Jim’s Tech Talk
Jim Langley
Last week, RBR reader Will Haltiwanger provided a clever cleat hack for making Shimano SPD clipless pedals easier to enter and exit (thanks again Will!). Here’s the article if you missed it – and please note that the hack is intended for beginners learning to use clipless pedals, not experienced clipless users: Will’s Shimano SPD Pedals Cleat Hack.
This week, I want to share another interesting easy-out tip from a reader and reply to a comment that arrived.
Roger’s Hack for Shimano Ultegra Road Clipless Pedals
Reader Roger Coombes said, “I use Shimano Ultegra road bike pedals and having backed off the release tension as far as possible still wanted it looser to avoid aggravating my damaged knee.
The tension is provided by a coil spring with one of the end tags resting on a plastic ridge under the pedal. So I took a Dremel tool with a fine blade and removed some plastic from under the end tag thus loosening the spring tension. The cleats still work correctly, I can sprint without pulling my foot off the pedal but the twisting force to release is now reduced.”
My Take
This sounds like an ingenious way to make road pedals release more easily Roger. Would you be able to take a photo showing where you cut the pedal? If you can email it to me I could share it. I’m at jimlangley at gmail. Thanks!
Luis’s Clipless Pedal Critique
Another reader Louis Bernhardt offered several thoughts, which I’ll give my take on inline with his comments because the issues are helpful for first time clipless riders.
Louis said, “Interesting hack, and it gives me a better understanding of SPD cleats. But this system has been around for 30 years, and riders have been able to comfortably adapt to its use after a very short time.”
My Take
If you go back to the first clipless pedals, which most people consider are Cinelli’s M71s (photo courtesy of bikerecyclery.com), clipless pedals have been around closer to 60 years. And cages to hold the feet on the pedals go back almost to the dawn of cycling. By around 1879 actually, we already had devices that later turned into toe clips and straps.
And ever since different ways to attach and keep the feet on the pedals have been available, these devices have made the learning curve for cycling significantly longer and more painful. Contrary to Louis’s statement that “riders have been able to comfortably adapt to their use after a very short time,” the reality is that they’ve been causing crashes and serious injuries, such as broken elbows, wrists, hips and ankles forever.
I saw this firsthand selling clipless systems in the bike shops I worked at when they first became popular. And earlier, when all we had were toe clips and straps – even then, fall-over crashes and accidents from not being able to get out were very common.
Safety Advice for Beginners
My safety advice for beginning cyclists using toe clips and straps and/or clipless pedals for the first time is to:
First, always remember when riding with your feet “locked” into the pedals that you won’t fall over if you don’t stop. It’s when people try to stop and can’t get out of the pedals that they fall over and get hurt. So when it comes time to stop, if you’re worried about getting your feet out, DO NOT STOP until you are next to a tree, parked car, fence, etc. – something that you can hang on to as you get your feet out.
And second, whatever system you choose, practice, practice and practice some more until you can get in and out of your pedals with ease. And with both feet because you might have to get out on either side.
Adjustment for Loosening Clipless Pedals
Louis continued,
“Is there a middle path that allows fast release while conditioning a proper rotational motion? Why yes! Just unscrew the tension bolt with a 3mm hex wrench. No dangerous cleat modification required.”
My Take
Most clipless pedals do have an adjustment screw for easier release. One thing to know is that as SPD cleats wear it gets more difficult to get out of SPD clipless pedals. The same goes for other types of clipless pedals. So if adjusting the release tension screw doesn’t help, check the cleats for wear and replace them if needed.
It’s also smart to check any and all cleat bolts because they can loosen and interfere with getting in and out of pedals. While you’re checking the bolts, it’s a good time to lube the pedals and cleats with something made for it such as Finish Line’s Pedal & Cleat lube https://amzn.to/40Fwkwe That will help the pedal system function better too.
Can you help Louis out with 2-bolt road shoe recommendations?
And finally Louis asked a question that maybe you can help with. He wrote, “We need more choice in 2-bolt pedals and shoes for the road (no lugged soles). Right now, it’s just Shimano’s indoor cycling shoes, and I’m not seeing the IC5 with BOA tensioner any more. And you can’t even get them in white!”
If you have some shoe recommendations for Louis I’m sure he’d appreciate it – and other roadies looking for SPD shoes will too.
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
Rick Schultz says
I imagine that if you modify the pedals and something in the pedal then breaks causing you to crash, Shimano will come back and say you voided the warranty and therefore give up any rights to sue the company? Maybe the attorneys in this group can comment?
Steve Palincsar says
Among the people I ride with, the most common road pedals are double-sided Shimano SPDs, and the most common road shoe is the Sidi Dominator. Yes, there are lugs; they do not hurt while you are riding, but they do help when you get off and have to walk around at a rest stop or to get around an obstacle.
I used clips and straps for 20 years. When I switched to clipless, I converted all my bikes at once and never rode clips and straps again. Also, before I first set out on the road, I put my newly converted bike on a trainer and spent a couple of hours doing nothing but clipping in and clipping out, extinguishing the old reflex and establishing the new one. My transition was uneventful, and I never fell over.
Jim Langley says
Thanks for the tips, Steve, appreciate it. That’s a great point. Practicing on a trainer is one of the best ways to develop the muscle memory to get in and out of clipless pedals with ease. If a trainer isn’t available, standing over the bike on a soft lawn works and “training” one foot at a time works well too. But if you have a trainer you actually get to transition from clicking in to riding to clicking out.
Thanks again,
Jim
Kerry Irons says
The only person I know who has never fallen over due to not being able to get out of their pedals is my wife. When she converted from toe clips/straps to clipless pedals, she spent the entire winter on the rollers clicking in and out before she ever rode outside. By then, it was second nature. Having Speedplay pedals probably helped too. The other technique I have seen from cautious people is to click out well before they think they will need to stop. They keep their foot on the pedal for control, but are clicked out already. If they don’t need to stop, they just click back in and ride on.
Jim Langley says
Thanks for the excellent tips Kerry, appreciate it!
Jim
al0al0 says
I used Shimano Ultegra and 105 SPD-SL pedals for many years and they always been very easy to exit. Can’t understand, what for such modification may be necessary (save defective pair of pedals).
John Tonetti says
I think “the difficulty” in getting out of clip-in pedals is way overstated. In my opinion, it is much simpler to extricate oneself from clip-in pedals than it was to get out of the toe cage/strap combination. If your toe straps were firmly tightened, you could not pull your shoe out of the cleat without loosening them, which was nigh impossible if you came to a stop suddenly. Much easier to twist your foot out of a clip-in.
Of course, YMMV.
Jim Langley says
Thanks for the comment John. To prevent any confusion for readers you wrote “clip-in pedals” but I’m sure you’re talking about clipless pedals. (Clip-in pedals are those with toe clips and straps not clipless since “clipless” means no toe clips.)
You’re correct that getting out of toe clips and straps can mean one more step in the release process for people who actually tighten the strap. A lot of riders never tightened the strap so much that it had to be loosened by hand. But if you did tighten it you had to reach down and loosen it before you could pull your feet out.
As long as a clipless pedal system is working correctly you should be able to get out more quickly and never have to reach down with your hand. Still, loads of people have trouble getting out and it definitely causes crashes and injuries so it would be pretty hard to overstate the issue.
Thanks again,
Jim
Road Bike Rider says
I still remember in the late 80s when we all started switching from toe clips to Look clipless pedals.
Almost all of us when we first switched to Look would ride up to the start point and use muscle memory to perform the up and backward pulling motion we were used to with toe clips, which does nothing in clipless pedals. Then you’d reach down, but there would be no strap to loosen! Next would be total panic, following by falling over on your side. It always got a big laugh, and we’d always know who just made the switch to clipless.
Gary Turney says
I’ve been on clipless pedals for 20+ years, and have had 3-4 falls due to them, fortunately nothing serious. My dumbest one was stopping and steadying myself by unclipping one foot and resting it on a guard rail. When I started to go, I pushed off against the guard rail, my foot slipped up it, then when I pulled my foot back the back edge of my SPD-SL cleat hooked on the guard rail. I slid along it for about 5 feet, then fell over. No harm to me or my bike, but I learned a quick lesson……..
Jim Langley says
That’s a great crash story, Gary, thanks for sharing! I’m glad no harm was done!
Jim
dw says
A couple of points about spd cleats: loose cleats are really hard to unclip from, it’s the first thing I check if I am finding it hard to clip/unclip. Next is (because I gravel bike) debris can easily affect the clearances/tolerances between the cleat and the shoe. I’ve had to clear out gunk on occasion.
Finally, I got some sidi shoes and the hex-screws to mount the cleats used the tiniest hex-key size, the hole got immediate filled in with crap and was almost impossible to clean out. So it was almost impossible to tighten the cleats or to remove the cleats when they wore out. I swapped them for a more normal and easy to use hex screw.
I love spd pedals, one of the best inventions ever. I hated toe straps (I have wide foot), and look-style pedal/cleat system meant cannot walk in bike shoes (ok for the racer crowd but it was a pain for me).
Clarence Blackwell says
I am 89 so possibly in a different category.
I have switched to 5/10’s. Great shoes. Hard soles and they fit.
I still get well over two thousand miles in the mountains of Colorado riding about nine months out doors.
Enjoy the ride. Every day is a gift.
Clarence Blackwell
Steve Weeks says
Wow! I’m 73, and I hope I’m still riding at your age. Keep it up!
Steve Weeks says
I have Shimano SPD pedals on two bikes: road and mountain. I’ve never touched the tension adjustments (even after ankle reconstruction). I have fallen a couple times in 20 years on the mountain bike; never on the road bike.
My most embarrassing fall was as I was coming up to a road crossing. I saw a white convertible approaching, driven by an attractive blonde woman (reminiscent of Suzanne Somers in “American Graffiti”). Rather than un-clip, I slowed to a stop and reached for a stop sign post to hold myself up… and missed! Over I went. The driver stopped and asked if I was hurt. “Only my pride”, I said, and waved her on. I was mortified.
I haven’t had such an incident since. 🙂
Jim Langley says
Ha, ha, that’s a great story Steve, thanks for sharing.
Jim
paulie says
Don’t have a problem getting out of them . . . its getting IN that I have problems, even after using them for 25+ YEARS! (And, yes, this even happens when the cleats, shoes, and pedals are NEW.) I use 2-bolt MTB shoes/padals on all my bikes.
Jim Langley says
That’s unusual with a new setup Paulie. The most common cause of difficulty getting into new clipless pedals is using a bad quality pair of pedals, like cheap knockoffs of a known brand such as Shimano. If that’s the issue, the solution is to upgrade to Shimano products that are compatible with each other (pedals and shoes).
Difficulty getting in can be caused by incompatible cleats and pedals and shoe issues too. If the cleat isn’t aligned correctly or incorrectly mounted to the shoe this can cause problems too.
Since you’ve been using clipless for 25 years, I have to think something has changed recently. If I were you I’d inspect everything carefully to see what’s wrong. One other thing that occurs to me is if you have knee, ankle or foot injuries those might cause pedal entry difficulties too, but that wouldn’t be the fault of the clipless pedal system.
I hope you can find and solve the problem,
Jim
Cindy Fleming says
Pearl Izumi makes road shoes that are compatible with 2 and 3 bolt cleats
Jim Langley says
Thanks so much for sharing Cindy. I looked the shoes up, their Attack model, it comes in mens and womens:
https://www.pearlizumi.com/collections/mens-shoes/products/mens-attack-road-shoes-15182303?variant=41958653722795
Thanks Cindy!!
Jim
glenn ashworth says
When I started riding at age 50, ( 26 years ago) , I wanted to try clipless pedals. I had a road bike and a mountain bike. My cycle shop mechanic had been a road bike racer and he asked me what type of riding I was going to do. I told him I was riding as a replacement for my running, which I had to give up due to hip issues. He asked if I was going to race and I said no. He then suggested that I try Speedplay Frogs. I put them on both my mountain and road cycles and both shoe types. They were and still are extremely easy to enter and release, have float to negate knee and hip issues and have been great. My problem is that Speedplay has sold out to Wahoo and they no longer make the Frogs! It’s harder and more expensive to find them every year, but my old ones are hanging in there. Anyone with serious issues with knees/hips might do well to try to find a set, even if they are used.
Jim Langley says
Thanks for the tip Glenn. I used to ride Speedplay Frogs too. I searched and found used ones on eBay but at pretty high prices. I don’t think anyone should spend so much unless they try them first to make sure they work well for them. Especially since Shimano pedals are so inexpensive. Now if Wahoo would smell the coffee and reintroduce the pedals, that would be great.
Thanks!
Jim
Chuck says
I’ve been using Blaster Dry Lube on pedals for years since I have for other purposes. Has DuPont fluoropolymers, AKA Teflon, but might not have boron and ceramics. It is half the price of Finish Line.
Jim Langley says
Appreciate the tip Chuck. I found Blaster Dry Lube here if anyone wants to learn more: https://amzn.to/3RhSgKu
Thanks again,
Jim
Rich G says
For those concerned about getting out of SPD mountain pedals, Shimano offers the SH56 cleat. It is supposed to be easier to disengage than the SH51.
Jim Langley says
Thanks for the tip Rich!
Jim