Issue with Look pedals

[Bluetree]

My bike has Look KEO classic pedals.

I have no problems clipping out, however, I find that I am fumbling a lot with my right foot when I clip in. The pedal always ends up upside down. I don't know if all pedals do this naturally, but I find that when I am trying to get off to a quick start, I'm fumbling with my toe, trying to spin it around so I can clip in.

On flats, it's no big deal. I spin with my left until I quickly get to a cruising speed, look down on my right so I can see my foot and the pedal. I spin the pedal with my toe, clip in easily.

My issues come up when I need to cross a major intersection quickly from a standing start, and esp. when I have to start on an incline. I find myself mashing my left pedal (still clipped in) in an attempt to reach a cruising speed quickly, and that leaves my right foot (unclipped) slipping on the pedal. If on an incline, I have to start mashing immediately. I don't have the time/room/speed to look down at right foot, which is fumbling and groping for the pedal and the correct side. I am afraid that if I stop pedalling a moment to spin my pedal/get my foot clipped in, I won't have enough speed to stay upright.

I watch other riders and they seem to find their pedals without a problem. Is this a matter of getting more experienced, or is it a pedal issue? Is the upside-down thing normal and if so, for what reason? I would think that pedals should be rightside-up and ready to clip in all the times.

[nafula]

I have the same problem. I always end up pedaling on top until I can find half a second to get clipped in correctly.

I don't think its a problem with the pedals though, I think its just a matter of getting used to them. The pedals I am using used to be on my husband's bike. He had no problems getting in them, but he's been riding for 6 years longer than me. I've been riding for a month. So I'm guessing its just going to take a little time. And I have to admit, its getting a little bit better.

[Kimmyt]

I have the same issue, as does another rider I spoke to with the same pedals. I think because of the shape of the pedal and where the weight on it sits, it tends to flip upside down (drives me nuts too!). I've gotten in the habit of sticking the toe of my shoe into the depression on the underside and using that to get a quick pedal in, then sort of scooping my foot under the pedal to flip it around and (if all goes well) clip it in quickly.

Of course, this doesn't always work as well as planned, but if thinks start getting dodgy I just do the toe pedal thing a couple more times quickly so I can try the process again.

K.

[KSH]

Well, I don't have those pedals... and that is one of the reasons why.

I also see people STRUGGLING to get clipped in with them. My boyfriend had those... and he was always working way too hard to get into them.

I personally LOVE my Speedplays and I never have an issue getting clipped in.

After some discussion I got my boyfriend to switch to Speedplays... and he loves them too. He never has any issues getting in/out these days!

Unfortunately though, the LBS tried to talk him out of them on two different occasions. He pushed and got some.... and he's glad he did.

[maillotpois]

Wow - I have found the Look Keos so much easier to get into than other pedals! I just love them. I had regular Looks before, and they often wouldn't be "right side up". But the Keos always are.

Maybe I'm just lucky.

[Bluetree]

What kind of Keo's do you have, Sarah... the classic, carbon, sprint or ironman? I have the classic, which is the least expensive of the lot.

I checked out RoadBikeReview and there were a lot of positive reviews from the carbon users. None brought up the upside-down issue, except for one person who mentioned that he wished it wasn't single-sided. There were much more mentions of the fragility of the cleats.

Joy

[RoadRaven]

Well... I like LOOKs cause they are so easy to unclip from

(I must admit I have only ever used LOOKs)

When I stop I always leave one foot cliiped in, the foot that is free I just sit on the pedal to get across the road/intersection and then I clip in with a quick toe-kick to flip the pedal and click in...

[maillotpois]

I am pretty sure mine are the Sprint version. I know they are not the carbon. I won't get carbon pedals anymore after breaking 2 regular Look carbon pedals...

[Artisan]

I bought the Look Keo Sprints about a month ago. I use to have the Shimano SPD pedals which you can clip in on either side. At first I didn't like that they flip around but I've gotten use to it and now I believe I clip in quicker than I use to on the SPDs. I also like the bigger platform these provide.

[aicabsolut]

I posted on a clipless thread about the KEOs. I also just got the Sprints. I chose them because of the platform, though I had some people telling me to go with Speedplays. I like that it's not too hard to unclip, though I haven't tried doing it in a hurry. But getting the 2nd foot clipped in is a pain--I do fall over, because I slip off when I try to just get going unclipped and don't generate any power. You're doing better than me!

The only trick I can find is to get used to nudging it with your toe--get the front part of the clip in the viscinity of the front of the pedal to help it be right side up more often.

I wish the springs would go looser.

And yes, the cleats are fragile. I broke one already in a fall. But at least it broke and released when I didn't unclip automatically, instead of wrenching my ankle--that ankle has issues already, which is why I'm cycling in the first place!

[indysteel]

Bluetree, you are not alone in having problems with the Keos. When I bought my road bike, I had the Keos installed immediately (I had previously been riding a hybrid with SPD one-sided pedals). The adjustment to the Keos was a little rough. In fact, I almost gave up after the first ride. I, too, had trouble getting through tricky intersections and/or inclined intersections without losing my you-know-what. I assumed that the Keos had design flaw but my LBS assured me that they were purposedly designed to float backwards like that. After a few months of using them, though, it's gotten a lot better. Here are some thoughts/suggestions (and sorry if I'm repeating what others have said):

First, make sure that the tension on the pedals is pretty loose so that it's pretty easy for you to clip in and out. There are instructions on the box about how to do this.

Second, before hitting the roads again, practice in a parking lot or grassy area. Stop and start over and over again. As you start rolling, try to clip in without looking down at the pedal if you can.

Once you're on the road, make sure that you downshift (if you're not already in a lowish gear) before coming to an intersection so that you can get rolling again pretty easily. As you're waiting for the light to change, rotate your pedal so that your clipped-in foot is in the three o'clock position. When the light changes, really concentrate on pushing down hard with that leg so that you can start rolling--using all your body weight as you hoist yourself back in the saddle.

As the other pedal rotates forward, rest your unclipped-in foot lightly on top of the pedal so that you can rotate the pedal to get through the intersection. Don't worry at this point about clipping in. Once you're safely through the intersection, finally clip in.

Sometimes I still have to look down at my left pedal to get clipped in, but it has become much, much easier to get clipped in w/o really thinking about it. When I come to an intersection with an incline, I still panic a bit to be honest. There's one intersection in particular where I try to crest the incline before stopping. Otherwise, I hang back from the intersection a bit (where the road is a little flatter) and start off from there when the light turns green.

One other thing: After riding for about six weeks with the Keos, I had a professional bike fitting. I mentioned my problem with the pedals to the fitter and he told me that one of the reasons that I was having a hard time clipping in is that my saddle was too far forward--meaning that my knee was falling too far in front of the pedal axle. As he predicted, by moving my saddle back, it became easier for me to use the pedals, presumably because the angle at which my toe approached the pedal to float it forward was "better." You might want to make sure that your saddle is in the right fore/aft position, too.

Keep at it; it will get easier. Good luck.

Kate

[aicabsolut]

I'm getting better

I did have a pro fitting, though from research I've done, I think I know more about bike fit than the guy at the LBS (I've contacted the fit expert on the cyclingnews.com fitness forums). For one, he was trying to put my cleats too far forward. And I was the one saying, move the saddle up, move the saddle back. Except for the first adjustment (made with new pedal system versus the old ones and street shoes), he said I looked fine. So I could've done it all on my own with a trainer. I've since had to tweak the seat a little. I put it back down a touch, and it may need to go back a tiny bit further. But I notice when I miss the pedal, I'm lifting up and reaching forward --stepping over the pedal instead of nudging it with my toe to get right side up.

I was iffy on my bars/stem setup in the shop, and they might have to get modified (smaller, shorter), because they get a little uncomfortable after a while. Maybe that will help my balance issues some. But the guy said I looked fine. I tried a shorter stem for a couple of minutes, and he said I looked fine with that too. So helpful.

Thanks for telling me to downshift before stopping... that made ALL the difference.

[Bluetree]

Thanks for the advice, but clipping in on a "regular" ride has not been a problem. My issues come up when I have to ride hard and fast from the get-go... I don't have time to look for my pedal. I ride on smaller streets but have to cross some major highway intersections that only give me a green light for a few seconds (lame urban planners only put crosswalk lights on one side of the street, usually the side I'm NOT on.) Basically, I have to sprint from a standing start and jet through 8 lanes or risk getting hit by some dodo-brain going 65mph. Similarly, when I have to start on a significant incline, I have to start spinning immediately and hate fumbling for my pedal.

Almost all of my cyclist friends (including my coach) prefer the dual-sided Speedplays so I will probably switch over.

[neuroticcyclist]

That is life with Look pedals. You get used to it. :-)