Pedal Query
 

Hi

Just getting into road cycling. Bought some
Shimano pd-r540 pedals with Shimano
Shr064 shoes. not used to clip in pedals
And had a nasty incident falling off my
Bike as I could not get my feet out of
The pedals.

The tension settings of pedals set to spring
Max setting.

Will they get easier through use to get shoes
In and out of pedals ? Can you get any
Other pedals which are easier to release ?
A local bike shop advised some are designed
For people with ankle problems ?
Thanks

Well, have you tried changing the setting ?

Regardless, you can practice while coasting, or stopped holding onto the wall.

Welcome to the club!

The ease of release won't change much except for adjusting the spring tension.
There is some difference among different pedal/cleat systems, but you should be fine with what you've got after a little practice.

When you fall, attempt to roll, and resist the tendency to put your arm out as this can break the collar bone.

Change the spring setting to min. We all have fallen over. The vast majority of us has not broken our collarbones or ankles due to this.

Shimano SH-56 Multi-release cleats and lower tension.

The multi-release cleats are much easier to clip out of than the standard cleats. I have no idea why Shimano uses the SH-51 as the standard cleat.

This is in dispute. Yes, falling on your hand at the end of a locked straight arm would be very likely to lead to clavicle damage as well as other problems. But many believe that the ability of the elbow hinge in the arm to absorb shock by flexing and decelerating the fall more gradually actually protects the collar bone. This would be much like "slapping" the mat with your open palm when being thrown in Jiu Jitsu. And for sure landing on the point of the shoulder as a precursor to rolling would seem to be the worst plan. Talking about rolling is all fine and good, but if you aren't confident in your ability to do it properly (as I am not), you won't. And you won't be able to execute much of a roll if you don't come out of your pedals early enough in the process. The result of a bad try is not likely to be pretty.

Is this supposed to be a sonnet? Should be 8 and 6 not 6, 2, 6 though the total number of lines is right. WTH is going on.

So your suggestion is to use Jui Jitsu technique but you're not confident so you're not going to, & it will go badly? OK, as far as it goes...


While it is very possible to break a collar bone from tipping over like this, my suggestion is more about using the experience to anticipate landing well in future crashes. I think holding on to the bars and using them as the first point of impact is a good strategy.

You didn't read my post correctly. I said that using the arm to absorb some of the shock of falling is a known Jiu Jitsu technique and comparable techniques may work in cycling. I said that rolling sounds good, but if you aren't sure how to do it, it won't end well. Conclusion is using the bent elbow to absorb shock of the fall is not to be automatically excluded, especially if you are not a gymnast.

Using the bars as a first point of contact sounds good (providing you are on the tops not hoods or the drops), but in most cases the second point is then going to be the tip of the clavicle. How can that be good?

I always use my hands and face to slow down my fall. Haven't broken a bone yet! Got some sore wrists, but that only lasts a day.

Min setting, a little lube on the pedals. As the cleat wears it will get easier.