Speedplay SYZR Pedals Have Arrived!

I picked up 2 pairs of Speedplay SYZR pedals last night from my sponsor shop, The Wheel Cyclery.  Although the Speedplay X series pedals are my favorite road pedals, I was never a huge fan of the Speedplay Frog pedals, just because of there limitations in cyclocross.  Speedplay first presented a pedal they were developing as a viable MTB/Cyclocross pedal, way back in 2008. So, I have been patiently waiting for it to come to production.  I think this is the 3rd iteration and they look to have hit the mark with the SYZR!   Here are my initial findings and will post a full review, once I have put them through the paces.

1. The design and finish are on par with everything Speedplay produces, so that is a good thing.
2. The cleats are complex in design and since the float is built in them, I will be curious to see how they function when gunked up in a muddy cross race.
3. Mounting the cleats is straight forward, but you need to alternate the tightening of the screws as you are threading them in.  Then torque them to 5nm.
4. Adjusting the float is easy and even when adjusted out to the full 10 degrees, my shoes did not hit my crankarms.
5. The tension adjustment on the pedals is easy, but as with any, if you tighten the release you are also tightening the engagement.
6. To engage the pedals, it is a toe in first engagement.  You can't just step down on them.
7. The wings on the front of the cleats do a good job "guiding" your foot into the pedal.
8. The float is not as "icy" feeling as the X2 or Frogs, as it offers a little more resistance.  There is a shim included that you can install to free up the float friction.  I will probably not use it, though.
9. Engagement and disengagement of the pedals is more like a Shimano pedal than an Egg Beater, which to me is a good thing.
10. The pedal body has a very open design and should shed mud quite well.
11. There is a little more maintenance involved than some people might want, as Speedplay recommends lubing the cleat with a PTFE lube every 2 rides or after every wet/muddy ride.
12. I wonder how much the replacement cleats will be and how often they will need replaced?  Being steel, they should last similar to a Shimano and not wear as quickly as the Crank Bros brass cleats do.