Shimano M545 pedals release too easily...

[David Obando]

Hello All,

Just looking for some information as I am new to clipless pedals and don't have enough historical
info to draw from...

I purchased the Shimano SH-M545 pedals (they have a small cage for riding when you're not clipped-in
or if you're wearing regular shoes) and the Shoes are Shimano M-082's

I installed the cleats into the shoes as per instructions and over the next hour or so after that
experimented with the clip tension while riding the bike on rollers in the garage...

First have to mention that the difference after going from regular pedals to clipless is astounding!
Its difficult to describe to someone just how much energy and how much of a distraction it is to
devote any amount of mental and physical energy worrying wbout your foot position or worse, losing
foot position... I found during the testing that because spinning was so much easier and utilized
more muscles in a more effecient manner I was able to maintain cadence for a significantly longer
period of time before getting fatigued...

But to the point...

Releasing from the pedals seem a bit "too" easy even with the spring tension set to max (all red
showing on the indicator and the screw bottomed out) If I maintain foot position within the limits
of float on the pedals there seems to be a reasonable force holding me in, but it only takes a VERY
light flick of the ankle to pop out... And whats worse, at the bottom of the stroke, if I pull
straight back with any authority, I can pull out of the pedal straight back with marginal ease...

These are the black (sh-51?) cleats that are supposed to be twist out only as opposed to the silver
versions which I hear have multiple release methods and directions.

So to sum up, they feel fairly solid, but don't evoke a great deal of confidence over rough terrain
and getting jarred from the pedals on landings or from pulling the foot straight back...

My question overall is, for the M545 pedals and the M-082 shoe combo, if you adjusted the tension to
max, shouldn't it be fairly difficult to clip out? There just feels like there is too much slop in
the connection for the max tension I have it set too... but with my limited experience I have
nothing to compare to...

All I am going by is peop;e talking about how the fall over in the street sometimes because they
have a difficult time clipping out, my problem is the opposite and staying clipped in under fairly
rugged conditions...

Thanks in Advance for any info you might have,

David

 

[Mike Jacoubowsk]

> And whats worse, at the bottom of the stroke, if I pull straight back with any authority, I can
> pull out of the pedal straight back with marginal ease...

Your cleat/pedal combo isn't designed to do that. My guess is that you're not actually fully engaged
in the pedal for some reason, although you're using equipment that's about as standard as you can
get, so it's unlikely to be a compatibility issue between shoe and pedal. Best bet would be to bring
them in to the shop you got them from and see if they can look at it and figure anything out.
Premature release is not a known problem with your pedals.

> I purchased the Shimano SH-M545 pedals (they have a small cage for riding when you're not
> clipped-in or if you're wearing regular shoes) and the
Shoes
> are Shimano M-082's

That "small cage" is actually there for no other reason than to hold the reflectors, in order to
meet CPSC requirements. If you tried to ride on it you'd find it quite slippery, perhaps even
dangerous.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"David Obando" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello All,
>
> Just looking for some information as I am new to clipless pedals and don't have enough historical
> info to draw from...
>
> I purchased the Shimano SH-M545 pedals (they have a small cage for riding when you're not
> clipped-in or if you're wearing regular shoes) and the
Shoes
> are Shimano M-082's
>
> I installed the cleats into the shoes as per instructions and over the
next
> hour or so after that experimented with the clip tension while riding the bike on rollers in the
> garage...
>
> First have to mention that the difference after going from regular pedals
to
> clipless is astounding! Its difficult to describe to someone just how
much
> energy and how much of a distraction it is to devote any amount of mental and physical energy
> worrying wbout your foot position or worse, losing
foot
> position... I found during the testing that because spinning was so much easier and utilized more
> muscles in a more effecient manner I was able to maintain cadence for a significantly longer
> period of time before getting fatigued...
>
> But to the point...
>
> Releasing from the pedals seem a bit "too" easy even with the spring
tension
> set to max (all red showing on the indicator and the screw bottomed out)
If
> I maintain foot position within the limits of float on the pedals there seems to be a reasonable
> force holding me in, but it only takes a VERY
light
> flick of the ankle to pop out... And whats worse, at the bottom of the stroke, if I pull straight
> back with any authority, I can pull out of the pedal straight back with marginal ease...
>
> These are the black (sh-51?) cleats that are supposed to be twist out only as opposed to the
> silver versions which I hear have multiple release
methods
> and directions.
>
> So to sum up, they feel fairly solid, but don't evoke a great deal of confidence over rough
> terrain and getting jarred from the pedals on
landings
> or from pulling the foot straight back...
>
> My question overall is, for the M545 pedals and the M-082 shoe combo, if
you
> adjusted the tension to max, shouldn't it be fairly difficult to clip out? There just feels like
> there is too much slop in the connection for the max tension I have it set too... but with my
> limited experience I have nothing to compare to...
>
> All I am going by is peop;e talking about how the fall over in the street sometimes because they
> have a difficult time clipping out, my problem is
the
> opposite and staying clipped in under fairly rugged conditions...
>
> Thanks in Advance for any info you might have,
>
> David

 

[David Obando]

Thanks for the information Mike!

After getting the bike on a stand and taking the shoe and looking closely at the engaging process I
found out what was going on, and it was just as you related:

The 082 shoe has two "ridges" about 1/2" running parallel down the left and right side of the sole
on either side of the cleat area... The cage on the pedals contact this raised area and if you
"toe-in" and press down, the premature contact keeps the cleat from fully engaging (but it does
engage enough to weakly connect)

Seeing how the mechanicals actually function I put the shoes back on, go on the rollers and this
time after toeing in, I pressed down more firmly and heard a satisfying "CLACK" and voila! Very
solid and satisfying connection


I had turned the tension down almost to the lowest level while I was trying to figure out what was
what, and was surprised at how tenaciously they held on... Much nicer! but now that I am correctly
connected I shudder at how difficult it must be to get out when the tension is set much higher, let
alone the highest level.

I suspect that the small cage on the M545 pedals and the firm contact they have with the raised
portion on the bottom of the shoe may artificially increase the connection tension when clipped in,
and if the cage is, as you say, of marginal utility, I may take them off and see how they fill
then... or put these on my other bike and get some dedicated clipless only pedals.

The feeling of only being half connected when the pedals were'nt engaged properly was superior to
flat pedals... the feeling of being clipped in properly is even better!

Again, thanks for the reply and the info...

David

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > And whats worse, at the bottom of the stroke, if I pull straight back with any authority, I can
> > pull out of
the
> > pedal straight back with marginal ease...
>
> Your cleat/pedal combo isn't designed to do that. My guess is that you're not actually fully
> engaged in the pedal for some reason, although you're using equipment that's about as standard as
> you can get, so it's unlikely
to
> be a compatibility issue between shoe and pedal. Best bet would be to
bring
> them in to the shop you got them from and see if they can look at it and figure anything out.
> Premature release is not a known problem with your pedals.
>
> > I purchased the Shimano SH-M545 pedals (they have a small cage for
riding
> > when you're not clipped-in or if you're wearing regular shoes) and the
> Shoes
> > are Shimano M-082's
>
> That "small cage" is actually there for no other reason than to hold the reflectors, in order to
> meet CPSC requirements. If you tried to ride on
it
> you'd find it quite slippery, perhaps even dangerous.
>
> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>
>
> "David Obando" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hello All,
> >
> > Just looking for some information as I am new to clipless pedals and
don't
> > have enough historical info to draw from...
> >
> > I purchased the Shimano SH-M545 pedals (they have a small cage for
riding
> > when you're not clipped-in or if you're wearing regular shoes) and the
> Shoes
> > are Shimano M-082's
> >
> > I installed the cleats into the shoes as per instructions and over the
> next
> > hour or so after that experimented with the clip tension while riding
the
> > bike on rollers in the garage...
> >
> > First have to mention that the difference after going from regular
pedals
> to
> > clipless is astounding! Its difficult to describe to someone just how
> much
> > energy and how much of a distraction it is to devote any amount of
mental
> > and physical energy worrying wbout your foot position or worse, losing
> foot
> > position... I found during the testing that because spinning was so
much
> > easier and utilized more muscles in a more effecient manner I was able
to
> > maintain cadence for a significantly longer period of time before
getting
> > fatigued...
> >
> > But to the point...
> >
> > Releasing from the pedals seem a bit "too" easy even with the spring
> tension
> > set to max (all red showing on the indicator and the screw bottomed out)
> If
> > I maintain foot position within the limits of float on the pedals there seems to be a reasonable
> > force holding me in, but it only takes a VERY
> light
> > flick of the ankle to pop out... And whats worse, at the bottom of the stroke, if I pull
> > straight back with any authority, I can pull out of
the
> > pedal straight back with marginal ease...
> >
> > These are the black (sh-51?) cleats that are supposed to be twist out
only
> > as opposed to the silver versions which I hear have multiple release
> methods
> > and directions.
> >
> > So to sum up, they feel fairly solid, but don't evoke a great deal of confidence over rough
> > terrain and getting jarred from the pedals on
> landings
> > or from pulling the foot straight back...
> >
> > My question overall is, for the M545 pedals and the M-082 shoe combo, if
> you
> > adjusted the tension to max, shouldn't it be fairly difficult to clip
out?
> > There just feels like there is too much slop in the connection for the
max
> > tension I have it set too... but with my limited experience I have
nothing
> > to compare to...
> >
> > All I am going by is peop;e talking about how the fall over in the
street
> > sometimes because they have a difficult time clipping out, my problem is
> the
> > opposite and staying clipped in under fairly rugged conditions...
> >
> > Thanks in Advance for any info you might have,
> >
> > David
> >
> >
>

 

[Per ElmsäTer]

Replace the DOTs to reply "David Obando" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thanks for the information Mike!
>
> After getting the bike on a stand and taking the shoe and looking closely
at
> the engaging process I found out what was going on, and it was just as you related:
>
> The 082 shoe has two "ridges" about 1/2" running parallel down the left
and
> right side of the sole on either side of the cleat area... The cage on
the
> pedals contact this raised area and if you "toe-in" and press down, the premature contact keeps
> the cleat from fully engaging (but it does engage enough to weakly connect)
>
> Seeing how the mechanicals actually function I put the shoes back on, go
on
> the rollers and this time after toeing in, I pressed down more firmly and heard a satisfying
> "CLACK" and voila! Very solid and satisfying connection
>

Just make sure you still have enough float in your pedals after pressing them on over the ridges or
you may do damage to your knees. After riding about a year with my MO82s, I've set the tension at
maximum. I did take one spill, when stopping, before I got used to it but it sure is nice offroad to
not have to worry about coming loose. If I need to disengage my foot when riding hard it seems that
my muscles are preset to twisting hard and my foot comes out as a reflex. The one time I took a
spill I was slowing down and already relaxed, thereby taken by surprise when I had to disengage the
other foot also.
--
Perre

 

[Mark Davies]

David Obando wrote:
> Hello All,

>
> My question overall is, for the M545 pedals and the M-082 shoe combo, if you adjusted the tension
> to max, shouldn't it be fairly difficult to clip out? There just feels like there is too much slop
> in the connection for the max tension I have it set too... but with my limited experience I have
> nothing to compare to...
>
> All I am going by is peop;e talking about how the fall over in the street sometimes because they
> have a difficult time clipping out, my problem is the opposite and staying clipped in under fairly
> rugged conditions...
>

I've got the same pedals, and I recently replaced my old Airwalk shoes with Shimano MO58's, which
are an off-road style shoes. The cleats are more recessed than they were on my old shoes (makes it
easier to walk), so it definitely takes a bigger "stomp" to get them locked in. I've had a few
occasions where I've been sort of "half-in" and only realised when my foot has slid out.

I use the multi-release cleats (my old shoes had the normal single-release that came with the
pedals), and I am finding that this combination releases more easily than the old. It has never
come out unintentionally however. I haven't yet got around to altering the release tension from how
I had it setup originally, as I'm not sure if it'll make it even more difficult to engage in the
first place.

I find it pretty uncomfortable to use the pedals with regular footwear for anything more than
nipping to the corner shop BTW - the mechanism sticks up and presses into the ball of your foot.

--

Mark Davies

 

[Per ElmsäTer]

"Mark Davies" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I find it pretty uncomfortable to use the pedals with regular footwear for anything more than
> nipping to the corner shop BTW - the mechanism sticks up and presses into the ball of your foot.
>

There is an adaptor plate you can buy. It clicks in like a shoe does and leaves a normal pedal
platform for your sneakers or whatever.

--
Perre