easy clipping out

[PeterW 181]

Hey Everyone. My wife is always complaining about how hard it is to clip out of her pedals on a  bike that she uses to commute to work. She has Sidi shoes with Shimano red cleats and Durace pedals (off one of my old race bikes).  Is the clip-out force adjustable (I know there is a little screw/bolt thing but I don't know what it does) and does it make much of a difference?

Are some pedals sloppier/easier than others?  Please help - she's driving me nuts about this!

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by PeterW

[Ex-Hasbeen 8,122]

Yes they are adjustable.

 

[trifun 446]

If you have not adjusted them forever, put some oil in the holes and leave overnight first (you may need to hang a small weight from the front of the pedal to keep the hole at the top)

[dazmuzza 198]

Shimano red cleats - there is your problem there. 

Switch them to the yellow ones. 

[AJS 88]

Agree Dazmuzza - from memory, the Shimano red cleats are effectively zero flex, yellow have a few degrees of travel, red have zero degrees.

I'd assume that this may make the red ones harder to twist to get out and a bit stiffer and less forgiving anyway - try the yellow ones 🙂

[roxii 7,210]

If its for standard shimano cleats maybe try the PD-RS500, they have a lesser tension. 

 

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/shimano/PD-RS500.html

[PeterW 181]

Thanks everyone. I dug out an old pair of 105 (or whatever they call them?) pedals and used some RP7 to free up all the gizmos and set the tension to the least force (although I think they were pretty much there already anyway - I think the dura ace pedals were also pretty much at their lowest too!)

I did a snap in/snap out test with a bike shoe and I am pretty sure it is much easier but we've yet to have the trial run.  As it happens I think my wife has some kind of a nerve pain issue that is making things even worse. If we still have problems I'll give Roxii's suggestion a try and buy a pair of PD-RS500 pedals.

So if all my pedals were at their lowest I imagine that is the default setting given that I have never changed them. If that is the case, does anyone ever screw them right up to the hardest setting, and why would you ever do this?!!

[MickyC 22]

Spraying dry teflon lube on the pedals (and the cleats) after you've cleaned them also helps when clipping in and out.  

EDIT (just found this link - https://www.bikebug.com/finish-line-pedal-cleat-dry-film-lubricant-p-46121.html)

I've got mine cranked up nice and hard.  Pulling a foot out during a sprint isn't fun at all.

New pedals on the hardest setting + new cleats = a super satisfying snap when clicking in and out. 

Edited December 17, 2019 by MickyC

[dazmuzza 198]

Hey PeterW, sorry to repeat myself but changing pedals may not have much as an impact as you might think if you keep those red cleats on. They're a much cheaper way to test out than buying new pedals....

[PeterW 181]

10 minutes ago, dazmuzza said:

Hey PeterW, sorry to repeat myself but changing pedals may not have much as an impact as you might think if you keep those red cleats on. They're a much cheaper way to test out than buying new pedals....

Hey Dazz, sorry I had to re-read everything to get you point - I rechecked and am actually using yellow cleats - not sure why I said red ones, must be a throwback to my old look red cleat days, but definitely yellows, thanks.