Pedal problem.

[George Rounce]

Hi everyone. I have just bought a new bike(BMC streetfire ssx) and i thought it would be a good idea to buy a pair of clipless pedals. Im niw the proud owner of a pair of shimano spd-sl pedals and shoes. but when trying to unclip from them it is very stiff and i have to really tug to get my shoe out and not fall over! I am really thinking about swaping back to flat pedals again any help or tips would be much appreciated. ATB George.

 

[davereo]

HI George
I use Look Cleats which are similar to yours. I suggest that you adjust the tension all the way to the lowest setting and start from there. If you have a trainer place your bike on the trainer to practice on. If you do not have a trainer I suggest you do this out on a grass covered field or have someone hold your bike upright for you. For normal stopping I always unclip my right foot first so I can lean towards the right away from road traffic. I do this the same way all the time I begin the unclipping motion on my downward pedal stroke so my foot is released at the bottom of the stroke sort of a twist and push out motion. If you fail to release you are at the bottom of your pedal and can easily go through the motion again without pedaling. I find that if you try to release on the upward stroke the twist and yank has a higher degree of failing and causes some people to panic. Practice makes perfect but be aware that you will eventually fall to the ground in public we all have. For safety sake do not go out on the road until you become comfortable with your new pedals. Good luck with your new gear.

 

[sitzmark]

George - make sure your cleats are tight. Rode earlier this year with a group and one of the rider's cleats was slipping just enough that he couldn't clip out. Once tightened he had no more problems.

Enjoy the new bike!

 

[rparedes]

Originally Posted by George Rounce .

Hi everyone. I have just bought a new bike(BMC streetfire ssx) and i thought it would be a good idea to buy a pair of clipless pedals. Im niw the proud owner of a pair of shimano spd-sl pedals and shoes. but when trying to unclip from them it is very stiff and i have to really tug to get my shoe out and not fall over! I am really thinking about swaping back to flat pedals again any help or tips would be much appreciated. ATB George.

SPD-SL's are not the easiest to unclip, especially with brand new cleats. They do get easier as the cleat wears out a little. Set the tension to the lowest setting, you'll hear a little "click" as you turn the screw and unscrew until there is ALMOST no more thread left but not all the way. You'll feel the resistance as you get near the end. Take a fine sandpaper and gently "ease" the top edge the cleat. You can also increase the angle of the cleat on you shoe so that there is more torque applied as you rotate your heel out. As you rotate your heel out, apply downward pressure on the pedal. I've also applied a little grease on the pedal retention clip's "side ramps", where the cleat "slides" to release, in order to reduce friction until the cleat gets "seasoned". Like another post said, practice the release a lot and unclip way ahead of a stop.

 

[swampy1970]

SPD-SL's are a bit tight when new. Give it a week and you'll get used to it - and they'll break in. Don't file away the cleats - let them wear in.

IMHO - nothing has surpased the original Time pedals for ease of use and float. Awesome pedals... but the bearings were made square and they weighed about as much as the Empire State building... but I loved 'em.

This is one of those times where a nice torque wrench comes in useful. Back in the day, just after cleats stopped being nailed into shoes, slotted screws were used and it was a pain to get them tight enough. Now, with allen bolts it's too easy to over tighten them and strip the threaded inserts in the shoes. You have to walk the fine line between too tight and not tight enough.

 

[MMMhills]

be careful when loosening the pressure not to goto loose or the screw came come out on the road and the pedals will be no good.

 

[64Paramount]

Originally Posted by swampy1970 .

SPD-SL's are a bit tight when new. Give it a week and you'll get used to it - and they'll break in. Don't file away the cleats - let them wear in.

That's the same thing the guys at my local bike shop told me when I bought my first set SPD-SL's.

So I just left them the way they were from the factory and after a week or two I didn't really think about it anymore.

 

[maydog]

I have used just a dab of grease on new cleats - where on the rear of the cleat where it rubs the pedal when unclipping. The difference in effort is night and day.