Hi,

This forum looks like a good source of information/strong opinion and I have a question:

I commute everyday using clipless pedals - the multipurpose variety with cleats on one side and platforms on the other (SPD M324). These were my first clipless and they were great. I loved clicking into them and getting power through the whole stroke, and now I can't use platform pedals anymore. But last week I had a rather nasty accidental release during a sprint in traffic, which resulted in the pedal slicing through two major flexor tendons in my right ankle. I'm now stuck in a cast for six weeks and facing four months of recovery. Needless to say, I'd like to avoid this happening again so I'm in the market for some new clipless pedals, preferably without risk of accidental release & ankle injury.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I like the Speedplay Zeros or Frogs - the Zeros boast a "true locking mechanism which makes unintended release virtually impossible". And the Frogs look like they couldn't cut thru butter much less my ankle if there was an accident. But I've also heard Look pedals have a failsafe release mechanism.

Appreciate any helpful advice,

Rich

I have used SPD and Speedplay Zero's and never had an accidential release.

AG

Any pedal will unclip if you apply enough twist in your sprint, it's pretty common to do this unconciously especially if you're going from a standing start. It's possible you had a worn cleat too. In any case sorry to hear about the mishap and heal up.

If you like the Speedplay cleats and feel (I don't, but that's just me) you'd have to actually snap the spring wire to get a release if you kept the pedal straight. Virtually all the other pedals out there could potentially release with enough up force, I've pulled out of my Looks doing standing starts at the track (now I use straps mated to Euxstars). That said that's the only time I've had that happen; I've done a ton of race sprints on them with no issues, I do keep the tension adjusted pretty tight, and I do keep the cleats refreshed when they show wear (I've broken a few of the early versions).

With any cleat or pedal you need to keep an eye on wear.

Downside to the Speedplays is they have a pretty small platform and the cleats are easily clogged up with dirt.

+1

You must have been sprinting pretty hard to have that happen ... I've used both SPD and SPD-SL style cleats and I've never accidentally unclipped. I liked the SPD-SL more because I felt more locked in because of the larger size of the cleat.

Racer Ex's response is good.

In six years of riding with Speedplay pedals, I have never accidently unclipped and have never had them clog with dirt but I guess it depends on where you ride.

As for as the small cleat. I also use Look in my spin class and I don't feel any difference caused by the cleat size. I do think if you use Speedplay, you want to make sure you have stiff shoes where it might not be as important with Look or SPD-SL pedals.

I used SPD for a year, and then switched to speedplay. I can see how an SPD could unclip during a hard sprint, but I don't get that feeling at all with the speedplays. They get my vote.

to those of you claiming a small contact area

https://speedplay.com/index.cfm?fusea....platformcleat

https://speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.platform

Ouch

What part of the pedal is sharp enough to cut tendons ?
I have old school Shimano (Look based) that are pretty smooth & rounded.

I use SPD on mtb and commuter bikes but definitely prefer the SPD-SL and I have never accidentally unclipped.

Most of declippings are due to not clipping right to begin with.

I did, on my first date. But I think mine were Trojans.

maybe so, but in this case, I doubt it. you can't sprint with an unclipped pedal. you would slide off very quickly.

it was probably a combination of a worn cleat, too low tension (since it was a cheap SPD, this definitely can happen), and twisting during the effort of the sprint. the spd m324 is a crappy single-singled pedal with a cage on the other side: https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-M32.../dp/B001AT33CW

speedplay frog will solve this and let you keep using your existing shoes. if your shoes do have both 2- and 3-bolt capability you could get a speedplay road pedal instead. my wife rides the frog and loves them.

Ive also used Shimano spd's for about 20 years and I dont recall having an accidental release, maybe once, but not sure.

I wonder if a small pebble got jammed under the edge of your cleat, Ive seen that a few times, but usually it has made it hard or impossible to get the shoe clipped in--it could have allowed you to get in but then with the sprint movement, if you twisted a bit, perhaps it wasnt entirely clipped in because of debris?? Who knows, just an idea.

Thinking about it more, yes I do think Ive had a pebble wedged under the cleat edge that allowed me to sort of clip in, but not fully. I try to remember to take a look at my cleats once in a while, and if something doesnt feel right when I go to clip in, I always take a look right away for stuff caught in there.

btw, your description of the injury made me wince big time.

How tight was the tension set when you slipped out?

I'm much more worried about that time I couldn't get out of my pedals. I fell over had to take my shoe off and then rip it out of the pedal sideways. The cleat was just a bit loss and would go with the show when I turned it. It was more embarrassing than anything, but if that had happen in traffic. Hrm. This was on my first pair of SPD' shoes/cleats/pedals.

Thanks for all the comments. It's very helpful to hear from everyone. I hope I haven't worried anyone else with my "horror" story. As one poster said, the SPD M324's are pretty cheap, but it was the first unintentional release I've had with them since buying them two years ago. Plus, the cleats on my shoes are pretty scuffed from walking around in them. Add the fact that I try to sprint hard as I can in traffic to keep some space between me and the cages, and so I may have twisted my foot slightly. The combination of time, wear, and unconscious twisting probably summed up to make this inevitable.

That being the case, part of my solution is to make sure the next pedals I get are not likely to make mincemeat of my foot when I (inevitably) unclip again. The M324's have a platform side with a serrated metal edge to grip your shoe, and I think this was half the problem. I should have committed to one type of pedal rather than try to compromise between two. Out of all the pedals, the speedplays, and especially the frogs, seem to have the fewest edges. I haven't seen one in person, so is this the case?

Cinelli M-71 "Widowmaker" FTW:





They don't let go until you reach down and make them let go!

Jeepers, a probably no float either...track shoes from the past?

A lot of people (who don't like Speedplay) say this, but it's absolutely untrue. The cleat supports the shoe and is comparably large. Mud does cause issues but is easily cleared with a spray of water or stomp of the shoe and doesn't come into play very often on road rides (in my experience).

SPDs have two cleat options. One allows for an upward release (I guess it's kind of an emergency bailout for the inexperienced) and I've pulled out once or twice. The other cleat isn't supposed to do that but if the tention is low enough I don't know. Not sure which cleat is which but a quick search would solve it.

Very good point, I'd forgotten about those ones.

SPDs, meaning literally Shimano and not generically any 2-bolt cleat, use spring tension to retain the cleat. If you slack the tension to make it easier to unclip, you also make it possible to accidentally unclip under heavy strain.

further complicating this is the matter that the springs fatigue and the cleats wear, so that unclipping becomes easier.


contrast this with any speedplay pedal, including the frog-- which I previously mentioned would work with the OP's 2-bolt shoes. speedplay doesn't use spring tension to retain the cleat. it is a circular system that spins and locks into place.

any pedal that doesn't have a cage on one side, or pins if it's a DH platform pedal, will eliminate the type of injury the OP suffered. that problem is easy to solve. but there are also pedals which specifically solve the problem of unclipping easily while never unclipping from pedalling hard.

Early on, it used to be that as shimano cleats wore out, it became HARDER to release. Has that changed over the years?

I have accidentally unclipped from SPDs on sprints or climbs, thankfully without injury. I have never accidentally unclipped from my SPD-SL (road style shimano).