Shimano 515 SPD Problem

[[email protected]]

Howdy folks. The mechanism on my fiance's pedals Shimano 515 pedals
is hanging up and making it really difficult to clip in and out. Its
only happening on the right pedal, but it occurs on both sides.

The problem goes like this:
Freshly lubed & adjusted pedal clips in fine the first time.
When unclipping, the catch on the rear of the pedal (the part that
moves, allowing release) hangs up on the "baseplate" (the part the
majority of the bottom of the cleat contacts, held to the pedal body
by 2 screws) and won't return. I tried cleaning/lubing and that
didn't fix it. Will higher tension force the mechanism closed?

She likes really light tension, but she's pretty cheap too, so if that
will fix it she'll get over tighter clips. Can I take a file to the
underside of the mechanism or the top/back of the baseplate to improve
clearance?

Thanks in advance.

Ted C.

 

[Bailes]

Check that the cleat is not worn, most cyclist favor one foot and unclip
primarily on that side. I have also seen these the cleat interface wear
prematurely and will need to replace the pedals. Buy some Crank Bros a real
pedal system.

 

[Ride-A-Lot]

Bailes wrote:
> Check that the cleat is not worn, most cyclist favor one foot and unclip
> primarily on that side. I have also seen these the cleat interface wear
> prematurely and will need to replace the pedals. Buy some Crank Bros a real
> pedal system.
>
>

Crank Brother cleats wearout faster than Shimano because they are brass,
but the pedal is definately an improvement.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

 

[Bailes]

Better the cleats wearing out than the actual pedal I would have thought
mind you can;t give 515's away in our shop!

 

[Ride-A-Lot]

Bailes wrote:
> Better the cleats wearing out than the actual pedal I would have thought
> mind you can;t give 515's away in our shop!
>
>

I agree, but CB should lower the price on the cleats or use stronger
material. I'm not worried about an extra 10 grams. I find they wear out
after 2 - 3 months of moderate use. At US$18 a set you are look at
US$72 - US$108 a year. That's more than I paid for the pedals to being
with (well at least the Candy C's).


--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot (Still a Happy CB Candy User) o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Ride-A-Lot" wrote: Crank Brother cleats wearout faster than Shimano
because they are brass, (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I just checked the cleats that came with my Eggbeaters, and they stick to a
magnet. They're NOT bass--they're steel. They DO have a brassy looking
finish, though.

 

[Ride-A-Lot]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> "Ride-A-Lot" wrote: Crank Brother cleats wearout faster than Shimano
> because they are brass, (clip)
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I just checked the cleats that came with my Eggbeaters, and they stick to a
> magnet. They're NOT bass--they're steel. They DO have a brassy looking
> finish, though.
>
>

Then it must be a very soft alloy. Could it be brass mixed with some
steel? Whatever it is, it's soft.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

 

[Antti Salonen]

Ride-A-Lot <[email protected]> wrote:

> > Better the cleats wearing out than the actual pedal I would have thought
> > mind you can;t give 515's away in our shop!
>
> I agree, but CB should lower the price on the cleats or use stronger
> material. I'm not worried about an extra 10 grams. I find they wear out
> after 2 - 3 months of moderate use. At US$18 a set you are look at
> US$72 - US$108 a year. That's more than I paid for the pedals to being
> with (well at least the Candy C's).

To my experience, the Eggbeaters had two major problems. As said, the
cleats wear out extremely fast. About 2000 km was enough to cause an
annoying amount of play. With my current mileage, that's less than a
month and a half of use.

I had 2002 model Eggbeaters and the bearings were absolutely awful.
Actually there's no bearing at all on the inside but a plastic bushing,
and there would soon be significant play between the spindle and the
pedal body. I used the pedals for almost ten thousand kilometres on my
road bike but eventually got tired of the hassle and switched back to
Shimano.

The basic Shimano pedals, like PD-M520, are much better quality than
the pedals from Crank Brothers at much lower price. If you want light
pedals, Speedplay Frogs are even lighter and a lot better made.

I'm sure the Eggbeaters have their advantages when riding offroad, though.

-as

 

[Boyle M. Owl]

Ride-A-Lot wrote:
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
>
>> "Ride-A-Lot" wrote: Crank Brother cleats wearout faster than Shimano
>> because they are brass, (clip)
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> I just checked the cleats that came with my Eggbeaters, and they stick
>> to a magnet. They're NOT bass--they're steel. They DO have a brassy
>> looking finish, though.
>>
>
> Then it must be a very soft alloy. Could it be brass mixed with some
> steel? Whatever it is, it's soft.

It's possible that the magnet he's using is sticking to the screws in
his shoe.

AFAICT, they're brass. Indeed, it's not a "brass finish" because the
color is consistent all the way through the cleat. It's meant to be
soft, because you have a choice, either wear the cleat out or wear the
pedal out, or both simultaneously.

I'll choose the cleat, thankyouverymuch.

My stainless eggbeaters are into their third year. What I have noticed
is that the spring has lost some of its oomph, and the free wing can
wiggle back and forth a few degrees. Still holds on to the cleat well,
though.

They've had some pretty good use, being used to commute every day.

--
BMO

 

[Peter Cole]

Antti Salonen wrote:
>
> The basic Shimano pedals, like PD-M520, are much better quality than
> the pedals from Crank Brothers at much lower price. If you want light
> pedals, Speedplay Frogs are even lighter and a lot better made.
>
> I'm sure the Eggbeaters have their advantages when riding offroad, though.

I dunno, a friend shattered his lower leg in a twisting fall. He claimed
his EggBeaters didn't release, he's gone back to spuds. I've never had a
spud trap my foot, and I've taken a lot of falls.

 

[Ride-A-Lot]

Peter Cole wrote:
> Antti Salonen wrote:
>
>>
>> The basic Shimano pedals, like PD-M520, are much better quality than
>> the pedals from Crank Brothers at much lower price. If you want light
>> pedals, Speedplay Frogs are even lighter and a lot better made.
>> I'm sure the Eggbeaters have their advantages when riding offroad,
>> though.
>
>
> I dunno, a friend shattered his lower leg in a twisting fall. He claimed
> his EggBeaters didn't release, he's gone back to spuds. I've never had a
> spud trap my foot, and I've taken a lot of falls.

That was always my fear with moving away from SPD's. I wear full tread
MTB shoes (the kind that are like light hikers). I find that if I don't
use the supplied shim with the CB cleats, they release just as easily as
SPD's (when you want them to). If I put the shim on, bike and me do not
seperate. So, I don't use the shim.

Not that I make it a point to ride in mud, but sometimes you put your
foot down in a slightly muddy area. I always had to clean the cleat and
peddle of an SPD with a stick. I have never had to do that with CB's.
They shed mud like a baby oil covered stripper.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

 

[JD]

I don't see how you guys ride around with those things.

JD

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

JD wrote:
> I don't see how you guys ride around with those things.
>
> JD

What "things" are you specifically referring to?
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Peter Cole]

Ride-A-Lot wrote:
>
> Not that I make it a point to ride in mud, but sometimes you put your
> foot down in a slightly muddy area. I always had to clean the cleat and
> peddle of an SPD with a stick. I have never had to do that with CB's.

Yeah, mud (and snow, if you're into that) are the weak spot for SPD, and
that's where eggbeaters shine.

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Boyle M. Owl" wrote: (clip) It's possible that the magnet he's using is
sticking to the screws in his shoe.
AFAICT, they're brass. Indeed, it's not a "brass finish" because the color
is consistent all the way through the cleat. It's meant to be soft,
because you have a choice, either wear the cleat out or wear the pedal out,
or both simultaneously. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That's a valid point, but I went back and tood the cleat OFF. and rechecked.
It is weakly magnetic. I tested with a file, and you are correct--it IS
softer than the SPD cleat. It's definitely not brass. I work with metals a
lot, and I can tell the difference. I think it's stainless steel. Some
stainless is slightly magnetic. An alloy of brass and steel has HORRIBLE
properties, and would never be used.

The instructions indicate that the cleats are deliberately made softer than
the pedals, so they will wear instead of the pedals. This makes sense to
me.

BTW, the Crank instructions are among the best written I have seen. They
are clear and complete, and do not insult your intelligence.

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

Peter Cole wrote:
> Ride-A-Lot wrote:
>>
>> Not that I make it a point to ride in mud, but sometimes you put your
>> foot down in a slightly muddy area. I always had to clean the cleat
>> and peddle of an SPD with a stick. I have never had to do that with
>> CB's.
>
> Yeah, mud (and snow, if you're into that) are the weak spot for SPD,
> and that's where eggbeaters shine.

Ah, but if you never need to stop, then you won't need to put your foot down
in mud
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Nelson Binch]

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
| JD wrote:
| > I don't see how you guys ride around with those things.
| >
| > JD
|
| What "things" are you specifically referring to?
| --
| Phil, Squid-in-Training
|
|

515s are only useful on recreational road bikes.

I just robbed some parts from a new set of 535s to repair my venerable
636s. Sweet.

 

[Leo Lichtman]

JD wrote: I don't see how you guys ride around with those things.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Phil wrote: What "things" are you specifically referring to?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Phil, I guess you're not a Seinfeld fan, are you?

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> JD wrote: I don't see how you guys ride around with those things.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Phil wrote: What "things" are you specifically referring to?
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Phil, I guess you're not a Seinfeld fan, are you?

No. In fact, I really dislike the show. The only thing Seinfeld really
says is, "You can't (fill in the blank)!!!" *cue canned laughter* Quite
the boring, old, rehashed comedy... I'm glad it's gone. That's just my own
opinion though.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> JD wrote: I don't see how you guys ride around with those things.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Phil wrote: What "things" are you specifically referring to?
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Phil, I guess you're not a Seinfeld fan, are you?

No. In fact, I really dislike the show. The only thing Seinfeld really
says is, "You can't (fill in the blank)!!!" *cue canned laughter* Quite
the boring, old, rehashed comedy... I'm glad it's gone. That's just my own
opinion though.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training