Tightness of S.P.D Pedals

daz51

In reference to my previous post regarding leg pain with the above pedals i have tried everything and nothing as worked.

one question........

on my Shimano A530 pedals i think they are how tight should they be?

I have tightened them 5 notches with the allen key?

too much or too little? what do you guys tighten them too?

feel

I have the left on the absolute minimum, as that is the one i unclip at junctions etc and the right one on about 3 notches from minimum. Had originally thought that i would tighten them more when i got used to them but have never felt the need to alter them from that first setting. This is on my shimano A 520 - also have the double sided A530 on my MTB but TBH can't remember what they are set on as i normal just wear ordinary trainers with them.

Jazza1969

I've found that tension levels in SPD pedals vary. My A520s on my road bike are much tighter than the M540s on my MTB, and as such remain at the absolute lowest setting on both sides. I don't like the feeling you get when you try to disengage and it won't budge - you know the next event is likely to be a dose of road rash - so I am not for super tight pedals. I've never had one come off unintentionally when I've been pulling up hard on a hill.

I similarly have a habit of only disengaging my left foot which seems to have contributed to knee pain which I never get on the right. I think I've cured this by moving the cleat so that the shoe is as far out on the pedal as it will go, and have angled it so that the toe ever so slightly points outwards, and equally the heel is slightly further in. This feels much more comfortable as the twisting motion to disengage feels less pronounced, and it feels better when on the move too.

Also, if you tend to disengage one foot only, you may get a problem with that cleat slipping through wear and tear which might explain new leg pain when things were fine before.

If my experience is anything to go by it takes a few months of trial and error to get the shoes and pedals just right, and even then they need to be checked regularly to keep them right

boybiker

I only disengage the right foot, possibly because the first time I tried to do it on the left I had a slight accident and got a nasty jab in the nuts from my saddle.
Ive never felt the need to tighten my mine from the middle setting and now iv'e had the cleats adjusted they are fine, toes pointing slightly out seems to be the way to go.

nicklouse

it all comes down to personal preference, but if you are pulling you cleats out then they are not tight enough.