Shimming is an important part of increasing functional symmetry when cycling. The Speedplay Extender Plate Plus 5 pictured below is a beautiful piece of work that solves many problems. Shim stacks larger than 10mm can be problematic because multiple shims require long fixing bolts that only engage with several mm of thread. The shim stack can come loose unless tightened hard and often. This is not as secure as we would like with large shim stacks. The solution is a fitting we manufacture named Speedplay Extender Plate Plus 5.
It is similar to the Speedplay part no. 13330 but instead of being the 3mm depth of a standard Speedplay baseplate, it is 8mm deep. So, it is a 5mm shim in itself and has 8mm of thread engagement potential. That solves the security problem. The other problem that it solves is that of Rocking Torque. With a large shim stack the foot is much further from the pedal and there is a greater effort required of the rider to stabilise the foot on the pedal. This is why all manufacturers have reduced the overall height of their pedal and cleat systems over the last 30 years. The solution to this problem is to move the shimmed cleat further rearward until if ‘feels’ the same as the non shimmed leg.
The Speedplay Extender Plate Plus 5 is CNC machined from high quality aluminium alloy and allows for up to 14mm further rearward cleat adjustment than a standard Speedplay baseplate. It functions alone as a 5mm shim but it’s main purpose is to function as a secure base with plenty of thread engagement for large shims stacks. We have used this fitting for shim stacks of up to 25mm to date.
