Problems with my clip in pedals

jonesyuk

Hi, I'm pretty new to all this and have a problem with my pedals/cleats

They are my first set of clip in pedals and I have only used them once, heres the problem:

The left pedal/cleat/shoe is fine, clips in lovely, feels perfectly fine, twist my ankle outwards and they come free. Lovely. The right side however is not so good. Clips in fine, if ya lift ya foot directly up flat, it stays where it should fine, but if I lift the inside of my foot up,even with the pedals adjusted to a tight setting, come loose. So, if im pedeling hard and my foot moves a fraction the wrong way....my foot comes loose. Very dangerous. Like I said I only used them once out doors on the roads and they seemed fine, but now i have them in my gym on my exersise bike and now they dont work properly after a couple of rides

I dont know whats at fault. The pedals? The shoes? The cleats? Can it be fixed? How did they 'break'?

They are pretty cheap as it is my first set and i didnt know how I would take to them, the pedals are Shimano PD-M520 I think. The shoes are dhb T1 Shoes with the correct cleats to fit. All bought from www.wiggle.co.uk

Thanks in advance

nicklouse

Mmmm sound similar

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12561678

jonesyuk

nicklouse wrote:

Mmmm sound similar

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12561678

Nah thats not my problem mate, mine unclip fine when twisting heel outwards, problem is the right foot unclips when i dont want it to. By lifting my foot up at a certain angle. This shouldnt happen as the manual says the only way to unclip is heel outwards.

nicklouse

ok then what are the cleats? both types will unclip when twisted inwards as well as outwards. the multi release can also be pulled straight out at low tension.

jonesyuk

SH51 SPD single release cleats, recommended for all MTB SPD pedals except PD M858: release the cleat by twisting heel outwards

They are the standard (twist out only) ones, not the multi-release (twist or yank) ones

nicklouse

they will disconnect by twisting inwards as well. as the cleats are the same both sides.but most people do not do it as the crank arm gets in the way. there is only 4 degrees of float so setting the cleat angles correctly is quite important.

jonesyuk

nicklouse wrote:

they will disconnect by twisting inwards as well. as the cleats are the same both sides.but most people do not do it as the crank arm gets in the way. there is only 4 degrees of float so setting the cleat angles correctly is quite important.

Thanks, but I dont think you fully understand the problem. Maybe its my fault because its a hard probelm to explain.

My foot comes off the pedal without twisting my heel in any direction. My foot comes loose when im just pedaling normally. If I slightly roll the ball of my foot it comes loose during normal pedaling. Im 110% sure this isnt normal and doesnt happen with the left foot. With the left foot I can roll my foot in any direction, at any angle, yank it as hard as I can, anything, and it wont come loose, only if i twist heel outwards.

Sorry again if I havn't made myself clear

nicklouse

Ok as you say the tension is set high. so either there is a fault in the pedal or the shoe is stopping the cleat engaging correctly.

sirlylos

Hi mate,

If they are at the tightest setting on the pedals then they must be faulty. I ride with mine on the loosest setting and they still hold me in nicely, only allowing me free if I twist my foot. Are the cleats worn? I know they need replacing every so often.

Also, ensure the cleats are well and truly fixed to the shoes and aren't loose. However, it sounds to me like the cleat is too small for the pedal - just get up close and see if you can see why they are coming out.

Good luck.

miss notax

Hiya

I had problems with my SPDs when I first got them, my foot would come out when I went over a bump and basically whenever I didn't want it too! One foot was worst than the other as well.

Turns out that my foot wasn't actually clicking in properly in the first place (hence it was coming out). I took it to a bike shop in Wales on a weekend away, asked their advice and they actually sorted out the settings for me. The result being that both my feet click in perfectly and i've never had the problem again.

omegas

First thing to try is change the cleats over from one shoe to the other then you will know if it’s the cleat is faulty.

jonesyuk

Thanks for the replys.

Sarah, that sounds exactly like whats happening to me! So hopefully nothings broke and they just need adjusting

I will try swaping the cleats over from one shoe to another like Omegas says and see what happens in the morning. Will also try adjusting the cleat position on my shoes to see if that helps. The cleats are brand new however and are the right ones for the pedals, so we'll see what happens.


Will report back tomorro.

Thanks again.

mhardi

Hi Jonseyuk, I'm having major issues with my PS-M520s... My feet come out even though the pedals are on the really tight(est) setting... starting to annoy me now. I have the right single release cleats also (51s) I need a pedal that will really lock my foot in strongly unless I want to unclip by swivelling my heel out...
I've have had some dangerous incidents because my foot has come out under hard pedalling/aceleration at high speeds down steep fireroads/roads. Or my right foot pops out trying to bunny hop onto a curb or cycling uphill on technical singletrack, basically all the time....

They have to be faulty although I bought a second pair this weekend and have put them to the hardest setting just now and they still don't feel locked in.

My old PDM 535s from 1997 locked me in really strong... Are these PD M520 pedals not for experienced riders who require a pedal that raelly binds the cleat in strong? Any advise much apreciated.

Frustrated....

im first to die

simple fix for this one bin the 535s and get some crank bros best thing i ever did after two different types of shimano ones was going to give up on clipless and go back to flats but new bike came with crank bros so thorght last chance give them a try and have not looked back since crank bros rule

mhardi

im first to die wrote:

simple fix for this one bin the 535s and get some crank bros[/size]

If shimano don't make pedals with strong enough springs then this might be the way fwd... Can anyone with in depth knowledge of Shimano pedals advise here....

Is my problem the fact that I bought 520s and not a higher end pedal like the XTs or XTRs or do all the shimano pedals these days have similar springs with the main diferentiator being lower weight the higher up the product range you go?

in other words,

Are these 520s purposefully soft springed as they are aimed at beginners / newbies to clipless pedals?

A friend of mine said I should try switching the cleats on my shoes, I am sceptical that this will change anything....

Thanks.

scale20

im first to die wrote:

simple fix for this one bin the 535s and get some crank bros best thing i ever did after two different types of shimano ones was going to give up on clipless and go back to flats but new bike came with crank bros so thorght last chance give them a try and have not looked back since crank bros rule

What he said!

adb1006

mhardi wrote:

im first to die wrote:

simple fix for this one bin the 535s and get some crank bros[/size]

If shimano don't make pedals with strong enough springs then this might be the way fwd... Can anyone with in depth knowledge of Shimano pedals advise here....

Is my problem the fact that I bought 520s and not a higher end pedal like the XTs or XTRs or do all the shimano pedals these days have similar springs with the main diferentiator being lower weight the higher up the product range you go?

in other words,

Are these 520s purposefully soft springed as they are aimed at beginners / newbies to clipless pedals?

A friend of mine said I should try switching the cleats on my shoes, I am sceptical that this will change anything....

Thanks.

There is nothing wrong with 520's - been using them for months - many members on here have been using them for years. I have mine set to the lowest setting and have never had my foot come unclipped without twisting. I would suggest that either:
a) there is something preventing your cleat engaging properly (part of the shoe possibly?),
b) the cleat is faulty, or
c) the spring in the pedal is faulty.

ps - don't go for crank bro's - form over function anyone???

myopic

Maybe you have the tension up too high - I think you said it was on the highest setting - and therefore you are not actually clipping in properly at all.

Try back them off to a looser setting and see if the clipping in feels different, then increase the tension.

Or see how much you need to back off the left one till it is at ots loosest, retrun it to where it was and do the same with the right hand one.

mhardi

thanks for the tips/words guys.
The soles are standard SIDI Dragon MTB soles... also tried with older pair of shoes (the old Shimano skate/bmx cleated flat sole shoe from '96) and still felt too soft compared to what I would like and what I was used to with the PD M535 pedals from '97.

So, don't think it's anything from the sole obstructing correct entry.

Re: tension up too high: I have screwed the allen bolt 6 "clicks" or "notches" towards the + (clockwise) from the factory setting (which I believe is mid way bewteen the hardest and softest setting). This 6th click is getting close to the max tension I believe.

It certainly feels like I'm clicked in properly... just that the release is too easy.