I recently switched the pedals on my road bike over to the SPD clipless system. The pedals I got have an adjustable spring. Tightening the spring increases the force required to twist one's foot out, while loosening it does the opposite.Initially, I set the tightness as low as it would go. I have ridden the bike every day in the last week without issue, and without even the prophesied falling (though I'm sure my time will come!).Today, while biking uphill against a strong headwind, my foot detached from the pedal, and I nearly lost control of the bike.
When you first start spin class, you can get away with regular cross-training shoes or whatever footwear you prefer. Given the fact though that you probably complete around 3,500 to 4,500 pedal revolutions in a typical 45-minute class, you want to maximize your pedal stroke ASAP, if not sooner. I like the idea of the Shimano SPD so I can use normal(ish) shoes, but still retain the clipless pedal benefits. I've noticed that Shimano seem to.
It seems to me that this is the result of pedaling vigorously while also swaying a bit to keep my balance. This also seems like exactly the wrong time to have one's feet come loose.This event makes me think I should tighten up the spring. At the same time, I have had several near falls where I forget to unclip at a light, but was able to quickly unclip after stopping and catch myself.I have two questions:1: Is it more dangerous to set the tension too high or too low?2: What sorts of schedules might be optimal for gradually tightening up the tension while learning to use the clipless pedals? A new pedal is more difficult to unclip.
A worn out pedal unclips easier. So I advise you to lube the pedal (both the moving parts and the parts that friction with the cleat) in the beginning, and never more lube it again after you get used to it. I have a pedal that is 12 years old (and still works) and never lube it. But I had to in the beginning. Recently I bought a new one, and even with a very loose spring, it must be lubed so that I can unclip easily.
And I think the pedals should, at any time, be as loose as it is safe to ride.–Mar 27 '12 at 13:48. Setting the release higher than your comfort level is asking for trouble.The risk of not being able to unclip while in traffic is just too great.As you get to the point that you are popping out more times than you forget to unclip increase the tension in 1/8 turn increments until you are not unclipping unless you want to.If at any point you feel that you are having trouble getting your foot unclipped back off the tension a little.As everything wears unclipping will be smoother and more consistant. My preference is to start with the pedals wound right back so your feet fall out if you even think about unclipping.
But from my experience of novices most people will fall off at least once due to being clipped in. Regardless of how loose the pedals are.After a week or so, or when the learner starts complaining that they're unclipping unexpectedly, I crank the tension up to normal levels. I'm not a fan of any kind of gradual change. I do err a little on the loose side while they work out what tension they prefer, but not in a smooth change fashion.
It's a step to 'firmly fixed' in one hit.I suspect it's more dangerous to have the tension too tight - at some point anyone will be unable to unclip without damaging themselves - your ankles are not particularly good with twisting forces.What I did find when I was learning was that there are time when I twist my feet in the pedals without realising it, so I was unclipping unexpectedly not because of pedalling force per se, but through half unclipping then pedalling. If you're off the saddle and throwing the bike around a bit, you may well have been pulling sideways out of the pedal. Don't do that:). Tighten the springs up a little if your feet are starting to pop out.
Before I moved from SPD's to TIME's I had the SPD's cranked down as tight as they would go and I would still blow out of them and the scars on my kneecaps to prove it:/The biggest thing you need to do as you tighten the pedals up is to practice clipping in and (especially) out to build up the muscle memory. Eventually you'll find yourself twisting your heels outwards even when riding flat pedals. So.-Tighten the springs several notches,-go in your backyard where there a soft area to fall over onto (and where nobody can see you),-clip in and out a few dozen times.Repeat this for a few days. If you find yourself tightening the springs down significantly again, run though the routine again. I'm not guaranteeing that you won't fall over anyway, but in my experience this process has helped new clipless riders. To begin with, have them really lose so it's easy to get out of, but then when you've learned the turn so you always do it without thinking.
Then try to make it harder, it's very different from person to person this. But I liked to have them really loose so you can get out of them. Still I fell probably 20-30 times my first run with them. An this is the falls were you know that it will happen 3 seconds before it happens.so the basic rules are:. practice a lot of clicking in and out before you take your first ride. make them loose so it's easy to click in and out. make yourself comfortable with having the pedals on when you ride.this last point is easy to try with just easy riding, so you stand up, brake, stop and make yourself comfortable with that before you have your first serious ride.I didn't do all this, and it hurt, a lot.
InI asked about clipless pedals. The term float came up. I think that float refers to how far you need to turn your shoe in order to release it from the pedal. Q1: Is this correct?I think that when I buy clipless pedals I will need three things:. Shoes.
Pedal. Clip that screws onto shoe that will fit in pedalQ2: Is this correct?Assuming I am right about that I think that the shoe that I buy will be independent of how much float there is.
Q3: Is this correct? Can I buy any shoe and change the level of float by changing the clips? Q1: No, 'float' is the amount your feet can rotate (around a vertical axis) while clipped in.A system/cleat with little or no float keeps your foot in a very rigid position.
You can't freely twist your toe/heel while pedaling. If you have a textbook pedal stroke, low float will keep your feet in the right place so you can focus on other things. With more float, your foot has more freedom to rotate. This can be helpful if your technique is less perfect and your body needs the extra freedom.
I have an old knee injury and need plenty of float - with less my knee really hurts. So you want to get enough float to allow you to pedal comfortably, but not so much that you develop a sloppy pedal stroke.It doesn't really affect how far you need to turn your foot to unclip. Well, you do have to turn further in a system with more float, but that's not the point of having more float.Q2: Pedals normally come with a set of cleats and bolts to attach them.
And most shoes are designed to fit a wide range of cleats and offer a fair amount of cleat adjustment. But if in doubt, check before you buy. You probably want your LBS to help you get the cleats positioned correctly anyway (I've done it myself but it involves a lot of trial and error).Q3: My experience is limited to Crank Brothers and SPDs - both of these offer different clips for differing amounts of float.
Don't assume that all systems do this, so check them out first. Float adjustment depends on the pedals. My Time Alium pedals adjust float by flipping the cleat around. A pair of SPD pedals generally has a tension screw.Float is the degrees of rotation needed to release your foot from the pedal.Most shoes will fit any cleat style. Many years ago I bought a pair of SIDI shoes for my MTB that required me to cut out a bit of the tread on the shoe.
Not really all that big a deal most of the time, but it might be an issue.Now, if you are talking road shoes then there are different cleat bolt patterns so you have to buy the version of the shoe with the proper bolt pattern. If it's a MTB shoe then bolt patterns are all the same as far as I know.Long term, I always put a bit of Loctite on my cleats once I've got them adjusted perfectly. I also trace their position with a permanent marker. The marker doesn't stay totally but it's typically a rough idea so you know if you're cleats have moved. Checking your cleats once a month is a good idea to make sure they're still tight. I have had a pair drop a screw and I needed a screw driver to remove them from the pedal.
The cleat wiggling loose also killed a shoe since I didn't notice for a few rides.