For those with Speedplay pedals...

Hi, Im new here. I do feel awfully rude as Ive been lurking for awhile, but Im shy. I'm a new rider, and I just went clipless last week! YAY! I got the Speedplay light action pedals and Im having a problem getting unclipped from them. Clipping in is no problem whatsoever, that part is easy. It takes me 2-3 tried to unclip from the, sometimes I get it the first try but most of the time it takes me a few tries. Part of it is nerves, as when I come upon an intersection I feel myself getting nervous and squirm, and can't get out AT ALL until I take a deep breath and RELAX.

Though even when practicing in the parking lot it takes a try or two to unclip, I feel as if I have to twist my ankle out and then lift my toes up as well. Almost like I'm ripping my foot out of the pedal. Is this something that I have to get used to or is something wrong with the way Im set up. Also, there are little switches on the cleat that say "heel in" or "heel out" Somehow my left shoe keeps getting switched to "heel in" when Im riding. I will have a very hard time and I'll dismount and look at the shoe, and what do you know, it got flipped to heel in. The right cleat does not have this problem, yet it is still difficult for me to unclip. Please help me!! Thanks :)

I'm a beginner, especially with clipless pedals, so I hope someone with more experience will chime in.

When I got my new bike, the bike shop folks adjusted the clipless so that I could stand there and get in and out pretty easily. They had me standing there a while, practicing, too.

And they told me that I'd probably want them tighter as I got more used to the pedals and such.

SO, check with your bike shop folks or if you have directions, and see if you can loosen up the cleats a bit, at least for while you're getting comfortable?

(The bike shop lent me plastic pieces on one side of each pedal so that I could ride regular if I wanted; when they took those off, I was able to adjust the cleats on that side with a little hex wrench pretty easily. I just used the shoes alone to test that each cleat was pretty easy to get out of, then practiced again with the shoes on.)

I hope that helps! Good luck!

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Originally Posted by mixie

Hi, Im new here. I do feel awfully rude as Ive been lurking for awhile, but Im shy. I'm a new rider, and I just went clipless last week! YAY! I got the Speedplay light action pedals and Im having a problem getting unclipped from them. Clipping in is no problem whatsoever, that part is easy. It takes me 2-3 tried to unclip from the, sometimes I get it the first try but most of the time it takes me a few tries. Part of it is nerves, as when I come upon an intersection I feel myself getting nervous and squirm, and can't get out AT ALL until I take a deep breath and RELAX.

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Interesting....I am one of the ones who gave up on Speedplay Zeros because although I could clip out fine, clipping in was difficult and frustrating. I now ride Speedplay X-2's on my road bike and Frogs on my mountain bike. No problem clipping out at all. I turn my heel outwards and do give it a tug up with the X-2's as you do have to "click" out of them (the Frogs you just lift up; there's no resistance). But I have really never had a problem clipping out unless I started to fall and had to do it really fast. I don't know much about the Light Action, but they should not be that hard to get out of, especially if you can get in easily.

I'm sure this didn't help at all....sorry. Good luck with them! Perhaps it just takes some practice?

Emily

Hi Mixie,

I don't have Speedplay pedals, but I do have some advice that I hope will help. When I went clipless, the guys at my LBS set my bike up on a trainer so in I could practice clipping in and out. They adjusted the tension on my pedals while I was in the shop, making them slightly loose at first so it was pretty easy to unclip. I suggest that you have your local shop do the same for you. You'll get much more confident without the stress of falling in traffic.

Speedplays do not have an adjustable tension. However, they start out quite tight and loosen up with use. But, it's usually hard to get into them. It sounds like you might have the coverplate on the cleats too tight - this can cause problems with getting in and out. The four screws should be snug, then 1/4 more turn (use Loctite so they don't fall out).

I have speedplay zeros and love them. Pedal Wench is right, they will loosen up over time and check the coverplate. Mine were harder to get in than out, but now they are pretty comfortable either way, at least the left one is. I always clip/unclip on the left while riding.

Hang in there and welcome.

If after all adjustments and you still don't like them, then try another type of pedal. I used Shimano Ultegra pedals and hated them. So, I switched and am much happier.

ok, I think I'll loosen them up and keep riding. Im going to go for a looooong ride tomorrow I can't wait!

thanks everyone!

I ride Zero's and about once every couple months I also spray mine with White Lightening lube... keeps them from getting "sticky" and hard to get in and out of... :)

I have SPDs which I am actually pretty happy with, but when the Light Actions came out I thought those might be the "move up" pedals for me. I'm not in a rush right now tho. I will be very eager to hear your results with a little more riding. I want something easy to get in and out of and no pedal flipping.

My husband has the Zeros and he loves them.

ok, well I rode for about 90 minutes today, I was on a bike path so not a lot of unclipping. I also spent time time perusing the Speedplay website yesterday and the FAQ said something that really helped me and now, Im feeling kinda stupid :rolleyes: It said to unclip at the bottom of pedaling, when your leg is fully extended. This really helped a LOT.

tygab, since you asked about the LA's , I am almost wishing I had gotten the Zeros after reading the site, becasue the LA's have 15% of float and it is NOT adjustable. I feel like it is almost too much, I wish I could dial it down a touch. Of course I when I got the pedals this is what the LBS reccomended to me, and I trust them. They we're the only shop in town (I went to 4) that would even let me test ride a road bike. :mad: Though, I probably would have not wanted to spend the extra $ for the Zeros had they offered them to me. Now after some experience I know better, but hey, thats what this is all about. I think less float might make it easier to unclip, but I think that will just come with practice. Getting clipped in is super easy, not a problem at all. I love that I dont ever have to look down. Also, I had been unclipping both feet every time I stopped, today I was able to unclip one foot, and keep the other clipped in without crashing! Everytime I tried to do that before, it.... ended in pavement. :D

This is a really interesting thread. I got Light Actions too for my first clipless pedals a couple of weeks ago. My problem has been clipping IN! I've had no trouble at all getting out of them, but getting the second leg in is always a struggle no matter what I do...

Mixie, I have the Speedplay Frogs for my road shoes and I like 'em better than the Zeroes.

When I first went clipless I had to remind myself to twist out and not up. That really helped me.

What do you think about leaving a Speedplay on one side and a 2 sided pedal on the other foot until you get used to the Speedplay? That way you can quickly unclick from the one side and be ready to stop.

Also, you might want to spray some Finish Line dry lubricant on your cleats. Sometimes that helps with unclipping easier.

I've been using the Xs for about 4 years. I have absolutely no problem getting out and the only time it gets hard to clip in, is about after 4 weeks my left cleat gets a little sticky (the one I clip in and out of all the time). I lube it with White Lightning once a month and that does the trick. I started with traditional spds and now when I ride my commuter (old mtb) or my mtb with spds on one side and flat on the other, I have a lot of knee problems. I mean, I really feel it. I didn't have these issues before I got the Speedplays, but I think I am so used to the 100% float that my knees have adapted to it. It felt weird for about a week and now I don't even think about it.
Why are you clipping out with both feet? There's absolutely no need to do that. Just clip out a little in advance of an intersection, stop sign, to give yourself time to think and plan. Eventually it becomes second nature and you don't have to do it so far in advance.