look pedals

[Jen]

I have look pedals, about 2+ years old on my bike. I prefer them to spd but boy, are they ever hard to get out of . I opened it up all the way. The woman who owned the bike before said she never had a problem. Maybe it is me. does anyone know anything about the ultegra pedals. Are they any easier to clip out of?

[stacie]

I just upgraded to Ultegra and I really like them. However, I seem to be having the same concern that you are having with the Look. I was always able to loosen my Looks up. The Ultegra are tight although I've loosenend them as much as possible. That awful creaking from the looks is gone though. s

[aicabsolut]

Which Looks? The regular ones?

I've got keos, and they aren't too bad to get out of--harder to get into IMO. But I did notice a big difference between the red and grey cleats. Get the cleat with the most float if you have another option for your model of pedal.. that plus having the springs loose makes all the difference I think.

I don't know about Ultegra.

[alpinerabbit]

I thought I had a problem last year, with strain to the knee I unclip with, but this year I was just fine.

I dunno, perhaps I wore the cleat off a bit, and it will get hard again once I change them? I have the regular ones, not KEO.

[PinkBike]

never had a problem with ultegra pedals, i liked them, but we've gone speedplay, soooooooo much easier (two sided!!). and they're good enough for CSC.

[Grog]

The road-SPD (like 105s and Ultegras) differ from one to the other. I found the Ultegra pedal nicer than the 105, more likely to spin on its axle to return to its correct position to facilitate clipping-in. But both were just as hard to clip in and out of, even at the easiest setting. My boyfriend has Ultegra pedals as well and his are much easier to clip in and out of. I have found mine to be a bit easier now than they were when I got them though...

Your comment on the Looks is unusual, everyone has always told me they were much easier to clip in and out of. Maybe you were not very lucky... Or your cleats are getting old? Dunno...

Good luck!

[aicabsolut]

I thought I had a problem last year, with strain to the knee I unclip with, but this year I was just fine.

I dunno, perhaps I wore the cleat off a bit, and it will get hard again once I change them? I have the regular ones, not KEO.

You can always walk a few yards on pavement with the new cleats to rough them up a little bit and make them a little easier. I think the regular Looks take the Delta cleat, which ought to be basically the same as the Keos, just slightly different shape. The red ones are the loosest, and a little pavement time really seemed to help for getting out. (Though more float means you have to swing out farther..maybe that's what bothered your knees ?)

[kiwi girl]

I have shimono road pedals (105 I think but they wren't described that way) and I find them a lot easier to get out of than the old style looks on my previous bike

Do you have smallish feet? One of the theories I have read is that look cleats get a bit bent out of shape when you attach them to small shoes - shimano cleats are made of harder plastic I think

[emily_in_nc]

I have read and heard that Look pedals can be hard for smallish women to clip out of as at least some models of them require more "torque" than some of us little gals can generate (or maybe it is related to shoe/foot size - not sure). After the difficulties I had clipping into Speedplay Zeros, I'd never try a pedal system known to be "difficult for small gals" again!

Good luck!

Emily

[Grog]

I have read and heard that Look pedals can be hard for smallish women to clip out of as at least some models of them require more "torque" than some of us little gals can generate (or maybe it is related to shoe/foot size - not sure). After the difficulties I had clipping into Speedplay Zeros, I'd never try a pedal system known to be "difficult for small gals" again!

So what pedals do you have now Emily?

[emily_in_nc]

So what pedals do you have now Emily?

I went back to Speedplay X-2s for my road bike (I tried the Zeros because I really didn't need all that float, and I did find the Zeros more stable for climbing out of the saddle, but the X-2s sure are easier to clip into and out of -- I'd been using them for years).

On my mountain bike I currently use Eggbeater Candies but am about to try Speedplay Frogs -- I have problems clipping in the Candies on my right foot only, and I think it's because I have to have a shim under that cleat because of a leg-length discrepancy from my pelvic fracture (cycling accident in 2005). It seems to throw the clipping in position off a bit, somehow. The rooty singletrack trails don't help either, as it's hard to coast long enough to get that second foot in.

Emily

[aicabsolut]

I have read and heard that Look pedals can be hard for smallish women to clip out of as at least some models of them require more "torque" than some of us little gals can generate (or maybe it is related to shoe/foot size - not sure). After the difficulties I had clipping into Speedplay Zeros, I'd never try a pedal system known to be "difficult for small gals" again!

Good luck!

Emily

Interesting.. I never thought of that. But then, I wear 39-40.