So I've fitted one SPD pedal........

daniel_b

So at the weekend I took a huge flattie off my Felt, and changed the left side ledap for a Shimano M520 - basic fare I know.

I have some nice stiff Diadora Carbon soled MTB shoes to use, and had a practice in the house at clipping and unclipping.

Seemed fairly straightforward, and after a while it felt more natural to accomplish both movements, without making a lot of clattering noises

I have set the tightness to the slackest position - am I right to think that is the best thing to do for a beginner, I am assuming that this makes entry/exit easier?
Why and when would I want to tighten it up - is it for when you don't want an accidental unclipping moment?

When turning the pedal, I can feel my foot/shoe can move, or pivot rather, around the pedal, not far, maybe a half inch or so - is this normal, and is this called the float?

I also noticed that you can adjust the angle of the cleat on the shoe to a fair degree - I set it as neutral as I could, but do I just try it, and if it hurts at all or is uncomfortable, try a different angle, is it a 'suck it and see' arrangment, rather than anything technical involved?

And am I best to go out for a ride with one spd and one flat, to reduce the chance of falling over clipped into both :oops:

Cheers

Dan

Aidocp

Whether it was the right thing or not, when I 1st got SPDs I tended to cycle with one foot clipped in and one foot not but both spd pedals, gradually as I go used to them I clipped the other foot in more but I used M424's it might have made it easier. For angle wise somebody gave me this link I found the bit about wet feet a good example.

alfablue

Yes, the movement is correct and it is "float" - probably 5 degrees on SPD's. And yes, tension at slackest is best for beginners, tighten it a little when you find yourself pulling out of the pedals too often (usually when you try and accelerate hard). For initial setting up, sit on a table with feet dangling free, note how they deviate from the straight ahead position and try and emulate that with cleat position. If you get float in both directions then you will be fairly close to the optimum. Note that there are 3 dimensions for adjustment, side to side (moves foot nearer and further from crank arm), for and aft (aim for right under the ball of the foot); and rotation (i.e. you can turn the cleat to point inwards or outwards from the toe). This latter movement is what will influence the float you feel.

Whilst the one pedal first approach sounds appropriately cautious, it may delay changing your mindset - I think you should quickly progress to both pedals. I have never had a "clipless moment" just near misses, as with loose tension you can usually yank the foot out of the pedal even in a panic situation.

Good luck.

maddog 2

both pedals and ten minutes in a car park

That should be enough to get you going.

never heard of anyone doing it one pedal at a time. :roll:

daniel_b

Thanks all for the useful info - much appreciated.

That link is especially useful Aido, as well as the dangling feet suggestion alfablue.

Cheers

Dan

Monty Dog

AFAIK there's no biomechanical linkage between dangling feet and your pedal cleat interface - so use it indicatively only. If you're trying to set up the cleats yourself, the key thing to feel for is knee pain - if your knees start grumbling, then it's a sign that your shoes/pedals need attention. When riding, your foot should remain pretty well in one position - too much twisting again can lead to knee or even hip problems.