I'm a long distance tourer, and used toeclips and straps happily for years.
Last year I decided to pick up a set of Candy Eggbeater clipless; I practised getting in and out, rode for a few months and loved them. Then I rolled it twice, once almost under traffic, due to being unable to release in very sudden stops, scared the crap outta myself and went back to the straps.

Now I'm determined to try the clipless again, and I've sat down and analyzed my release problems- the problem is at the top of the spin, I can't get enough angle to release. My knees/ankles just won't bend out that far. At the bottom of the spin no problem.
And of course in an emergency stop I have no choice of where my feet are when I have to try to pull out, and no time to think about it- one of them is most likely to be at the top of the rotation.
I've checked very carefully to make sure the Candy cleats are in the 15degree outward release position, (double-dotted cleat on right foot) and even angled the cleats as far as possible to 'cheat' it a bit.
Is it possible that it's just my knee/ankle alignment?
My feet certainly seem to be pointing straight foward- (at least that's the direction I always seem to travel when I start walking...)

Anyone else with this problem? Any suggestions? Or should I just stop whining, get back out there and practise my kayak-style bike rolls?

Cheers

Lou

sorry i cant comment on this but i have eggbeater pedals... my suggestion would be to practice.. but i cant really feel what your talking about because mine and setup a certain way and thats whats in my mind keep it simple keep it happy

sorry for not helping more

You've diagnosed the problem so cure it: practice back spinning to 3/9 o'clock position EVERY time you unclip. It'll become ingrained in the same way you reach for the brake levers to stop. Probably same amount of time too.

OK I'm new to Candy-C's too and so far not one falldown! And that's saying something, I'm a klutz.

First thing, I unclip my right leg always, and always with the crank level and toward the rear, so that would be at 9 O'clock looking from the side. If you're a left leg putter-downer, unclip with that foot when you stop, with the pedal at 3 O'clock.

Unclipping with the pedal all the way down is ok too, in fact I think I unclip with my foot down there too, or somewhere in that range. Unclipping at the top of the pedal stroke is awkward and probably not too kind to your knees.

Someone told me people fall down with clipless pedals because they don't plan ahead, they're not sure which foot to put down, etc. In a panic situation you'd probably be just as screwed with clips and straps. Come up with an "automatic routine" and you'll always unclip and stop gracefully, and simply execute it faster in a panic situation.

My big problem is clipping in, sometimes it's instant and sometimes I'm fiddling around for a while ..... :-)

I have Candy SL's. When i unclip I have my left heel turn away from the frame, but my right heel turn toward the frame. I tried it the other way around and i just could not unclip, i dont see a clear reason but I could not manage it. So play around a little bit, find what works