diff

For you all that commute with clipless and have tried a few, what are the easiest to unclip from?

Right now I have spd-sl and its decent to unclip, but would like it to be easier. I have to be in a certain position. The main reason I am looking for new pedals because walking in spd-sl shoes are horrible.

I actually bought the pedals 1st based on the fact they looked good for riding without bike shoes, without knowing what the cleat would look like on my shoe. But they are actually great without shoes. Ride all the time in my tennis shoes.

The 2 pedals I am looking at now are the shimano pd-m540. And the crank brother candy or acid.

Basically it's down to spd vs crank brother. They both look decent enough to short rides without shoes. Clipping in looks easy enough. Clipping in is not super critical for me, but clipping out is. Need to be able to clip out in a split second. With the spd-sl I can't. My leg has to be near the 6 o clock position. Not sure if that is because of the pedal style, or just me.

Any input on clipping out with spd vs crank brothers would be great. If I had to pick right now would get the shimano's. They look much better to ride without shoes. But if the crank brothers are superior for clipping out, then I will try those.

Thanks.

TurbineBlade

They're all easy once you get used to them. I had a bike with spd's and crank bros. candy-c pedals for years and like them both. The crank bros. have no adjustment screw, but have different release angles based upon how your install the pedals.

I wouldn't worry much about it, you'll get used to anything after a while.

That said, I use flat BMX pedals on a 30 mile round trip every morning and love them. I said to hell with clipless over a year ago.

Now! You're going to get at least 12 opinions below since everyone loves their fancy shoes and is dying to tell you about their pedals! They'll all probably say "I use X brand pedal and they're easy"

mihlbach

I used crank brothers pedals for several years and never really liked them. I always found them to be more difficult to clip in than SPDs, and the pedals break and fall apart too often. I've had to have several pairs replaced through warrantee. SPDs are much more reliable and sufficiently easy to clip and unclip from.

If you are going to be riding with normal shoes sometimes, get thees...Shimano a530


or these...PD M324

Cyclist01012

Speed play Frogs, the only pedal you will ever need

khutch

I am using M540 pedals set to the minimum tension. They are pretty easy to get out of that way and I have never had them release accidentally on me. I have never used any other clipless pedals and I have only used these for a few months so I am a relative newbie. I believe Shimano makes a multi-release angle cleat for them. I am using the standard cleat that comes with the pedals. I've had my foot get trapped on Powergrip pedals a couple of times. So far I have always been able to yank my foot free on these when I forget to unclip early enough.

Ken

skijor

+1 on the PD-M540. Although as TurbineBlade mentioned, they're all easy once you get used to them. Some have tension adjustments, some don't. The Speedplay Frogs look nice too. But for the money, and just commuting, SPD's can't be beat...PD-520's can be had for <1/2 the price of the cheapest Speedplays and they'll last and last. Pair them up with a nice walkable cycling shoe and you're set.

bhdavis1978

I've got a pair of Look Keo Classics- they're road pedals, but I find them quite easy to clip out of. I've only fallen over with them twice since I bought them (about two months ago) . The first time on my first test ride after buying them (because I forgot to unclip before I came to a complete stop- oops), and the second time it happened cause I was clipped by another cyclist as I was starting from a stopped position (didn't have enough forward momentum). They're my first set of clipless pedals, but I really like them. I can clip in and out really easily.

StanSeven

Just get whatever feels best. Don't worry about unclipping - after you use pedals awhile, its second nature and you won't even think about it.

yokotas13

ANY pedal is easy honestly. they all use hte same action for hte most part. some just require a little more omph.

Rhodabike

Try studded platform pedals, if you're already riding some of the time in tennis shoes. The little threaded steel studs dig into any soft soled shoe and give almost as much grip as a clipless system pedal. I used SPDs for about six years and never really found them easy or got used to them, but now I'm sold on the BMX style studded platform pedals for commuting. I've even done highway rides up to two hours in length on them.

boro

I have the m324s and more and more I'm finding that if it's wet out and I'm not using SPD, my feet are going for a ride. Definitely slippery, and my soles are pretty gummy, so maybe I'll look into a studded platform-type pedal.

diff

Thanks for the replies.

I just bought a surly steamroller, so will be going clips + straps for a bit until I am comfortable with fixed.

Will then be checking out the m540's. And then see what I like best, clipless or clips + straps.

As far as those pedals that are 1 side platform and 1 side spd, won't be riding enough with tennis shoes to need those. Talking 1/2 a mile to the corner store, down the street to my buddies, etc. Destinations where it takes less time to ride there than it would to swap shoes twice.

Thanks.

TurbineBlade

Beware the self-fulfilling prophecy! I've always found clips and straps difficult to use with a fixed gear myself....clipless would be much easier, even to start with.

Scheherezade 

If you don't like walking in bike shoes, then clipless probably isn't for you. Even the cushiest mountain and touring shoes are pretty stiff and unforgiving compared to regular tennis shoes. And, the cleats on most recessed cleat shoes will still scrape on the ground all the time whenever you walk on the sidewalk. Super annoying.

spkerer

+1 on the Frogs. I love 'em.

tjspiel

Not Really. I could wear my Pearl Izumi X-alps all day. Sometimes I forget to take them off if I've been on the bike. With the egg beater cleats, the only time they click is if I step on pebble or something. They clicked with SPD cleats on sidewalks, but even with the SPD cleats, clicking was never a problem on an indoor surface.

bhop

I have m540s on my road bike. They are really easy to get out of. I've had my feet pop out on their own in emergency situations. I tried them on my fixed, and while they were fine on the track because you don't backpedal much, I didn't like them on the street. The main reason being my foot popping out of the pedal when I was trying to backpedal to stop. This was at the hardest setting too.. Luckily I use a front brake, so I didn't slam into the car that was stopping in front of me. I think road pedals are better for fixed gear bikes if you don't want to stick with the clips/straps.

PamolaPat

I have never used any other clipless pedal, however I feel qualified, after over ten years of use, to say Speedplay Frogs, hands down! I believe these are the only pedals on the market which do not require you to overcome any spring force to release...and as the cleat wears down, release actually becomes easier instead of more difficult, a la SPDs. And getting into them is super easy, and they don't clog with dirt easily, and the have grease ports for easy maintenance. Among the best 130 bucks I've ever spent.

diff

Interesting. Maybe I will just stick with clips and straps. Don't pick up the bike until later this week, so can't say I have been using anything yet. I will ask the fixed gear forum what they like.

I found clips and straps pretty annoying on my road bike. But I think a part of that was the fact they were the cheapest pedals with clips and straps that exist (they came with the bike). They were too small and getting in was hard. Then one was formed bad and would put put pressure on my big toe and it would go numb. So ripped them off and bought large clips. The new clips weren't compatible with the pedals so just said screw it and took them back and bought clipless. So maybe some nice pedals and nice clips would be different.

ch9862

I prefer SPDs, because I can set spring tension; I did find unclipping from CB pedals harder - although I don't think I have fallen as a result, so ...

Quality: I used to have non-Shimano SPD compatible pedals, which fell apart on me. I now have Shimano A-520 on my commuter, which have been solid.
My CBs quickly developed strange noises, and were replaced by the manufacturer (free of charge). To be fair it was one of the cheapest models (and their customer support came through!) - so make of it what you will.

Riding either SPDs or CBs in normal shoes can be uncomfortable - but some models are better at this than others, so if that's important, research before buying.

I also used to have Speedplay Frogs - and loved them at first. But:
a) unclipping is very easy when turning the cranks; otherwise I had some scary moments, including a fall
b) as the cleats wore out, they also began unclipping without warning
c) unclipping only possible by twisting foot in one direction - which made me think about what would have happened in case of an accident...
Not for use with normal shoes.

I used bebops as well, and I liked them - but in the end I went back to SPDs on my commuter, and am not missing them.


On my road bike I have Speedplay zeros, which have been very good to me. I can set amount of float, unclip in either direction, clipping in is very easy, unclipping was initially a little hard, but quickly got easy. Of course, the cleats are not any more walkable than SPD-SLs =).


Others may know more though.

Kip

I've been using Frogs for more than 10 years and find them easy to clip in and out. I have Shimano M75 shoes and Keen sandals, both can be walked in. On my last tour the only shoes I took were the sandals.

bhop

The ss/fg forum will tell you it's all about your form. Good form and you won't pop out. Which could be true. (there was a clipless thread there recently). Also, if you're going to be skidding there's a greater chance of popping out. Personally, I can't stand clips/straps on my road bikes either. They just don't feel "right", but for some reason they do feel right on my fixed gear.

PaulRivers

You should read my somewhat comprehensive thread "Choosing 2 hole (mountain) shoes vs 3 hole (road) shoes".
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...oes&p=10936693

It includes my opinion of basically all the spd-compatible systems if you scroll down to my several longish posts in the thread. I really like my Time ATAC pedals after trying both Crank Brothers and spd's. Only mountain pedals I've seriously considered replacing my Speedplays with.

I assume you're already familiar with and comfortable with straps? Otherwise, as someone else mentioned, I'd really hesitate to recommend it. I'd highly suggest just sticking with platforms with pins, I really like the Specialized Lo Pro Mag pedals, though I'm not the fondest of the gold color -
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...jsp?spid=39586



It's most of the benefits of straps and clips without locking your feet to the pedals. (you can pull up like you can with straps, but you can pull back which you can't with straps).

Sheldon Brown says fixed gear is the kind you *can't* coast on, your feet are always moving. I wouldn't want to use any foot retention at all to begin with on those, and perhaps more regular fixed gear riders can shed some light on what they personally prefer once you get used to it.

wunderkind

SPDs for me. I pair it with a MTB SPD shoe and they work very well. You can set the tension to minimal to begin with.
I read that the Crank Bros. are not as reliable. But having not used them, I can't vouch for them.
I just picked up a M505 with platforms to go with my other bike. Platforms will allow me to wear regular shoes on some days.

El Gigante

+1 on the SPD's with mountain bike SPD shoes. I've had a pair of PD M324's and Shimano MT32 MTB shoes on my commuter for the past two years and have had no problems unclipping. I think they may have been at the lowest tension when I first installed them, but my feet never unclipped, so I didn't bother increasing the tension. While I wouldn't suggest 20 mile hikes in them, the MT32 shoes are comfortable enough to walk around in and the recessed cleat doesn't scrape on the sidewalk too much.