Hi all, I'm more of a lurker here but I hoped you guys might have some feedback for me.

I'm a fairly seasoned cyclist at this point but I'm experiencing some comfort/ergonomics issues that I think should be resolvable.

Details
me: 26 y/o male, 6' 155lb
riding style: no racing atm but 30-100mi fast group rides 2-3/week
bike: 61cm quattro assi, slammed 130mm stem, thomson setback seatpost with seat slammed back (so, relaxed position with a lot of saddle to bar drop and reach)
pedals: look keo 2 max carbon (most recent version with stainless steel wear plate)
cleat: look keo grip cleats, 9° float, (sidi fixing bolts)
shoe: SIDI Genius 5, 44.5
footbed: specialized body geometry, blue for medium arch support
crank: Ritchey WCS compact

Comfort issues:
Pressure point just behind ball of foot, seems to correspond with the rear edge of the cleat. However, the cleat mates nearly perfectly with the curve of the shoe outsole with no gaps. Same issue with stock Sidi footbeds, which are much thinner.

Difficulty unclipping:
Unclipping with my left foot is HARD. I have the pedals set to the lightest possible retention, but I feel like I have to throw a ton of weight out to the side to release them. This is no fun because I've had two knee surgeries on the left knee, unrelated to cycling. Clipping in is no problem. I've checked for dimensional differences/wear between right and left pedals, and right and left cleats.

I know my left leg is still weaker than my right from having surgery. Its a contributing factor, but I know its not the issue because my cleat is forcibly being rotated out of position on the shoe, despite properly greased and torqued fixing bolts (I'm using SIDI brand bolts).

I've tried taking a file to the engagement/release surfaces on the cleat, no real effect. Problem seems exacerbated in dusty conditions.

A friend mentioned that the elastomeric overmold on the Keo Grip cleats are to blame, however this is a feature that I'd like to keep since I live in a 3rd floor apartment w/stairs. I kindof refuse to believe that since these are a LOOK product used by many people. The pedals only have 5,000 miles on them, with new cleats. The problem only cropped up this season.

I'd be willing to try the non-grip cleats, but I can't find them locally in 9° float, and I don't want to wipe out going up and down stairs. I'm worried its a problem with the pedal. At the moment I'm coping by trackstanding... all the time so I only have to actually unclip at the end of a ride, but its definitely a safety issue and a knee health issue.

I wanted to ping you guys about this to see if anyone had similar problems with Look Keo 2 Max pedals, or with Keo Grip cleats.

Thanks,
Sean

Similar products used without issue:
Shimano Ultegra 6600 SPD-SL
Shimano 105 5600 SPD-SL
Look Delta
Look Arc
Carnac shoes
Diadora shoes (which sucked btw)
SIDI Dominator 5
Shimano SPD M520

Bike setup:

Tried oiling the spring and metal release mechanism? Hs the same issues with spds, and a bit of wd40 solved it.

Maybe not related, but you're 6-feet tall and riding a 61cm bike? That's huge! I'm 6'3" tall and ride a (slightly too small, but it works) 58cm bike.

And you have a 130mm stem, with saddle all the way back on seatpost?
You may wanna check your measurements again. If these are accurate, I can only imagine you're legs are locked out at the bottom of your pedal stroke and you're stretched out across the top tube.

re: the cleats
You may have the left one misaligned so that it forces you to really torque it to clip out. Have you tried clipping out by moving heel in? Have you tried a non-float cleat? Get that aigned perfectly, mark its outline on the shoe, then switch to the red cleats (9-deg float).

In the meantime, pics/video would help.

This symptom seems out of place. If anything the Keo 2 Max is easier to unclip out of compared to the non-plate Keo Max. I have both and the Keo 2 Max is annoyingly easy to unclip - I do it inadvertently a lot. The first generation Keo Max is much tighter.

The only pedal I ever used that had the same symptom was the flawed SPD-R, the 90s clipless road pedal from Shimano. With those pedals there was more solid surface area holding the cleat to the pedal vs the cleat to the shoe. The cleat would regularly move on the shoe, trapping the user.

I have a feeling something is wrong with your set up. Not sure what but there's an abnormal amount of friction there. Either the pedal is damaged or the cleat/shoe bit is interfering with smooth disengagement.

I actually wish my pedals were that tight.

When I had the SPD-Rs I'd hit my shoe with my fist to unclip. I also found it easier to twist inward, towards the center of the bike, than outward. Finally I had to really focus on pushing down so that I wasn't inadvertently pulling up. I only had a couple instances where I needed help unclipping, typically two people tugging on my shoe really hard.

Adam, I've never had anyone comment on my fit. My bike is 61cm c-t, with a 58.5cm top tube, the bottom bracket drop is also more than typical. I added the setback seatpost for KOPS, and got the 130mm stem to open up my chest and keep my bar away from my knees while climbing out of the saddle. My max knee extension is around 160°. A big part of it is I have big feet which push me farther back, I also have obscenely long arms and legs. I have two other 61cm bikes, both have 130mm stems.

I don't think the cleat is misaligned in the horizontal plane. It does not take extra rotation to exit, just more force (unless the cleat rotates on the shoe). Another detail is I have yet to fall/crash on these pedals.

I'll see about photos.