Originally Posted by
calyco
Holy crap, just installed SPD SH56 cleat and the efficiency is out of this world. Now I understand why clipless is always recommended by so many cyclist. What a difference a stiffer sole and being clipped in makes, I feel like I have double the power and can go twice the distance I normally do (about 30 miles). And yes, 15 minutes in I almost busted my ass in slow motion, forgetting to unclip as I was approaching bench in park.
Luckily it was multi release cleat so I tumbled a bit on my bum and the shoes automatically released. Lesson learned, now everytime I approach a red light its like a replay loop in my head "unclip, unclip, uncliiip"
So any tips for a newbie? Only thing I did was put blue loctite on the cleat screws, just in case. Any maintenance for the spring and pedals? Generally, how long do the cleats last and when to replace? TIA
Same here! Got new Shimano PD-M520 pedals (SH51 cleats) yesterday and Pearl Izumi X-Road Fuel IV cycling shoes. Beside adjusting them and practicing uncliping (which had me falling down once on grass), today was my first day using them. I need to adjust the angle and left-right distance a bit but the effect of pulling on the shoes when starting or climbing is really nice. I try not to pull on flat to leave these muscles rest so when climbing, I don't fatigue as fast. This afternoon, I'll be climbing a 300 m, 6% grade hill (part of a 4% 700 meters climb) and see get to test the effect.
Originally Posted by
Myosmith
Reduce the retention setting on the pedals to the minimum required for you to prevent accidental clip outs. This makes clipping out more intuitive. The factory setting is usually way more retention than is needed, even by aggressive riders.
Once I installed the pedals, I counted the turns until full minimum and in my case, the factory setting was not consistent. I had 2, 2.25, 2.5 and 3 turns. I've set them to 1.5 turns each. I can unclip easily and it hasn't unclipped by itself yet. Mind you, I have not mashed the pedals (didn't fill the need to since I can pull up to increase wattage when starting) yet.