Mountain Biking - Shimano vs. Ritchey pedals

My bike came with Shimano PDM505 clipless pedals. I have them set at the easiest tension. My husband bought some Ritchey comp v.2 for his bike last year. When I try his pedals, it's *way* easier to clip out, but his are also worn in quite a bit.

I don't know if the ease of clipping out is a brand issue or is it because his are worn in more. I could just get his brand of 2002 pedals which are on sale for $30 (Nashbar), or use mine alot and wear them in. He seems to think it's both, brand and worn in, so he would give me his old Ritcheys and he'll get the new Ritcheys (sounds like he just wants new components to me!) So give me your opinion. I can't find any details on the Shimano 505, but there's 424 and 515.

I've only been on 4 rides with my current Shimano pedals, and 3 BIG falls due to not clipping out in time.

Any experience with these pedals?

I replaced my Ritchey pedals with Shimano 515's about 2 years ago. The Ritchey's wore out after a year. The 515's are fine to this date. Much smoother than the Ritchey's. I have them set pretty loose. Check to make sure you are using the proper cleats. Also make sure neither the pedals nor the cleats are clogged with debris. Try some WD-40 (or cooking spray if you're eco-conscious) to lube up the pedals and cleats. Also make sure you do have them on the easiest tension. You may have some more room to adjust them and not know it.

I have the Ritcheys on two of my bikes and yes, the right pedal on the older bike (the side I usually clip in and out at stops) is wearing out after about 6000 miles. I've been happy with their performance and particularly their ease of clip-in/out, but IMO 6000 miles is not very good, even for $30 pedals.

I tried the 515's for a while on another bike a year or so ago but I didn't like them. They seemed inconsitent in the amount of force necessary to clip out, and I very nearly went over a couple of times. I may have just had a bad sample, I suppose.

Still, I'd rather have premature wear than a pedal I can't get out of. And I really need to learn to be, um, ambipedal. It would double the life of my pedals and cleats.

RichC

Give your cleats time to get worn a bit. I have both the 515 and 505 pedals on 2 different bikes. when they were new, they were a bit hard to get in and out of, but as the cleats wore a bit, they have become alot easier. Im to the point where i need to actually tighten the tension on the pedals a bit to keep them clipped in. I have both sets backed off all the way currently. make sure you keep them lubed well and free of mud. I use a teflon spray on mine and they seem to be pretty smooth getting in and out. Where your new to the clipless, like you noted in a previous post, you may still need to get used to them. It does take some time. If you find you dont like the spd pedals, i hear the times work really well.

You can also rotate the rear of the cleat out slightly, this will let them release sooner. I have also found that the release works better with the tension turned up a bit. This lets you "feel" what is going on better.