ok, nagging want to switch to SPD’s offroad, use them on the road of course,

first ride ok, but last 2 rides ive been off twice each ride, both slow speed falls, springs wound into easy

am i trying to teach an old dog new tricks?

am i trying to teach an old dog new tricks?

probably…

The trick with SPD’s is that you commit harder 🙂

With flats you have the option to take a foot off even when you don’t need to. In reality keeping your foot on would probably get you out of trouble.

After that just practice 3 rides is not enough time to work it out. get used to unclipping and re clipping on trail. Just pop a foot out then back in again and sharpen up your track standing.

Just keep at it and suddenly you’ll have it cracked…

The amount of comedy falls I had when I first started with SPDs was just silly, but I can easily whip my foot out when needed now

Single or multi release cleats? Need the multis IMO.

Few months. Lack of confidence will last longer, but as Mike says the commitment will make you a better rider, make you faster. Keep your springs slack and greased.

multi release? single release?

they are XTR M985 Trails

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-431972.html
Single/Multi explained (I think)

Much prefer my CB’s over the shimano’s as the release feels more predictable (in to the point of release then out) I always found the shimano’s less exact. The 3 way reclip is also brilliant.

Other thing to check is the clearance around the sole of the shoe and any ridges on the pedal. Clip them in and have a look at how they release. Some shoe/pedal combo’s need the spacer to give clearance when unclipping (when you turn your foot is the sole presses against the pedal it can lock the cleat in meaning more force is required than expected to get it out)

Haha it takes a while, I came off 6 times in one ride at cannock when switching over. One of those was next to the car when we got back. Nothing like laying on the floor In a car park still clipped to the bike with strangers laughing at you haha

Took me a couple of weeks to stop falling off, but all falls where of the bruised ego variety, usually stretching to open a gate with only one foot unclipped, then overbalancing the opposite way. It’s worth it though for the extra power and commitment you get.

My “best” falls were: off the side of the trail down the hillside coming to rest upside-down in a rhododendron bush twice on the same ride. Going over at the traffic lights at Hatton Cross tube in rush hour to the amusement of onlookers because I was too busy checking out whether I was going to be crushed by a truck.

All of them happened in the first month or so of clipless riding. Not really fallen since then apart from times I’d probably have binned it on flats anyway

It’ll take a while for you to remember you’re clipped in and even longer before unclipping becomes involuntary. Depending on how adaptable you are you could be looking at months maybe years before you become a SPD Master

The final piece of the jigsaw as far as I was concerned was to resist the temptation to unclip in situations where I would’ve dabbed with flats. As above, try to commit and ride it out so that being clipped in becomes the norm.

Good luck

dirtyrider – Member
multi release? single release?

they are XTR M985 Trails

The release type is determined by the cleat – standard cleats are single release. Not sure about multi-release. I’d just perservere with the single release, if it were me.

Didn’t take me too long to become 95% OK with cleats, but then took another few months before it became second nature.

Single or multi release cleats? Need the multis

Don’t do it, multi release release too easily, sometimes when u pull up, single release will give u much more confidence that your feet will stay on the pedal

Use time ATACs?

I agree with rocketdog – if you unclip accidentally (e,g, when climbing) then that causes nastier crashes.

Just take your time and you will get used to SPDs off road – very rarely do they cause a crash and its also pretty rare for them not to unclip when you do crash

Don’t do it

Just for balance, I’ve always used the multi release cleats even after several attempts with the single release cleats. I find the sideways-and-up movement much easier on my ankles.

Other cleats are available

Much prefer my CB’s over the shimano’s as the release feels more predictable (in to the point of release then out) I always found the shimano’s less exact. The 3 way reclip is also brilliant.

That’s terrible advice, especially for an SPD beginner. Firstly they won’t have a clue what “CB’s” mean (in my profession a CB is a Circuit Breaker or a Cumulo Nimbus cloud), secondly they will cost a fortune which is no good for a curious beginner and lastly the ridiculously soft brass cleats will last 2 minutes before wearing randomly and unevenly to the point where the rider will have an involuntary unclip at high speed and spend 4 months unable to ride due to injury, hence being put off being clipped in for life.

Much prefer my CB’s over the shimano’s as the release feels more predictable (in to the point of release then out) I always found the shimano’s less exact. The 3 way reclip is also brilliant.

That’s terrible advice, especially for an SPD beginner. Firstly they won’t have a clue that “CB’s” means Crank Brothers, secondly they will cost a fortune which is no good for a curious beginner and lastly the ridiculously soft brass cleats will last 2 minutes before wearing randomly and unevenly to the point where the rider will have an involuntary unclip at high speed and spend 4 months unable to ride due to injury, hence being put off being clipped in for life.

dirtyrider – Member
ok, nagging want to switch to SPD’s offroad, use them on the road of course,

That’s terrible advice, especially for an SPD beginner. Firstly they won’t have a clue what “CB’s” mean

Yep a complete beginner…

Apart from all the bits you want to rave on about, the clip in/out action is way ahead of the shimano stuff, this on it’s own make it a much better way to start. Anyway the OP has got XTR’s which will probably fall off the axle (how ironic)

When I switched it to SPDs it just made me commit to everything more so I actually fell off less. Luckily I’ve never had one of those embarrassing falls forgetting you are clipped in. 10 months on it feels completely natural I wouldn’t want to ride flats again….

My advice is just go commit to obstacles and don’t even consider putting your foot down as an option.

Moved from flats to SPDs with Multi Release cleats and have never ever fallen off as a result of them.

As for folks saying you can pull out of them on the upstroke, not happened to me in 2 years, either off or on road.

I fell off the for the first 4-5 rides when I started using SPDs. They were all really lame though: climbing steep hill + mud = loss of traction/forward momentum and slow fall off to the side.
Just make sure the pedal tension is turned right down and your feet should pop out in the event of a high speed crash.

My advice is just go commit to obstacles and don’t even consider putting your foot down as an option

it is for this very reason the crashes i`ve had during my time clipped in have been considerably more painful than my non clipped crashes.

it is the way forward though. basically you need to not think about being clipped.

i’m a good year and a bit in being clipped and i think i’m getting to the point of nearing slight confidence in the wet.

i`m a cb mallet man – xtr pedals have the worst failure rate of any clippy pedal dont they?

For me it was my first ride. Long long day in the peaks, lots of silly falls and one involving barbed wire fence/new jacket ( 😥 ).

Towards the end of the ride it started to feel natural and now you don’t even think about it.

Re. Type of pedals. I’ve only ever broken 1 SPD pedal in 10 years and I just use the cheapest ones (520s?) – occasionally you can get them for around £15 (been a few on HUKD last year), which is nearly the same price as replacement cleats. Standard price used to be £17 from Merlin, no idea how much they are now.

i agree with mikewsmith’s first post.
may take you a few more attempts depending on your experience/riding skills and confidence.
also seeing as the pedals have only had 2 outings they may need the cleat tension adjusting again. using an allen key turn the adjuster bolts clockwise until you feel the bolt hit a notch. go one notch at a time on both sides of each pedal until you find a cleat tension that is right for you.
also check the alignment of the cleats on the shoe and that they are in the correct position for you. while looking at the shoe if any part of the shoe tread is getting in the way of clean shoe/pedal engagement and disengagement then you can usually trim those bits off with a stanley knife.

I would use multi release cleats at least until you’ve stopped thinking too much about falling off . It’ll be second nature then .( if that makes sense )

As for folks saying you can pull out of them on the upstroke, not happened to me in 2 years, either off or on road.

I have ridden with SPD’s since 1996 and done it 3 times. Its not common, and so shouldn’t be a big worry, but it can happen. It tends to be when sprinting and/or pulling up and putting a lot of force through.

xtr pedals have the worst failure rate of any clippy pedal dont they?

other than crank bros… 😉

After a while you clip in and out with out giving it any thought. Musscle memory type thing goes on.

just keep at it you0ll be fine

I’ve fallen in many a bush when learning to ride with SPDs.

Paid off though, as I’m fully clipped in on all bikes – DH, XC, road and race BMX.

Bar the road bike, all other bikes have the same pedal/shoe combo, with the same spring tension.

FWIW, I “unclip” when riding flats – so used to twisting my heals!

umm im not a beginner, 20 years, i know what CB is, i didn’t know what multi release was however

out again today, 1 fall, however that was more because of the mud and not ability, some hairy moments and i auto unclipped,

tried to pre-empt a unclip moment, where id normally put a foot out for balance, but should have stayed clipped in as i was slower round the corner

I was riding clipped in offroad on a mountain bike from 1990. Albeit using plastic Look leisure pedals. I saw the article in MBA and had to try it. I have seen some people start using SPDs and give up. Mainly because they pre-unclipped sections that they would have dabbed in flats. The pre-unclipping made them fall where if they’d stayed clipped the added ‘pull’ would have got them through.
I tried to analyse my unclipping method. It feels like a fast ‘snap’ outwards of the heel, almost like a tapdancer… And almost always at the bottom of a pedal stroke when coming to a controlled stop.
I always use the cheapest Shimano semi-platform pedals and then only because they have a more positive clip-in (the old DX pedals sometimes just rotated instead of clipping).
I used crank Bros and found them horrendous – one week and straight back to Shimano.