Grrr...2nd bloodied knee courtesy of SPD-SL pedals!

[zoom-zoom]

I don't know what the problem was with the SPD pedals we tried (all of them mtb, not road), but I am kind of glad they didn't work out because the Frogs are so much easier...

I have found that the mtn. SPDs loosen with time (I have mine on the loosest setting and need to go tighter, since I've pulled-out a couple of times, which could be bad on a hard cyclocross race or going up a hill), but I'm not sure that's as true with the road ones...and I'm not waiting around to find out.

[limewave]

I have Look Pedals on my road bike and love 'em.
I have SPD's on both my mountain bikes and they work well. Although they can get sticky if its muddy out or if there's a hike-a-bike section.

Sorry about your bloody knee! It's a bad feeling when you can't unclip.

[GLC1968]

Yeah, there is definitely something wrong with those pedals. I've used nothing but SPD-SL's on all my road bikes for the past 7 years and never had those kind of issues!

[Mama Coosa]

It does kinda sound like the Shimano pedals are defective. Just out of curiosity, what color are the cleats?

Look makes a great light-action spring pedal that's easier to get out of than their regular pedals.

And you should always keep an extra pair of cleats around regardless of what pedals you ride.

[zoom-zoom]

It does kinda sound like the Shimano pedals are defective. Just out of curiosity, what color are the cleats?

Look makes a great light-action spring pedal that's easier to get out of than their regular pedals.

And you should always keep an extra pair of cleats around regardless of what pedals you ride.

The cleats are black with the yellow walking "pontoons." They came with the pedals, so compatibility shouldn't be an issue.

I looked at the "easy" pedals and it appears that the tension setting is 8, without the option of adjusting tension. Keos have 8-12, and are adjustable. I can't find advertised #s for Shimano SPD-SLs, but I've found a few comments online that suggest that Looks are generally easier to get in and out of than Shimanos.

[zoom-zoom]

Hubby picked up a set of Look Keo Plus pedals...I have high hopes that they will work well for me.

[RubyTuesday]

I am also riding with Shimano 105's that I purchased from Performance (aka Nashbar). They were pretty easy to use when I first got them and I left them on factory settings. I have since moved my right foot back to the easiest setting and still find them hard to upclip now and then. Getting my right foot clipped back in after a stop is really getting annoying. I need to find something else, I think.