clipless release dilemma

[MountainandRoad]

Can anyone give me some tips on getting out of the pedals clipped in with cleats? I am having a really hard time with this, both knees look like something from WWIII...also, need some tips for navigating downhill in muddy conditions...any help or suggestions from the more experienced of you who've been here done this would be greatly appreciated. Someone told me to cut away part of the knobbies on my shoes, but those things are made from kryptonite, and so far, I haven't found a way to even cut that stuff, not to mention know where to cut it away...

[doc]

There are tons of posts on getting used to clipless pedals. Use the search and you'll find reams of suggestions.

[SalsaMTB]

What kind of pedals do you have? If they're shimanos, have you tried loosening the tension screw? There should be a tiny screw on the side that you twist onen way to make it easier to get in and out of and the other way to make it harder. Be sure to twist your foot out and if anything, press down on the pedal, not up. Pretend to squish a bug.

If you have a newer set of pedals, I would be surprised if you had to cut your shoe. I think the older speedplay pedals you had to cut, but I haven't heard it too much anymore (I could def be wrong on this).

I had a pair of Shimano 515s that came with my mountain bike. It was my first time going clipless, I fell a ton. It wasn't because I forgot though, it was because my feet were stuck. I would fall over and actually had to take my shoe off my foot to get it out of the pedal. I then switched to a used pair of Time ATACs and my problem was immediately solved. The pedals we just crappy. I didn't fall once with the news pedals. So, if it still doesn't work, try new pedals.

[Irulan]

tension - I STILL keep mine very loose. Also, lube them If you ride in wet or muddy conditions, they will seize up. You shouldn't have to force them.

[Irulan]

down hill mud you kind of have to surf through. Ride loose, balance, don't brake more than necessary, minimal steering for correction only.

[MountainandRoad]

ok, thank you everyone........I forgot to say, these are on my mountain bike...they are shimano XT 525, and my shoes are the sidi dominator mtb shoes...Ihave the same pedals on my road bike, and they seem to release just fine, same shoes too...its the technique I suck at, when mountain biking. It all seems to happen so fast, I don't even have time to think about twisting to get out, and I'm on the ground

[MountainandRoad]

also, I forgot to say, before these shimano pedals, I tried crank brothers, and they were even harder to get out of, talk about falling down...

[CorsairMac]

you may still need to loosen the pedals on the MTB. If you aren't having any problems with your road bike - I'm guessing the tension on the MTB pedals may be too tight. I keep my MTB pedals Reallll loose coz I suck at MTB'ng and I fall at least once a trip - even with loose clips! LOL You might try loosening the screw alll the way and then tightening down say 1/2 turn or 1/4 turn and try it.
Let us know how it works out.

[SadieKate]

Check to be sure that your pedal isn't touching the lugs on the bottom of your shoes. If the pedal is touching a lug, that is where you need to cut away some material. A Dremel tool works well.

If you have the same pedals on both bikes and they don't perform the same way, you've got tension adjustment or lube or cleaning issues. The pedals on your mtbike will probably take a lot more maintenance.

Crank Bros pedals were harder? Did you have the cleat turned to the easier position?

[rocknrollgirl]

I went clipless this summer on my mt bike, and have a few really bad rides. Then my hubby switched the plate on my cleat to a multidirection release cleat. It is a 20 dollar item, and the job took 5 min. Now instead of having to do that twist out thing with my foot, the cleat will release in any direction.
It saved me. Try it. If you pull up, or forward, you will release.

Shimano makes them, so the hubby says...he thinks they are sH 55's....

[justduckie06]

I have the same pedals, which i actually like a lot. A lot of people have dissed them, but I like them. I got them for my road bike when I was going on a summer long tour (6000 miles) because I wanted to wear mtn shoes (instead of destroying my $300 carbon sole road shoes). I had a lot of trouble at first with the tension settings. so def check those again. It took a week or two of fiddling to get them equal and to wear I wanted them. And I got the cleats that let you release in any direction, which makes it easier to get out of them too. They do tend to get cloged with mud if you are mtn biking, so be carefula bout that. I'm not hard core into mtn biking, and so that hasn't been an issue for me yet. good luck though!