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Pedal system advice

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  • May 10, 2017 at 9:39 pm #27105
    paulrattew

    I shattered the Talus bone in my right ankle last year (got hit by a van). I’m back on the bike, but can’t use my clueless pedals properly at the moment so I’m limited to riding indoors on the turbo using cleats, or outdoors using flats. 

    The problem I’m having is that I can’t rotate my right heel out far enough to unclip from the pedal without extreme pain – the point at which the cleat disengages is just a bit too far out. I’ve currently got Shimano Ultegra pedals fitted. 

    Would a different pedal system be better? E.g. Speedplay zeros with the adjustable inward and outward float?

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Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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  • May 14, 2017 at 5:44 pm #892937
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    paulrattew

    I’ve tried cleats with no

    I’ve tried cleats with no float before – great for shorter rides but even with really good set up I just can’t get them to be comfortable on longer rides. 

    I’ve never managed to get unclipping inwards to work. I guess I should just try harder!

     

    May 13, 2017 at 8:32 pm #892935
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    Roadie_john

    I used to use black look

    I used to use black look delta cleats as they felt more secure but unclipped more easily.  They did actually have a little float, but it was against resistance, which was a massive improvment over free float uphill or in sprints. Now I use Time Espressos, which are secure but very light to get out of. Movement required to unclip is pretty similar though, so that may not help. I never got away with unlipping inwards as my foot fouled the bottles (I have VERY big feet). Try lots of systems if you can – it’s going to be individual..

    May 12, 2017 at 2:07 pm #892933
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    surly_by_name

    Look keo black cleats have

    Look keo black cleats have zero float. I unclip inwards at the top of a stroke (i.e., if I unclip when my foot is at 12.00 o’clock, I go inwards). When I am at bottom I unclip outwards. No knee issues but weird.

    May 12, 2017 at 1:27 pm #892931
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    andsaw

    I got no float cleats and the

    I got no float cleats and the difference is tremendous, and they do clip out easier than with float and as Welsh Boy said has improved knee pain.

    May 12, 2017 at 11:35 am #892929
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    graybags

    As someone has said earlier,

    As someone has said earlier, can you unclip inwards, I know you shouldn’t but it’s a habit that I just can’t break now !

    May 11, 2017 at 9:14 pm #892927
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    matthewn5

    There’s a Speedplay Light

    There’s a Speedplay Light Action version, worth a try.

    May 11, 2017 at 8:42 pm #892925
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    Welsh boy

    How about cleats without any

    How about cleats without any float?  Take your time and set them up properly and you dont need float.  Before I am told that I am wrong, we rode for years with shoe plates which fitted over a pedal frame, there was no float whatsoever in that system and i didnt ever have a problem and knee pain wasn’t a common complaint until clipless pedals first appeared.

    May 11, 2017 at 3:45 pm #892923
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    andsaw

    Have you tried using an

    Have you tried using an inward action instead of out as that works as well.

    May 11, 2017 at 3:19 pm #892921
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    paulrattew

    Thanks for the comments. I

    Thanks for the comments. I don’t really want to switch over to MTB pedals and cleats unless I really have to – I have really nice road soes that fit perfectly (I’ve got weird shaped feet so getting shoes that properly fitted felt like a special achievement) and don’t really want to have to get new shoes. May be that I need to in the end though. 

    I think that this is just convincing me that I need another good bike fit. My legs move differently post accident so my old fit is probably no where near perfect now, plus they’ll be able to give good advice and try a few different pedal types out. 

    May 11, 2017 at 9:02 am #892919
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    TypeVertigo

    SH56 SPD multi-release cleats

    SH56 SPD multi-release cleats will allow you to get out of the pedal by sliding your foot off sideways.

    Pair that with the aforementioned Click’R pedals, or “trekking” pedals such as the Deore XT PD-T780/T8000.

    I have a pair of the T780s, and subsequently bought a pair of PD-M530s, which are the cheapest “standard” SPD pedals with an external cage. Even on the SH56 multi-release clceats, I noticed the spring tension on the M530s is much stiffer compared to the T780s – it takes more effort to get out of them. Shimano does say that for Click’R pedals (and I believe to some extent the T780s as well), the spring release tension is ~60% less compared to their normal SPD pedal lineup.

    May 11, 2017 at 7:43 am #892917
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    CXR94Di2

    You need to pop to a shop and

    You need to pop to a shop and arrange to try several different systems to find which is easiest to clip in/out.  Well worth the experience given it could cost a small fortune to buy pedals only to find out they are not suitable.  

     

    Keep cycling, even with standard pedals if necessary.  Hopefully you ankle will improve, mine has, and is better after 2 years of cycling.

    May 11, 2017 at 5:07 am #892915
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    stomec

    I’ d agree with the other 2

    I’ d agree with the other 2 posters.  On my commuting bike I have Shimano’s SPD click-R pedals which have a very light release and come with the multi-release cleats, so that in an emergency I can just pull up sharply on the pedal and clip out.

    As your heel gets better you can then start gentle rotation outwards again to get back into the normal routine – after all you won’t want to develop too many bad habits in muscle memory – could be embarrasing when you move back to SPD-SL eventually…

    May 11, 2017 at 2:53 am #892913
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    davel

    SPDs with multi-release
    SPDs with multi-release cleats? Don’t need the full heel kick to disengage – a yank in any angle will do it. Tension can be adjusted. Also not that expensive for pedals and cleats to try out (adds up if you need different shoes too, though)…

    I’ve got speedplay zeros too and you still need the heel flick to disengage – though you can adjust the float.

    May 11, 2017 at 1:09 am #892911
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    dottigirl

    My SPDs are so loose, a

    My SPDs are so loose, a decent yank disengages them! 

    You could straighten/turn the cleat, so that the disengage point is closer to your normal foot position?

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