. The Keo Grips are marginally wider than Xpedo at the back and you need them down slightly. The PM is on my TT bike though so they don’t wear out fast , it be more of a pain on an everyday bike
I think it also depends on your physiology. For me, I am slightly toe-out (duck footed). So it would be nice to have the extra room so my heel doesn’t hit the crank arm. Perhaps knock-kneed people feel the opposite and will have issues.
I have been waiting forever for a Shimano power meter pedal. Keo’s don’t work for me as they always squeak. Plus, I love being able to walk w/o feeling like I am on an ice rink.
I was going to buy them but feel the same plus I have a 4iiii left crank that works fine. Recently I went back to Shimano spd-sl as I was tired of the speedplay and the oil needed to get them to stop squeaking.
The squeaking sound was my audio power meter before I got the Assiomas. The harder you push, the more they squeak, and you get to a point where you know where the sweet spot is just by listening.
Has anybody got any feedback on these pedals from using them for a month or two? After the initial reviews I haven’t seen any slightly longer term opinions on them (and the Q factor issue). Cheers
I was wondering the same and lol, Ive had just one response so far on the DC Rainmaker forum and somebody posted the week before I asked both loved them but one hated the Q factor and was sending them back the other never noticed
Yeah I’m wondering whether it’s either a ‘No news is good news’ situation because if there was a problem people would complain. Or alternatively, Favero have barely sold any at all because of the initial concerns.
I’ve been riding Duo Shis for about a month now. Was very hesitant at first due to the q factor concerns.
My natural position is toe out, and historically I’ve had issues removing knee pain while balancing lateral placement, angle and heels hitting chainstays.
Before buying the assiomas I pushed my cleat position completely in (putting my shoes all the way outboard) to test out a wider q factor. The only issue that caused was blistering because my feet were slightly rotating in the shoe with how inboard the cleat mounting was.
Switching over, and boy am I happy. Feet feel in a great position, and I can put the cleat exactly where I want it under the ball of my foot. No heel clipping either!
So all in all, I think I have to echo the GPLama/DCRainmaker view. Unless you have an extremely dialed it fit this won’t be an issue. My interpretation is that unless you know that the wider q factor doesn’t work for you because you’ve had pain and/or power drops when testing it in the fitting context enjoy this great product.
