# cleat adjustment



## Cpal (Oct 12, 2015)

I am new to cycling and am wondering if anyone knows if there is a way to reduce the tension on a Shimano pedal, even more than what the factory settings allow you to.
I have an old ankle injury that makes it difficult to twist out.
I have adjusted it as low as it goes, but would like to be able to get just a little more.
Cages are my next move but i would like to explore all options with clipless first.
Also, is there another pedal that has more adjustment, or that is just easier to release...Speedplay?


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

I have a new (well, recent) ankle injury and have gone through probably $1K in pedals since then. There is a thread here somewhere. Briefly, I found Shimano 2-bolt SPD-style XTR trail pedals work the best for me. I keep the one corresponding to the previously broken ankle side 3 clicks from the loosest setting, and it is plenty loose. I tighten the other one down more.

_edit_: found the thread: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/general-cycling-discussion/inane-pedal-choice-question-349362.html


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

SH-56 cleats may get you there if SPD. They are deigned to release in ways the standard SPD cleats do not. I put them on my wife's shoes and she said she felt a lot more confident they would release in all situations. She runs two sided MTN pedals on the road bike and single sided SPD on the stoker seat.

If you are running SPD-R pedals, this does not apply...


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

Shimano does have an entire series of shoes/pedals that are designed to make clipping in/out VERY easy. They are called Clik'r and are cross-compatible with normal SPD.

Click'r is designed around two main goals - making the off-bike experience easier & making the on-bike experience easier.

The Off-bike part is handled by the shoes being more walking friendly. The on-bike part is handled by the pedals/cleats being designed for super easy entry/exit. If you are okay with standard SPD-compatible shoes, you just need the pedals (with their own cleats).

Here's the spec from their website:
"Clipping in requires 60% and out requires 62% less effort than traditional SPD pedals, due to a lighter, single spring engagement."

Now if you're talking about road-specific pedals (i.e. the three-bolt pattern) then Shimano also offers something for you with their "Light Action" SPD-SL pedals. PD-R540-LA - PEDALS - CYCLING FOOTWEAR AND PEDALS - LIFESTYLE GEAR - SHIMANO


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

robt57 said:


> SH-56 cleats may get you there if SPD.
> 
> If you are running SPD-R pedals, this does not apply...


This will address your issue and is the least expensive option. If your cleats are currently SH-51 and your pedals are PD-520 or PD-540, then SH-56 cleats will work well as a replacement for the SH-51s.


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

Lombard said:


> This will address your issue and is the least expensive option. If your cleats are currently SH-51 and your pedals are PD-520 or PD-540, then SH-56 cleats will work well as a replacement for the SH-51s.


You can identify if your cleats are currently SH-56 because they will have a capital "M" stamped on the tail.


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## Cpal (Oct 12, 2015)

nhluhr said:


> You can identify if your cleats are currently SH-56 because they will have a capital "M" stamped on the tail.


Thanks - I didn't realize that different cleats offered different results...seems like all the shops I visited would have mentioned that?

I have Bontrager road shoes - do you know if I can use the SH-56 cleat on them?

Also, someone mentioned that the Click'r pedals might be the trick ( was that you as well?). I'm not interested in using MTB shoes, and wondering if my Bontrager's would accept the Click'r cleats?

Lastly, I sent an email to Speedplay as they have a Light Action pedal. I asked if they had a torque spec on the release, which would be fantastic if everyone listed that spec. I was surprised that they actually called me and spent 5 minutes dicussing pedals. Shimano doens't even give you an option of contacting them at all, so I'm leaning heavily toward Speedplay simply because they do, and they took that even further by a personal phone call!
Monster kudos to Speedplay!

Have you tried Speedplay?


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

Cpal said:


> Thanks - I didn't realize that different cleats offered different results...seems like all the shops I visited would have mentioned that?
> 
> I have Bontrager road shoes - do you know if I can use the SH-56 cleat on them?
> 
> ...


Yes you can absolutely use SH56 "Multi release" cleats on any shoe that can also accept the standard SH51 cleats. I guess I should note, not entirely sure if your particular shoes accept the standard SH51 cleats either. I haven't seen if you specified if you are using normal SPD (2 bolt) or road SPD-SL (3 bolt) style cleats/pedals. If your shoes have a pair of slots in them in addition to the triangle pattern of bolt holes then they can accept the normal SPD SH51/SH56 cleats.

The main difference in how the SH56 work is they allow release by simply tilting your foot sideways in addition to the normal twisting sideways that the SH51 allow. It makes it way more friendly to use. The cleat looks almost identical but it has a bevel where the SH51 has a square edge and that bevel lets the cleat push the clamp from a sideways tilting force.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

nhluhr said:


> Yes you can absolutely use SH56 "Multi release" cleats on any shoe that can also accept the standard SH51 cleats. I guess I should note, not entirely sure if your particular shoes accept the standard SH51 cleats either. I haven't seen if you specified if you are using normal SPD (2 bolt) or road SPD-SL (3 bolt) style cleats/pedals. If your shoes have a pair of slots in them in addition to the triangle pattern of bolt holes then they can accept the normal SPD SH51/SH56 cleats.
> 
> The main difference in how the SH56 work is they allow release by simply tilting your foot sideways in addition to the normal twisting sideways that the SH51 allow. It makes it way more friendly to use. The cleat looks almost identical but it has a bevel where the SH51 has a square edge and that bevel lets the cleat push the clamp from a sideways tilting force.


Unfortunately no, this will not work. SH-51/SH-56 cleats only work for Shimano SPD Mountain pedals PD-520, PD-540 or similar off-brand pedals. If you have road pedals, they will not fit as it's a totally different shape.

Don't know much about Speedplay other than their products are quite expensive. It sounds like they have good customer support, so if you have the $$, it's probably worth a try.

Remember that the cleats come with the pedals, NOT the shoes. If they are road pedals, they are probably 3-hole cleats. Be sure to verify the number of holes in your existing shoes if you want to keep them.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

On the road side: Maybe consider Speedplay Light Action. 
SPEEDPLAY : HIGH PERFORMANCE PEDALS

SPD: Crank Brothers is easy to release. Just pay attention on how you mount the cleat, as it affects the release angle.


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

Lombard said:


> Unfortunately no, this will not work. SH-51/SH-56 cleats only work for Shimano SPD Mountain pedals PD-520, PD-540 or similar off-brand pedals. If you have road pedals, they will not fit as it's a totally different shape.
> 
> Don't know much about Speedplay other than their products are quite expensive. It sounds like they have good customer support, so if you have the $$, it's probably worth a try.
> 
> Remember that the cleats come with the pedals, NOT the shoes. If they are road pedals, they are probably 3-hole cleats. Be sure to verify the number of holes in your existing shoes if you want to keep them.


I didn't say he could use SPD cleats with SPD-SL pedals. In fact, that was my first question about 10 posts ago - which pedal style is he using. He still hasn't answered.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

nhluhr said:


> I didn't say he could use SPD cleats with SPD-SL pedals. In fact, that was my first question about 10 posts ago - which pedal style is he using. He still hasn't answered.




I understand. I just wanted to make it clear to the OP since it seemed he wasn't sure.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

tednugent said:


> On the road side: Maybe consider Speedplay Light Action.
> SPEEDPLAY : HIGH PERFORMANCE PEDALS
> 
> SPD: Crank Brothers is easy to release. Just pay attention on how you mount the cleat, as it affects the release angle.


I found that Crank Brothers Eggbeaters (which can be used with 2-hole shoes) are actually more difficult to get in and out of first. However, their soft brass cleats break in very quickly and this is soon not an issue.

This being said, I did not get a good service life out of the Eggbeaters. At 2K miles, the spring sheared off one of the pedals making it useless. I will never buy Eggbeaters again.


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## Cpal (Oct 12, 2015)

Sorry it took so long to reply.

I have the PD R540 pedals.
Yesterday I purchased the SH56 cleats, but didn't look at my shoes before I did. Unfortuneatly my shoes use a 3 bolt pattern, and the 56's only use 2...my mistake.

I've checked with all of my local shops and nobody knows anything about the Click'r pedals....

Speedplay Ultra Lights might be my best option?





nhluhr said:


> I didn't say he could use SPD cleats with SPD-SL pedals. In fact, that was my first question about 10 posts ago - which pedal style is he using. He still hasn't answered.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

Lombard said:


> I found that Crank Brothers Eggbeaters (which can be used with 2-hole shoes) are actually more difficult to get in and out of first. However, their soft brass cleats break in very quickly and this is soon not an issue.
> 
> This being said, I did not get a good service life out of the Eggbeaters. At 2K miles, the spring sheared off one of the pedals making it useless. I will never buy Eggbeaters again.


I used Candy pedals, learned on smarty pedals 

Other than annual replacement of the cleats the only time it went bad was on a huge MTB crash where the cage was bent


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

tednugent said:


> I used Candy pedals, learned on smarty pedals
> 
> Other than annual replacement of the cleats the only time it went bad was on a huge MTB crash where the cage was bent





Interesting. We all have different experiences. For me, after riding 7 miles to the nearest bike shop while only being able to clip in on one foot, I'm once bitten, twice shy.


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

Cpal said:


> Speedplay Ultra Lights might be my best option?


Does the sensation of ice skating on your bike strike you as pleasant? Do you like slipping while walking? If so, these are the ones for you.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

wgscott said:


> Does the sensation of ice skating on your bike strike you as pleasant? Do you like slipping while walking? If so, these are the ones for you.


Speedplay adopted the Keep-on-Covers concept for their stuff now. So, the slipping while walking is moot

The free float is nice once you get used to it. 

The ice skating analogy is bad though. Ice skating is about precision movements to get you where you're going, then one stop further is figure skating.


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

"precision movements to get you where you're going" is so alien to my way of life that I simply do not comprehend this, kind of like quark confinement or gratitational hypercharge or federal budget surpluses. I can spell some of the words, but I just can't grasp it.


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