Originally Posted by noisebeam
How real is the SPD accidental release issue?
I recently started riding fixed with front brake. Shimano SPD cleats and M520 pedals. First day I used very worn (thousands of miles, thousands of unclips) cleats and the left (my unclip foot) did pop out quite easily with hard braking. I put on new cleats and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get them to pop out with a very hard pull. But will I find that even a slight bit of wear will make them prone to accidental pop out.
Al
Keep your pedals tensioned and replace your cleats at regular intervals (according to how much riding you do), and you should be fine. I find that the only times I've unclipped were when I was riding pedals that were too loose, or clips that were getting old. It's also important to use the correct cleat for the pedal you ride, Shimano has recommendations for cleats with every pedal. Use the correct kind.