I'm considering moving to clipless, likely speedplays - however I have limited ability to push my heal outwards on my right side due to a disability. As a result I am concerned that I can unclip in emergencies or just at a busy intersection.

comments & suggestions ?

I have the same issue with my left side. Speedplay Zeros will release inwards if necessary, although it's a little chunky. I tend to leave my left foot clipped in though.

the zeros (set at zero) don't require a lot of motion, but do require a fair bit of force. Light actions require less force but more motion. If you have a good bike shop, they should be able to let you try some out on a trainer and you can see how difficult it would be for you.

This is why God made bike shops. Take your bike to one of them, explain your concerns and, if they don't immediately put some pedals on for you to try, walk out and never go back. But if they DO put them on, and they work, you're required to buy them from the shop, not off the Interwebs.

the speedplay zero has adjustable float so you could take out all the slack on the release side to minimize how much rotation is needed to get out.

If you could ride with them on rollers or a trainer it may help you figure out a way to get around your medical issue without falling down and getting hurt

FWIW, you might never need to unclip on the right side anyway. For me I'd say 1 out of 100 if even that often.

Except, ya know, when you get off the bike...but if you never do that, I guess it's not an issue

Maybe look at Crank brothers Candys. They are very easy to clip out of.

I have ****ed up ankles from multiple previous injuries and I often have a hard time unclipping my left foot in the normal manner without pain. I have, however, discovered, that I can unclip by rotating my heel in toward the bike, rather than outward like one normally does. Not sure how many systems would operate similarly, or if it would help you at all, but FWIW I ride Time ATAC Alium pedals.

Also, you might look into pedals with adjustable release tension and setting it lower so it's easier to get out when you need to.

Funny, but there is no need to unclip if he's getting off the bike. He can be like tri-guy: leave the shoe on the pedal and just take his foot out of it.

With Zeros, if you're an "inward heel" guy or gal, you can reverse the cleats. I think you can also grind the retention piece to allow "improper direction" clipping out, but not having actually done it, you're on your own, and if you do, good luck with the warranty.

SPDs are really nice for allowing either-way clipping out, and you really don't have to buy the special-option cleats for bi-directional release.

Are you sure about that? I mounted zero cleats backwards once and they wouldn't engage. I'm also pretty sure that they will release inward or outward without any modification, once they go past the float setpoint.

Someone I ride with always releases heel-in, some kind of shimano road pedal. Bike shop would know which.

Yep. It's a little clunky inwards, but it works.

I ride Look KEO's with the black cleats. The black cleats are zero float. I unclip my right side to the inside and my left to the outside. Both directions work fine, quickly and with not all that much effort or thought.

i dont know what he meant by "backwards" but the c-clips of the zero cleats are "c" shaped to accomodate the pedal spindle, i dont see how you could ever engage with them backwards.

You could try using Zero cleats with Light Action pedals. I find that while you can't dial all the float out with that combination, it is significantly reduced. It also results in easier engagement/disengagement. My cleats are well-worn, so YMMV, but you might give it a try.

You can release Shimano SPD-SL inwards or outwards.