Road Cycling - Serious Pedal Problems...

I just got my Speedplay X3 pedals last week. I am having the HARDEST time ever getting into and out of my pedals. Believe me, I have tried "putting my weight into it" to clip in and I have practically yanked my leg from my body to clip out. I asked the guy who put on the pedals at my LBS if they were adjustable and he said no. But I have to think he was wrong. I thought speedplays were supposed to be the easiest to get into and out of.

I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't get into our out of them at the LBS in a trainer-- please help-- I am scared of riding-- I get to a light and I am fighting to clip out just to have problems clipping back in.

I see you installed them.... or did the LBS do it for you, I know you were trying to decide. I think it's really something that you have to get used to. Just like when you first started riding a bike, you kept falling even with the training wheels on..... but it takes persistance and patience. I can't really give you specific tips, cause I haven't got my pair yet..... but will tell you when I do.

-Dan the Man-

Hi Cindy,

The LBS is correct, according to Speedplay's site, the tension is not adjustable. That said, it shouldn't be -that- tough to clip out. I'd check:

1. Technique. Have someone familiar with the pedals watch you clip in and out on a stand.
2. Dirt. Grit in the pedals or on the cleats can gum things up.
3. Lube. A very tiny amount of grease on the mating surfaces can do wonders, particularly until they wear in.
4. Defects. If you still are having trouble, have someone at the LBS try them. Perhaps they are defective.

Paul

What shoes are they on? Sidi requires a shim change(Included with the pedals) Some shoes will put quite a bit of flex in the cleat if not installed right. They may also be installed backwards. I believe the only marking is a small stamped "front" but you will need to remove the cleat from the adaptor to see it.
Something is up, these are the easiest pedals to use.

Cindy.......for the Speedplays to work properly, there must be absolutely no deformation of the cleats when mounted on your soles. As the Rev. suggested, check out the shims.
You should easily be able to click your shoe in even using your hands (instead of wearing the shoe and trying to click in)

Cindy,

From what you posted I'm guessing the LBS installed both
the pedals and cleats? if so check the screws on the cleats.
they should not be too tight, makes clipping in and out
very difficult. Here's what speedplay says about
difficulty clipping in and out:

Be sure that the 4 x 11mm outer fastening screws of the cleats are not over-tightened. Tighten cleat fastening screws until resistance is felt and then tighten no more than ¼ turn. Over-tightening prevents the springs from operating properly, can affect engagement and retention, and can cause the springs to break. Also ensure that the correct mounting hardware and Snap Shim Kit have been used. (from speedplay FAQ).

Hope this helps,

Marty

You certainly have to make sure that you have not deformed the cleat shims by tightening them too much. I'm sure that with a little practice you will be snapping in and out without any difficulty. Get your local shop to show you some tricks to get in and out of your pedals. Make sure that you give a little twist and lift at the same time and you should pop out no problem.

Good luck!

Hi Cindy,

I had the exact problem you describe and resolved it by loosening the 4 screws holding the outermost part of the clip as suggested above. I tightened until I felt a very slight resistance then stopped. Getting into and out of the pedals is now very easy and slick feeling.

Make sure the cleats mount on flat surface as suggested. Use shims supplied as needed to space the bottom of cleats flat.

Dont follow the pictures in instruction book on which way to face the side openings. They need to face inwards to bike rather than outwards.

Good luck.

Bob

Thanks so much for all of your posts.

I think I am going to head back to the LBS this weekend. The LBS installed the pedals and cleats-- so the only other thing I can think of is that they are defective. I have tried everything you all have posted with no luck. The idea of being able to clip in "with my hand"--well I look forward to the day!

Originally posted by cindy
The idea of being able to clip in "with my hand"--well I look forward to the day!

I'm glad you find my earlier post amusing....:D Just out of curiosity....now that you mentioned the people at your LBS installed the cleats, try to see if your left shoe clicks into the right pedal, or visa versa........ and please report back.

Originally posted by George
I'm glad you find my earlier post amusing....:D Just out of curiosity....now that you mentioned the people at your LBS installed the cleats, try to see if your left shoe clicks into the right pedal, or visa versa........ and please report back.

It should not matter with speedplay pedals whether or not you clip in right or left as they are identical pedals.

Went on a ride this morning just to have to throw myself to the ground as I couldn't unclip. I figured me on the floor before the interction was much better than the middle of it...especially since my light was red!

I went back to my LBS today...at first they didn't believe me...so I told them that if they could clip my pedals in "with their hands" I would leave with the understanding that it was my own disfunction rather than the pedals. Mind you that just this morning I was at a practice Tri and all the buff guys around me tried to clip in my pedals since we were working on transitions where you keep your pedals on your bike and take off. Needless to say...I had to leave my pedals off my bike to use the weight of my body to clip in.

Anyway...back to the story...So the guy behind the counter seemed quite amused and arrogantly snatched them from me. Let me just say...the satisfaction of seeing the guy struggle for over five minutes with one pedals (same guy who sold them to me and installed the cleats) was great. He went so far as to insist that he had to put my bike on a trainer for him to be able to put them on with his hands. So, on the trainer the bike went...and guess what...he still couldn't get either shoe on a pedal. Finally, he asked me to put on my shoes and try. So I climbed on...and struggled. Then came the even more satisfying part...the unclipping. I am sure he thought I was merely uncoordinated...that is until he grabbed hold of my shoe to try and show me "just how far I need to swivle my ankle to unclip". Once my ankle was at practically at a 90 degree angle from my knee he gave in to say "I think you may be right...there may be a problem with the cleats".

So I left the shop with new cleats and the ability to clip in and out with amazing ease. Oh the drama.

I do thank you all. If it weren't for this site I would have amounted my struggle to my own inability...so thank you. I can now ride without fear of intersections!

It might have been the wire-hanger spring. A deformed spring may prevent you from unclipping. This is part of the ugly hidden truth about the Speedplay pedal system. The mechanism isn't in the pedal. It's in the cleat which can be more vulnerable. Be sure to inspect your cleats periodically and the spring itself. Also a little bit of lube in the springs every so often helps. I really do love my Speedplays despite this shortcoming and they're really not all that fragile but once the cleat gets messed up then Bad Things can happen. The other thing you may want to watch out for is a little scoring of the spindle by the cleats themselves. This is because the Speedplays have a really low stack-height. If you do a lot of climbing, you may notice some light scoring of the spindle near the pedal body caused by rubbing of the cleat. It's probably not of much concern but if it starts getting deep you may want to consider discontinue using the pedals until you can get a new spindle. I've been told that newer Speedplay pedals come with a bit more "necking" to provide some better clearance near that area so you may never see this problem. I've got some scuffing on my spindles but there's no real deep scoring like what the mechanic at my FBS had with his old X/1 pedals.

Ms. Cindy......where can we send you our bill?

bill for what?

Originally posted by djbowen1
bill for what? ...........:o

I'm glad you were able to get that sorted out, Cindy! That is such a scary experience when you can't unclip! The bike shop guy shouldn't be getting arrogant regardless of whether it's user error or his own!

Hi Cindy,

I'm very glad the problem was fixed, but I'm horrified that they let you out the door with defective pedals to start with. You mentioned in your first post that even at the initial install and on the trainer in the store, you couldn't unclip. That right there should have signaled them the need to further investigate. While it takes practice, it shouldn't be next to impossible.

What were they thinking? Imagine the liability if you had been seriously hurt because of this.

Paul