How Hard Should It Be Too Unclip From Clipless Pedals?

I ride a mountain bike and just bought clipless pedals and shoes. I have mastered the "clip in" end its getting un-clipped that seems to be difficult. I loosend the tension screw on the pedals but their doesnt seem to be a difference. any suggestions?

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

6 Comments »

M R said:

It shouldn’t be so hard as to be any problem doing it quickly. It’s possible you simply need practice but if you think that’s not the issue you may need to shim your cleats. Usually, when buying new (I assume SPD) pedals they will come with a few shims to put between the cleat and shoe if the clearance is lacking. The lack of clearance makes clipping in and out harder than it should be. Since you just bought these I would say damaged or worn cleats wouldn’t be the problem.
Something I do as well is lightly spray my pedal clips with a little silicone spray lube it makes a noticeable difference in ease of use. Finally, make sure your pedals and cleats are clean, dirt build up when riding trails will cause this problem as well.

# 6 February 2010 at 4:56 am

sfr1224 said:

As MR says, you may need some shims in there is not enough clearance. A dry lubricant can help, as well. Don’t use a wet lubricant, though, or it will pick up gunk from the trail each time you put your foot down.
Keep in mind, once cleats wear a bit they are much easier to clip into and out of. Brand new cleats and pedals are often a bit of a pain. In fact, when my son was young, I used to take gently worn cleats off my shoes and put them on his so he could more easily clip in and out of his pedals.
As long as there is not a clearance issue, as soon as you take several rides and your cleats wear a bit, they’ll be much easier to clip in and out of.
Hope this helps.

# 6 February 2010 at 7:25 am

djaca70 said:

If they are SPD’s you need to twist your ankle almost violently to clip out. Keep in mind, you do have to adjust the tension on both sides of the pedal, provided that they are double sided. If they are new, they need to be broken in too.

# 6 February 2010 at 1:50 pm

Anonymous said:

I’m an old-timer and have tried every pedal system out there. For mountain bikes I now use nothing but the Time ATAC pedal system. It’s more expensive than some of the others, especially Shimano SPD clones, but it’s worth it, especially if you are falling in attempts to get out in an emergency.

# 6 February 2010 at 3:44 pm

w w said:

your pedals should be tight enough to keep your cleat from slipping out when pulling straight up, but loose enough to allow you to twist out easily. new pedals do need a little break-in to get them where the rider is comfortable.

# 6 February 2010 at 7:27 pm

Tom said:

Brute force will do it – I’ve never had an accident due to clipless pedals.

# 7 February 2010 at 1:11 am