Quattro trouble

[rapid cycler]

Does anyone here ride Crank Brothers Quattro pedals? If so, what was your break-in period (assuming they feel broken-in to you)?

When I first went clipless a couple of years ago I chose Looks and had zero trouble growing used to them. Didn't suffer a single newbie crash and felt comfortable with them within just a couple of rides. (Interestingly, I had gone down once before because I couldn't get a foot out of clips and straps!)

I switched to the Quattros because I was delighted CB had finally come out with a roadie pedal—I love my Eggbeaters on my mountain—and because they're super pretty on my bike. Shallow, I know.

A couple hundred miles since the switch I'm still having the devil of a time getting into them; no problems getting out. Because of the outer cleat tread, I find it really difficult to gauge when I'm in the sweet spot—and therefore whether I'm not engaging because I'm not over the spindle or because the spindle's not positioned correctly.

I will say that because of the platform design it's possible to gain some forward momentum without being engaged—whereas on the rare instances I misengage the Looks, my foot often goes sliding right over the front of the pedal—but every time I push off on the Quattros, it's a mystery whether I'll click right in or struggle to find the sweet spot for a hundred feet or more. Not a great trade off!

Do I need to ditch these suckers, or might it get better in a few hundred more miles?

[Eden]

? might just be a question of getting used to them or maybe your shoes and the pedals disagree. I have quattros with Sidi's and I love them to death. I find they are very easy to get into and equally easy to disengage. I can even use my mt bike shoes with my quattros.

[Surlygirl]

I have used the candies and I have the quattros on my road bike now and I have never had a problem getting in or out of them. I bought them because they are easy to get in and out of and I have bad knees and didn't want something that needed a lot of torque to get in and out of. You might check your shoes. I use mine with Specialized mountain bike shoes and had to make sure the tread didn't interfere with the cleat. You can cut down the tread if this is a problem. They can also be harder to engage when the cleats wear out. I tend to change mine once a year. I think they also sell spacers for under the cleats. I think the owners manual shows a picture with the spacing you need. You might want to call customer service and chat with someone there and tell them what shoes you are wearing and troubles you are having.

[Tater]

I have Quattros on both road bikes and eggbeaters on my mountain bike/commuter. I also use a pair of Specialized Taho shoes for all three, as the recessed cleat idea really appealed to me. I don't remember having a break in period though.

According to the instructions the left and right cleat will change release position. Would that help to change them?


Edit: Oh, duh! I just reread your post and you don't have problems getting unclipped. Sorry!

[amelia05]

I've had my quattros for about 300-400 miles, and I think I'm having more trouble clipping in with them now than I did in the beginning. The last time I was in the shop, the guy moved my cleats back about half an inch, so maybe that's my problem. Anyway, I find that because the part I clip into rotates, the "hook" isn't always in the right place for an immediate engagement. Like you say, though, the platform is big enough that I can still usually get moving before the pedal is fully engaged, so I don't worry about it much. Also, I have much less trouble with my road setup (the smaller cleat built on the rubber platform, on Sidi Zetas) than with the standard eggbeater cleats on my recessed-cleat shoes...I think because the rubber platform is designed to fit on/around the pedal, which makes finding that "sweet spot" easier.

Even with the issues, I like my quattros soo much better than my old SPDs.

[rapid cycler]

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

I'm using Sidi road shoes, for the record.

Amelia, yeah, I'm also having trouble knowing whether the spindle is aligned properly to hook in. So when I'm not engaging, I don't know whether I'm missing the sweet spot or am in it but missing the spindle hook. And my spindle doesn't turn without some effort on my part, making me visually spot check my pedals waaay too much in L.A. traffic. That brings up a question: I'm surprised at how difficult it is to turn the spindle within the platform; did anyone have to adjust or lubricate theirs? Is this a manufacturing variable that may account for my and Amelia's difficulties?

It sounds like others are having a lot less trouble, so I'll definitely fiddle around with tension and position and talk to Cranks Bros. custo service before I give up on them. I owe myself that since I love the solidly connected feel of the pedals once engaged, and release is as fluid as can be—one reason I've liked Eggbeaters so much.