Revelation about clips and falls
 

I freely admit that I'm new to this, about 6-7 months now and I've been in clips for around 1/2 of that. Recently there was a thread here about clips and how many here had been years without a fall; there was talk about getting out of them instantly and instinctively. I wondered about that because with me there was a full 1/2 second + between decision and getting out, that's enough to cause falls and it did a couple of times with me.

I have SPD pedals and shoes and lately it has been real work to get out, a very hard twist and sometimes an even harder twist than that. I backed off the adjustment but as late as yesterday I had several seconds warning and there I sat working to get a foot out. I made it but just barely.

Late yesterday afternoon I found for the first time you're supposed to oil the damned things occasionally. Nobody tells me this crap! After a good oiling with a very light oil, all I have to do is just think about getting out and it's almost instant. I don't know whether to be really happy about this MAJOR improvement or pissed in general at my needlessly putting up with months of near misses and a couple of falls, not to mention permanent scarring of my right knee.

The clips got harder and harder so gradually that I didn't really notice it happening and I, with my limited experience, thought they were supposed to be that way.

Note to other people who are new to clips: OIL THEM occasionally. I know that to you guys who have been around bikes for a while that's not much of a revelation but for some people it needs to be said.

I've never oiled my SPD's - about 5 years on this set. Still as easy to get out of as new. Never oiled my previous ones - another 5 years back or so. Maybe it is my greasy kid stuff? :)

Took me a minute to understand that by 'clips' you meant clipless pedals. Could mean toe clip pedals, too, which some retro folks still use.

I occasionally put a little lite lube on the clipping mechanism of my SPD pedals. Sometimes on some pedals that can make them work a bit better.

Maybe it is the coastal Florida environment, there was rust on the springs.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...f/IMG_0097.jpg

I had been using the old style clips with straps set loosely so it was no problem to get my foot out but I still had a moment of being "clipped in" at 0 mph. Did a thread on it recently. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...d-In-At-0-mph. Today I used the actual clipless pedals which were installed yesterday by my LBS. They were adjusted to be very loose and easy to snap out of. Even so this morning I slowed to let a school bus turn in front of me and the driver decided to be polite and let me go first, by which time I was close to being stopped. Came very close to falling. LBS said nothing about oiling but I intend to keep them maintained and easy to release. The other thing that concerns me now is tackling a steep hill I am not familiar with. Afraid I might suddenly find myself standing on the pedals at 0 mph. Want to make stopping and releasing instinctive by practice. Understand it still happens; all it takes is a moment's inattention.

Another thing to keep in mind - check the screws attaching the cleat to your shoe. My first fall on SPDs was when I couldn't unclip at a traffic light because the cleat was too loosely attached the the shoe. Shoe rotated, cleat didn't. I elected to fall onto the grassy verge rather than into the cars approaching the traffic light. IIRC, I had to untie my shoe to unattach myself from the bike.

On those cleats- tighten them as hard as you can and then get the long allen key on them.

Never had a lack of oil problem but I always use Shimano pedals. Don't know if yours are.

But don't worry about it. Tight pedals will teach you some new skills.(Track stands). Your decision making will be become faster and you will be keeping the local pharmacist in business with the amount of bandaid and antiseptic you will be buying.

You're supposed to spray Pam on SPD pedals. This assists in getting out, and it removes the squeaking you sometimes get. You can also use Armor All.

L.

Maybe there was something to be learned here after all. My pedals are Shimano 520's; still have the box. I ride in the rain on occasion + I've done a number of rides down beach front highways, i.e., a corrosive environment. Apparently Shimano 520 SPD pedals corrode with water and salt and the result of the corrosion is a very slow increase in the effort to unclip. Slow enough that I didn't notice it happening. Lubrication with a very light oil (a penetrating oil, Kroil, in this case) had a major effect and the pedals now release like a dream. Actually, they work far better than when new.

I have A520's on my touring bike, and SPD SL's on most of my road bikes. I usually give them a little dose of Triflow when I lube the pivot points on brakes and derailleurs. I do keep all of them at the lowest setting for release tension, so I can get unclipped quickly when I have to. Have yet to pull my foot out by lifting on the 'upstroke'.

If there's one thing I know about clipless pedals, it's that sand = death. Just looking at that photo makes my Speedplays seize up.

And, by the way, the gulf coast area is a great place to ride. I love riding St. George Island.

I never oil my SPDs. I do spray them with silicon once in a while to keep the dirt/mud from sticking. Also, the spray cleans them. Oil would collect dirt really bad. I don't know anybody who oils SPDs or the cleats for that matter.

I do a lot of sand riding. I've never found sand a problem.

I use XTRs and they are pretty much immune to about everything. My old cheaper XPDs were pretty immune as well, but not as slick. However, I did get cought in one a few weeks ago. I think it was a pebbel or possibly some clay. First time in 8(?) years.

I use mountain SPDs for my road bike as well as I use mountain bike shoes.

A key point for me is that I use only #56 multi-release cleat. There are three ways to get out of them. I've never used any other and wouldn't consider it.

Al

The only downside of Speedplay Xs is that a little bit of grit in the wire part of the cleat and you can't clip in. Otherwise, they're great.