Pedal Tension

skinnydog1973

Hi I rode my bike for the first time at the weekend with new clipped pedals and my new shoes,this was the first time had been clipped in, i set the tension on the pedals to the lowest and i found clipping out ok, what i was wondering is what do you gain, if anything by setting the tension to the highest, is it just so you might not clip out accidentally,cheers for any help

simon_masterson

That's exactly what it's for. This depends on how you ride and what pedals you have, but you may never pull a foot out. When I first started using SPDs I had the springs loose and a foot did come out once; I also found that they were too easy to release when wiggling my feet. I tightened the springs up quite a bit but by no means all the way and haven't had any problems since.

danlikesbikes

Plus on how you like them to feel as with most pedal systems the action of pedalling is not going to get you unclipped & on a looser setting there is more side to side movement through the heel though this should not be an issue if your riding in a nice smooth action.

Some people like the feeling of a little movement as it can help with keen/ankle issues, especially when first getting used to riding with clip in pedal systems. Others prefer them as tight as possible.