I’ve had my Tie ATAC XC4’s for several months now, but despite using them occasionally, I am still reluctant to use them regularly due to them being a nightmare to clip in to. I often find it can take 15-secs to get the position/force right to get them in.

Advice Needed
How can I ‘loosen’ them up to make it easier to clip in to?

Have you got the cleat in the right place in your shoes? It should just be a case of stepping on the pedal and they clip in, you shouldn’t be fumbling around trying to get you foot in the correct position before it clips in.

Not sure if the XC4 has a tension adjuster but my understanding isn’t that the adjuster makes it easier to clip in, it’s to make clipping back out easier. Some Times have a screw under the rear retaining spring which you unscrew to loosen the tension.

You can’t. Tbh, I find Time pedals easier to get into than any Shimano pedal I’ve ever had. Have you checked the shoes aren’t the problem?

Check the clearance on the soles of your shoes, had to cut a bit of the edges of the cleat holes in the bottom of my Shimano DXs to get them to fit nicely, other pair of ‘racing clogs’ where fine though.

i see they have the tension adjustment screws, so i guess backing that off will make it marginally easier, other than that, it may be down to your shoes. are you running shoes with studs on the front? i find these harder to clip in to my times with than those without studs.

As above, it sounds like a shoe compatibility or cleat position issue, Times are usually amongst the easiest clipless pedals to get into. I personally find that I hit the right spot first time most often if I run the cleats well back on the shoes (I also prefer them that way for other reasons) but your preferences may be different.

TBH it takes practise to get used to putting your foot in the right place. You need to ride with them to get used to them.

Clean the pedals and shoe soles and then spray with silicone aerosol. I do this periodically and it does make things a bit easier, not that I’ve ever really had a problem in the nearly 19 years I’ve been using ATAC pedals.

Are your Cleats on the right way round?

Are your Cleats on the right way round?

There is no “right” way to mount time cleats, read the instructions, even though they are marked left and right this doesn’t mean left and right it just refers to the release angle and how it differs depending on which foot you attach the cleat to.

Yeah but surely it’s possible to put them on backwards.

it’s is possible to put them on backwards there is an arrow on the front of the cleat to show this.

Time cleats wear with age and engagement becomes subsequently easier.

It may be worth trying to get some ‘knackered’ ones on the ‘wanted’ forum here so that you can get used to them before putting the new ones back on.

I, personally, really like worn Time cleats as they still work fine but disengagement during a spill is so quick it’s second nature.

Yeah but surely it’s possible to put them on backwards.

yep that what I meant 🙂

Time cleats wear with age and engagement becomes subsequently easier.

Really? I find old ones start to disengage but getting into them doesn’t really change.

Suspect a sole problem

Thanks to all for your help and advice.

I don’t think it is a sole issue. I can use the shoes fine with Crank Bros.
The cleats are not too close to the studs at the front and I don’t find that the plastic tread either side of the cleat causes any problem.

I have tried the cleats on the right feet and opposite feet. I prefer to wear them on the opposite feet to get the extra bit of float. I find that whichever foot they are on, they are equally as hard to clip in.

I believe the problem lies with the pedals , that they are too stiff to clip in to easily.

They have adjustment dials on the side of each pedal – which way do these need to be turned to have least tension ( the plus or minus)?

Does anybody have any tips on how to loosen the (springs?) pedals up?

Using the shoes with crank bros pedals then switching to Times doesn’t rule out the shoes preventing a smooth engagement. I switched from spds to Time with the same shoes & had to trim bits off the grips/sole to allow easier engagement & float with Time pedals. (the shoes were fine with spds).
I’ve had to do this with 2 pairs of Shimano shoes & 1 pair of Specialized.

They have adjustment dials on the side of each pedal – which way do these need to be turned to have least tension ( the plus or minus)?

Turn the screw to the minus to slacken off the tension, make sure you do both sides of each pedal. I’d turn them all fully to minus and see how you get on in the garden, then turn each a half turn to plus until your happy. If they’re not all set the same you could end up un-clipping when you don’t want to or struggling to un-clip.

If you have a preferred foot to un-clip first, once you’ve done the above a full turn to minus should be enough but you can work out what’s comfortable for yourself

HTH

Carlos

Yep, could still be soles. Also, I rmember when I first started using Times that I found they were much easier to clip into when I moved the cleat back slightly compared to where I had my SPD-cleats.

Do Time cleats come with a shim?

A friend of mine had a similar problem with CrankBros pedals – the rubber grips on his shoes hit the pedal before the cleat could click in, so to clip in he had to stand on the pedal with all his not inconsiderable weight (this compressed the grips just enough). A thin metal shim between cleat and shoe raised the cleat away from the sole just enough.

I use the older Alliums. Best pedals I’ve used.

The trick with these is to point your toes down slightly when you want it to click in.

This issue is the reason I switched to Eggbeaters when they came out. Time ATACs were commonly recommended for cyclocross, but they didn’t work at all well for me in the mud even though in the dry was fine.

I do struggle to clip in when the cleats are covered in mud as londonerinoz says. But never under normal conditions (and that also means muddy, cyclocross is an extreme case).

I also suspect a sole issue. Even if slackening the tension off, the pressure of pushing down and forward with your foot is much greater than twisting it out of the pedal. So if you can get out of the pedal, it’s unlikely that you are struggling to get the right force to clip in!

OK, so what is the best solution; to remove part of the sole (either side of the cleat)?
If so, if anybody has done this in the past with good success, can you recommend how (or provide a link with instruction)?

Thanks again

can you not just ry engaging the shoe into the pedal with your hand and observe any sole to cleat interference then cut it off?

Its what I’d rather than just start hacking away.

Shoes for sure.
I’ve used ATACs for years on Specialized & Time shoes with no problems. Recently changed shoes for Shimano ones (XC30) and all of a sudden clipping in is a bit of an effort. There are some obvious gouges in the sole where the grips hit the pedals a bit early.

Yep – it is definitely the shoes.

The tread either side of the cleat is too ‘stuck out’.

What is the best thing to do now?

I did have some little shims, but they made little to no difference. Is there another way of getting the cleats further from the shoe?

do what joshvegas said. clip in then take your feet out your shoes & try to see how much/where you need to remove bits. I just used a stanley knife, but I’m not too bothered about how the sole looks – was a bit hit & miss to be honest.
I now have crank bros shoe sheilds also which cover a groove in the sole, not really much of a shim though.
I do have less knee ache since using Times, so still worth the faff I reckon.