Speedplay Syzr mountain bike pedals review
Speedplay’s Syzr pedal makes for a great recessed cleat road and gravel road pedal. Unfortunately, if they aren’t maintained, performance can go south when the Syzrs encounter mud (click to enlarge).
Lowdown: Speedplay Syzr Mountain Bike Pedals
If you are up for maintaining your cleats and pedals, Speedplay’s Syzrs offer road-like adjustable float and different spindle lengths in a walkable cleat off-road pedal. They are perfect for mountain bikers or gravel riders with particular fits needs, assuming maintenance is performed.
| Weight: 325g pair w/59mm stainless spindles | Price: $199 |
| Options: Titanium, stainless, or chromoly spindles, 50, 53, 55mm (65mm offered aftermarket) |
Rating:  3.5 out of 5 |
Pluses |
Minuses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Review: Speedplay Syzr Mountain Bike Pedals
Starting with a clean slate is a daunting task, especially when trying to take on one of cycling’s iconic products. But that’s exactly what Speedplay founder Richard Bryne did with the Syzr mountain bike pedal. Bryne has innovated for decades and his approach is often different, yet methodical. When he took time to examine the mountain bike pedals on offer, he saw two problems that needed solving: adjustable float and engagement that didn’t rely on the lugs of the shoe as an interface.
As Speedplay’s Zero road pedal models illustrate, many people benefit from the ability to dial in the amount and placement of a pedal’s float. But it was only available to road riders. Mountain bikers didn’t have this option — until now. The Syzr has 10 degrees of adjustable float. This feature is fairly obvious to most cyclists, but the second problem Bryne identified was a little more involved.
Other mountain bike pedals rely on the shoe lugs on either side of the cleat to lend stability to the system. When everything is new and clean, this isn’t a problem. But as shoes and pedals wear, slop can develop. This increased movement can affect a cyclist’s knees and ankles whether they realize it or not. Byrne, by creating a system that is independent of that interface, has created a pedal that should perform more consistently over the life of a cyclist’s shoes.
Mounting Process
The Syzr cleats are a two-bolt affair like any other mountain bike cleat. But that is where similarities end. The cleats also house the system’s float with the engaging part of the cleat rotating around the center fixed portion of the cleat. Adjusted using a 2mm Allen key, two limit screws narrow the movement of the cleat as desired. I ran the cleats with maximum float (my preference) but also as Bryne recommends running as much float as is comfortable when riding the Syzrs. This helps with cleat retention, as it keeps you farther from the disengagement points on the cleat.
Because the part of the cleat that is engaged by the pedal can move, it also means that clipping in can change from one time to the next. This isn’t too bothersome, but worth noting. With the cleats wide open, it was sometimes necessary to clip in with a toe-in foot orientation. This took some adjustment on the part of the tester, but eventually felt natural.
The Syzr cuts a low profile (click to enlarge).
When using Syzrs it’s important to drop your heels when riding over bumpy terrain, as the engagement of the pedal is on its front rather than on the rear like a Shimano SPD. A toe down orientation means that you’re relying entirely on the engagement spring for retention. On a couple occasions, I accidentally clipped out while riding a gravel bike over rocky terrain. On a mountain bike with suspension, I had no problems, even while bombing rough singletrack.
Sticking Point
I rode the Syzrs as they came out of the box, without any cleaning or maintenance for over a month. All went smoothly for four weeks riding road, gravel, and mountain. Problems arose, though, when I encountered mud. Upon trying to clip in, I struggled. Once engaged, the pedal’s float was essentially gone and I had a series of unwanted pedal releases.
Somewhat disappointed, I contacted Bryne. He asked lots of questions regarding setup, but we settled on a lack of lubrication as the culprit. I took apart the cleats, greased the moving parts, and reassembled them. I also applied some of Speedplay’s SP lube to the contact points on the pedals.
Continue to page 2 for more of our Speedplay Syzr mountain bike pedals review »
The post Speedplay Syzr mountain bike pedals review appeared first on Mountain Bike Review.