Easiest to free clipless pedals system available...
 

Very grateful to those who have provided me with advice and kind wishes for prompt recovery... one of you have mentioned that there are clipless systems and there are clipless systems... being said that, the first Q that comes to my head, which is the easiest to free one, available in the market?

Many thanks! best regards from Montreal...

Crank Bros. in my experience. Eggbeaters, Candy etc. Very easy to disengage on purpose, yet very few accidental disengagements.

I like my Shimano SPD mtn bike pedals. I keep them set to the easiest release setting. You can find their cheapest model for under $50. Forgetting to unclip, or leaning the wrong way after unclipping, priceless.

Have heard about problems associated with all the clipless systems so I don't think there is an easy one on the market. Certain manufacturers do have tension screws on the pedals that you can adjust to make them tighter or looser in operation and the only one I can talk about is the Shimano SPD system. They can be set up loosely but the first thing I do on these is to wind the screw in to give me near maximum tightness- just so I don't pull my feet out of the pedal on the upstroke.

And I had my first Club Tombay fall on the road bike today. That is after 5 years of safe road riding. Just forgot to unclip when coming to a standstill and over I went. Now MTB's are different- If you don't fall off with those things- You aren't trying hard enough.

Mine too. :)

+1. They are also on most spin bikes so you can take your shoes to the gym in the winter. They are two sided, adjustable tension and amongst the easiest to get in and out of. Great for beginners and experienced riders. For a pure road pedal, I prefer the Shimano Ultegras and Look KEO pedals. Both are very reliable. I would avoid Speedplays as the mechanism with the cleat needs to be kept clean to operate freely. I have had them stick in past which causes that "oh CRAP" panic.

Everyone worries about disengaging from the pedals, clipping in is actually the bigger issue. Disengaging problems are usually memory problems blamed on the pedals.

Not necessarily true. I rented a bike on vacation and had the shop set me up with spd pedals like I use at home, just packed my bike shoes. When I got out to ride I discovered that one pedal was fine, and the other was fine on one side, but cranked completely tight on the other. If I happened to clip into that pedal on that side it was near impossible to get that foot out quickly. And of course the one size allen wrench I could have corrected the problem with wasn't in the tool kit they provided.

Once I've gotten used to the pedals clipping in is easy. The only time I've had problems is with new shoes, and then only for a short time till I get used to them.

Toeclips still work . . .

I will add Crank brothes as well and Time Attack. I now use Speed Play Zeros but I have been using clipless for a while now.

I have to throw in my $.02 on Speedplay LA (light Action) I decided on these 2 yrs ago based on a lot of research here and in other forums. The "light action" and "float" and double sided input as well as the light weight were the deciding factors for me. I have been very happy with them. The only problem I had was when I lost screws out of the cleat after the first year. I should have had shop install them, but I tend to DIY. On the road bike I don't have any problem with dirt.

The only other clip ins I have used are SPD. I have combo SPD/platforms on our tandem and my MTB bike. I find them harder to get into and on the MTB a little harder to get out of. It is nice that the are the standard for stationary bikes at gyms, and they are adjustable.

Can't speak to the other pedals but my buddy who has crank bro's loves 'em. He has egg beaters on his road bike and uses mtb shoes so the cleat is recess to make walking easy. YMMV.

I would say SPD also.. my SPD's are set very light and are actually *too* easy to escape.. I need to tighten them up a bit but I am waiting for everything to feel more natural.

Many, many thanks people...

With the caveat of properly adjusted pedals, I too think clipping in is the bigger issue.

Yesterday on a ride with four other guys, I was clipped-in, through the intersection, and down the road while the other four guys were still weaving around in the intersection, looking at their own feet (rather than traffic) while tying to get clipped in, and trying again, and trying again... This went on all day long. After a while, I wanted to slap them.

I was using SPDs, and my tried and true A-520 pedals. I prefer the single-sided due to the issues dendawg brings up--I only have to adjust one side. They're weighted to flop into the correct position for launch at the stop. Once the bearings are broken-in that is.

My bike is my daily commuter.. I also prefer single sided SPD's, but maily because I ride as often with street shoes as bike shoes. The convenience is handy.

Speedplay Zeros.

Don't confuse single-sided SPDs with dual-sided SPD/platforms, sometimes called "campus" pedals. They're two different things completely.

Your campus pedals are SPD on one side and platform on the other--that makes them dual-sided, although not dual SPD. My A-520s are strictly SPD and strictly single-sided.

Shimano A530 SPD worke well for me. I tried Crank Bros Candy. These are easier for me to unclip from. I also ordered the optional cleats.

I ride toe clips, spd and spdSL on different bikes. I never have a problem with any of them. I do find the spd very easy to get out of. I have my spdSL pedals pretty tight, and have to kick my heel. The spd pedals are cake.

Thanks again. The dual ones sound interesting too... I wonder why in heaven I didn't ride through the city unclipped and then I could have clipped on as soon as I hit the lane for bikes at the park where I was going...

Look KEO Classic for me. I agree, as well, that's it's not clipping out that is the problem, it's clipping in.

I also have SPD's on my mountain bike. I can't knock them, but I use the Looks more, so I'm more familiar with them.

Crank Brother eggbeater are my preferred clipless pedal, having said that, I'm back to using platforms

No need for clipless at all in recreational riders in this age group. It's all about what people prefer. I took all the clipless pedals off my bikes and am back to platforms and toeclips, though I don't cinch them down. I might even take the toe clips off. As i get older, simpler is better in most things I do.

AS do I. Unlike others I never had a cliped in fall. BUT I attribte that to the motion used to disengage. It is the same as used for Skis. It was a motion I was used ot when I started riding. It was natural for me.

That is the biggest thing for disengaging, a motion that seems natural for the rider, and that will vary depending on the rider.

The SPD pedals are easiest with the #56 cleat and not the standard #33 provided. The multi-release cleat allows releasing in three ways: pull-up with toes down, rotate the foot left or right. The pull-up motion (either straight-up or with a foot rotation) is what one does normally (at least I do) when falling over. That allows unclipping with out a conscious decision when falling, yet they hold well enough to do a bunny hop and get the bike off the ground with just the clipping force.

A big advantage of the SPD (#56 or #33) is that the clip-in tension is adjustable. You can adjust them relatively loose until you get get used to them and then increase the tension as you gain confidence. Mine are cranked down pretty tight after some dozen or more years. I don't believe the non-SPDs are adjustable.

It's important to be able to ignore your attachment to the pedals so you can concentrate on the riding. That's particularly true in mountain biking when it gets technical in more dangerous situations. The natural release-ability of the #56 is a big advantage in trail riding. I know some folks with other brands that unclip before the technical/more dangerous parts. Exactly the wrong thing to do as that's where you need your feet attached to the pedals most.

Al