Hi gang.thinking of biting the bullet and going clipless after years on flats.
any advice on pedal choice and does and dont,s.
definitely going to do some practicing on the road first as i have visions
of the a+e department. 😕

Start with the tension at its lowest, and try to remeber to twist to release.

get multi release cleats (if Shimano, they release to the left and right, if Time or Crank Bros see instructions for which cleat on which shoe), set a light spring tension so you can unclip easily, DON'T practice in / near traffic, its just a simple reprogramming of the old grey matter and you'll be fine

get some platform type spd…..dx's
and get a trainer type spd shoe, rather than a rugged hard soled type.
loosen the tensioners off on the pedals.

Instead of starting practice on the roads! , start at the side of your house clippining in and out for 10 minutes first to get a better idea of how much pressure it takes to release.

and unclip at least one side well before you intend to stop , you'll definately fall off still clipped in though most probably in front of a large crowd or a prety girl/woman 😆

ton.ja recon these will suit.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shimano-PD-M545-SPD-Platform-Pedals_W0QQitemZ180434323946QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR?hash=item2a02b949ea

Don't do it.

ideal mate, when you hit the rough and feel a bit tense just unclip and use as a normal flat then..

recon i,ll get a inflateble sumo suit and practice.

thanks ton. your a star.
jam bo.
iv,e got too out of pure curiosity and to see if it,s better or worse for me personaly.

time last ages and have some float so are knee friendly and have good mud clearance, if your buying from a shop get advice on setting cleat position, and remember twist not pull to unclip (not so easy when you start falling sideways) and you may need to raise your seatpost a bit, enjoy 😆

Practise on a turbo trainer/over a couch!

You'll get used to it soon enough and wished you'd used ages ago!

Go for it, they'll make a big difference to riding. And I'm a very old girl! My advice would be as others have said, loosen off and before you ride anywhere to make sure you can clip out! I didn't much to the amusement of my neighbours. You'll find some muscles that you didn't know existed but going uphill is eeeasy! 😀 Have fun!

Shimano multi release cleats are a poor choice, too easy to unclip when you dont want to.

Practice on soft ground, you will fall off.

Unless you are racing or doing long xc rides i don't really see a need for spd. Its a personal choice though, some folk love them.

thanks teagirl.
i know iv,e got to give it a wirl as there are just too many positive comments on the subject and iv,e also convinced myself i CAN pick up the method of how to use them properly(i hope).

slw.if not shimano. then what would be your choice.?

I switched to SPDs a year ago, by buying a pair of cheapish Bikehut flat pedals with an SPD clip on one side. I used them on trail rides until I'd got used to unclipping. It takes surprisingly little time to automatically unclip as you roll to a stop. In fact, I never had a fall from failing to unclip while I was learning to use them.

After the Bikehuts, I bought Shimano's 505 full-SPD pedals and would the adjusters nearly all the way out to make it easier to clip in and out. Now I'm on Shimano's 540s on the dirt and 105s on the road and find it almost impossible to go back to flat pedals. You don't realise how much you start to use all the muscle groups in your legs. Going back to flats has your foot lifting off the pedal at the top of the stroke and sliding around.

Experiment a little with cleat position and angle. Your knees like your feet to be at a certain angle (ie you might normally ride a bit toe-in or toe-out) on the pedal and it's best to try and replicate that when you fix your cleats.

Take a mate with a video camera for the first few outings.

shedfull.
so you can adjust the angle of you feet to the pedal as i know i ride a bit toe out as my crank arms have a nice shine on them.
so yours and tons advice seems to be the road to go down .first get some platform ones,play around with cleat angle and keep them slacked off until i get used to them.

Having a set of clipless pedals with a platform helps avoid the jitters when you do unclip and feel like you're tottering on top of a small pedal.

My mate runs Shimano DX pedals on his XC hardtail, I used to run Crank Bros Mallets until I got my confidence up enough to trust the skimpy Candys I run now.

>slw.if not shimano. then what would be your choice.?

I prefer normal spd cleats to multi release, if you are going to be attached to the bike, you may as well be properly attached. Multi release came out in the air and when placing the back wheel and when hopping. Maybe it was just my wonky pedalling.

Never tried any other brands of clipless pedals.

I mostly use flats now. The issue with spds was not failing to release, more being able to clip back in in a hurry eg after sticking the inside foot down in a slippy flat corner.

Multi release cleats are ace for learning, but tend to unclip when hard cornering or under big shunts. Once you're fully programmed switch to standard ones as you stay in better.

It's a good idea to practice stopping and starting in a grassy field for a couple of sessions, where "moments" don't hurt.

Hopefully you will come to appreciate the extra smoothness and power-boost in pedalling that makes them popular with XCers.

which ones are standard and which ones are multi realease?

Don’t do it! I have been riding with flats on my mtb’s since the 80’s, tried spd’s once and never again, to used to my flats. If you don’t already have some then get some 5-10’s instead and stick with your flats. When things go pear shaped the last thing I want is a bike attached to my feet!

no disrespect rbmccunn but i was waiting for this response.but i need to find out for my own curiosity.even if i end up binning them.at least iv,e give them a go and if they don,t suit then they don,t suit and i,ll go back to the flats but iv,e got to find out.

I use spds and can't ride if I'm not clipped in. Gives so much more feel of being in control than flats ever can. Don't worry about being stuck to the bike if you come off – they are designed to release. I've come off several times, and never yet had a problem of remaining fixed to the bike – it simply don't happen.

which ones are standard and which ones are multi release?

SPDs come with standard release cleats.

Here are the evil multi release cleats.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10969

Ewww!

ChatsworthMusters
so they unclip if you take a tumble.is this when they are set slack and does this happen on the multirealese and the normal ones.
just trying to get a load of info before i FINALY get clipped in.

slw.
i,m on to it now.
ya recon steer clear of these even when starting out.

Your right mate, if you fancy trying them then go for it. It’s all personal preference. They just weren’t for me. One of my mates had a big off at inner on a jump wearing spd’s on the DH bike, broke his helmet, big crash and the bike stayed attached. He still uses them mind, just runs the tension a bit looser now.

yeah they unclip when you take a tumble……… i run SPDs on both my bikes daily commutin and offroad nite rides you got more to gain……. good luck 😳

All good advice above. Although don't just think of the caged ones only for learning. You can run clipped in as normal or unclip and rest your instep on the cage like flatties. Useful if you feel more confident on the technical bits unclipped.
Shimano pedals all come with normal cleats which are black, while the multi release ones are silver.
All caged pedals seem to work better with flatter soled shoes and are slightly more prone to mud clogging.
Might also be worth looking at Shimano 424's – cheaper but lighter with a resin cage.

As many have said get DX's run reasonably loose and they will come out if you bail – Trust me 😉

I have only had one crash where I didn't unclip – because I landed on my head!

Honestly, for XC riding it's worth a couple of months trial.You might not get on with them or you might love them. I use flats from time to time so I remember how and on more techy stuff, but prefer SPDs for general trail riding.

hustler.i trust your words of wisdom. 🙂

I disagree with those that say "start with the spring tension at its loosest" I say "tighten that spring up to the max" that way you learn to unclip, your will have the occasional foot wont release moment but that'll just make you twist harder next time. In the end you'll be able to clip out of anything in any situation. Rather than gradually tightening the pedal up and having to get the hang of it each time you do so as well as suffering from unwanted unclipping early on.

Not the general concensus but that the way I did it.