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No, SPDs are much better. Their durability compared to Speedplay is off the charts. They don't need any of this care regime bullshit that Speedplay do and I can buy a whole set of SPDs for the price of one poxy cleat set for Speedplay.
I have custom drilled shoes and 2-bolt cleats don't really work unless the sole is flat enough to take them, ie. £500 custom German option and the bloke never got back to me so I use normal shoes built to take Speedplay.
hippy-
No, SPDs are much better. Their durability compared to Speedplay is off the charts. They don't need any of this care regime bullshit that Speedplay do and I can buy a whole set of SPDs for the price of one poxy cleat set for Speedplay.
Speedplay are not "install and forget until replacement" nor are they inexpensive but they are not that hard to maintain or "fragile". Pumping some grease every once and again through the grease port is, albeit too much for the "non enthusiast", pretty much in line with the demands of road bicycle maintainance.
The cleats are indeed expensive and not as long lasting as any of us would like but still robuster than most other popular road pedal cleats. The surface of the cleat is slippery metal unkind to stopping at lights but easily "hacked" with some Sugru. The C-clip itself will generally hold up through 10 of 1000s of clip-outs. The cleats are unfortunately very expensive--- more so in Europe than in the US. It's really the price of the cleats that pushes the cost of running Speedplays to the top.
In defense, however, of Bryne if he made the pedals stronger and the cleats harder wearing it would push the weight up and significantly dampen sales--- the Time Equip TBTs were ideal in nearly every category but weight (even the Equip Titan tipped the scales at 470g for the pair including cleats, 4 hole mounting versus, for reference, 280g for Speedplay stainless). Even the Roubaix SE and series Pave models, despite minimalization, weight more--- the pave even a few grams more than the SEs (casting versus machined alu bodies and the addition of a bit more surface). Today's Time pedals are similar in weight to Speedplay-- even lighter (185g for the Ti including cleats on 3 hole shoes is more or less what Speedplay Nanograms with 4 hole shoes weigh)-- but they are no longer robust (the bodies break) and the cleats wear fast (no longer brass).
SPD-SL? Campa Pro-fit? Both are really similar to the old Look design but nicely executed.. They are really nice pedals if you liked that design and the biomechanics.. and they are also a tiny bit heavier.. The PD-9000, for example, is 320g with cleats-- roughly the same a Speedplay stainless with 3 hole adapter. The Record Pro-fit is even 355g (again with cleats).
Personally I think the main alternative from a biomechanical perspective to Speedplay are the Time Xpresso pedals. In Europe, at least, the Time pedals and cleats are cheaper... Unfortunately I'm not 100% convinced by their current design focus: easy clip-in.
EdwardZ
Come-on SPUDs are not better. You may be a "freak" but if they were better you'd use them too.. (now the old Time EQs were better but they got killed by WW culture and 3 hole shoes).