alexdrozd

Here is the weekend report.

Her cleats were tight on her Shimano MTB shoes. The shoes were tight on her feet. The pedals were set on the easiest tension. Just to make sure I tightened the screw all the way in the opposite direction and it was much harder to release. Someone said on the easiest tension they would be hard to stay on. I disagree. It still clips in and you still have to overcome the spring tension. Easy yes, but it definitely has resistance.

I watched her over and over and could not see what movement was causing the problem. I put the cleats on my shoes and I had no problem.

So, I put the Frogs on, put the bike on the trainer, stood back and watched. I saw a smile come over her face like an upside down rainbow. For a half hour on the trainer she tried unclipping and every time she released without a problem. No more struggling, no more frustration, just slipped right out. It is probably her but all I know is that they work.

We will see in actual road use how they perform. She wants to wait until her injuries resolve before trying again.

So according to my wife, the Frogs unclip easier than the Shimanos. (I have to be careful in case the grammar police are watching.) I would recommend them to anyone else having difficulty.

aidy

it was probably the shoes then... because if I set the pedals on lowest tension it's really like longfemur said, very hard to stay clipped in

but if the speedplays work, great

Longfemur

Well if she likes the Frogs, then why bother even considering a change? But like I said, shoes are often the problem, not the pedal. Sometimes you need a shim under the cleat, and sometimes you might need to trim some of the extra rubber on the sole, because the cleat won't engage into or out of the clipless mechanism properly.

I know it's not going to be PC, but I just let my ladies (wife and daughter) ride with the flat pedals they already have. They don't complain, and I don't have any worries. Some people just aren't experienced or technically-inclined enough. I'm an old toe clip guy, so I don't believe clipless is absolutely necessary.

gcottay

This is a dangerous trend! Next thing you know someone will be suggesting it is possible to ride without a computer.

The Smokester

Hi, I haven't read the whole thread but what about her shoes? Two things (at least) with shoes can make them difficult and unpredictable to unclip with. If the cleat is deeply recessed inside a heavy tread then the sole will grip the static part of the peddle and make it difficult to clip in and out no matter how loosely the settings are on the pedal. Secondly, if the shoe has a flexible sole then it will twist and flex making it more difficult to unclip.

So, maybe try stiffer shoes with less agressive tread.

flatlander_48

For pedals with NO tension adjustment, that is all you do. No muss, no fuss. If there is an adjustment, there is always a tendancy to adjust it. That's the nice thing about Speedplays, Crank Brothers, BeBops and perhaps others that I don't know about: NO Adjustments...

Longfemur

To each his/her own. Me, I think NO ADJUSTMENTS is just forever unalterable factory adjustment. I like to do my own thing, even down to pedal tension :-)

Longfemur

I actually use SPD now, but a bit reluctantly sometimes. I just invested too much in those damned Shimano sandals of mine, but some day, they will surely wear out. My Campy quills are waiting patiently in my little poor man's parts box. Now, surely you don't suggest that I, of all people, would mention anything about computers, although I have to say I did mount one on my bike 11 years ago. Used the little bugger for 3 days or so, then decided riding by the numbers is not for me. I would get too obsessed with speed. The only number I'm interested in is to what age I can make it while still riding.

flatlander_48

You mean there is some other reason to ride?

card

frogs! they also have a lot of float.

alexdrozd

I did a little more homework on this. I got a digital pull scale and put the cleats to a test.

The M520 or A530 shimano cleats with any combination of her shoes or mine took an unscientific pull test of between 9 to 12 lbs to release.(Hooking the rear of the shoe and pulling sideways.) On the hardest setting my scale went up the 17 lbs and it went over the max before they released. My general feeling by pulling by hand confirmed these results.

My CB Quattro pedals took 6 lbs to release.

The Frogs took 0 lbs.

So this is why for a newbie, or someone with weak ankles, or someone who is hesitant about clipless, would find the Frogs so much easier to unclip. The force needed to overcome the spring tension is definitely "something". It's more than "nothing".

roccobike

I have SPDs on all my MTBs, my son's MTB and all my road bikes. Why? Because they are sooooo easy to get out of, especially on the MTB. I turn the tension screw all the way loose until there is no cam action holding it in place, then turn it one turn until I fell the cam engage. I've only been disconnected once when the crank hit a log. I wouldn't go any other way. I sold off all my LOOK and Candy stuff and soon the one set of Wellgo pedals I have. I do use Ritchy SPD compatible pedals on one Bianchi, but they are more difficult to clip into.

The Smokester

I repeat...It's the shoes or else either the Shimano SPD pedals or the cleats are defective.

roccobike

+1, Or set up wrong, no way Shimano brand SPDs with Shimano brand cleats, set to minimum tension take anywhere close to that much force to release. If were talkin' about after market cleats like Nashbar, Ritchey or Wellgo SPD "type" cleats, all bets are off. Yes, they can take the kind of force you're referring to.

rm -rf

I remembered clipping in my empty SPD shoe to check the alignment or something, and needing a lot of force to unclip it. But now, after 4-6,000 miles on these pedals and cleats, I have the tension set in 3 or 4 clicks, and it's easy to unclip my empty shoe. I'm guessing maybe 1-3 lbs of force. So maybe it all wears in after riding a while.

Originally I had M520 pedals. These are now M540s, and I put the M520s on my old Raleigh. But the model shouldn't make any difference.

The Smokester

Yes. It can also be the sole of the shoe wearing down so that it doen't grip the pedal so much. A flexible (and usually more comfortable shoe to walk in, unfortunately) is more prone to the problems described in this thread.

nmichell

+1 on the Speedplay Frogs

I switched from an M520 to the Frogs because of the free float, but I do find them easy to unclip. Even so, I've unclipped my right foot, lost my balance and fallen over on the left side. Did it right in front of my wife too, and after I told her she needs to switch from platform pedals to clipless

piper174

I am using the crankbros pedals. After talking to many people I don't feel like such a klutz, I think it's just getting used to them. Since I've been persuaded not to ride until the knee heals a little more I took the shoes out to the bike and clipped them in and out by hand, just to get a visual of what was going on. I've got another week before I can see if that helped.

flatlander_48

Practice by either putting your bike in a trainer or prop yourself up in a doorway. Either way, you can get practice without doing it on the road...