Due to having funny knees it's not that easy for me to twist my heel out to unclip.
I've loosened the cage right off, I'm now looking at angling the spd.
So - if I wanted to make it easier to unclip (with less heel twist) which way would I angle the cleat.
Lets say looking down at the bike angle front of cleat towards or away from cranks. I'm thinking towards?
if you start playing silly buggers with cleats to make release easier then the chances are that you'll bugger your knees further just trying to keep them in the right place to pedal.
if it were me I'd be looking at flats - you can usually get one of the clipless systems to work for you if you have wonky knees that need play whilst pedalling etc but if you can't unclip easily in an emergancey then probably clipless isn't for you.
Or try multi release cleats? You can get your foot out easier, but some people find they release unintentionally.
As www says - put the cleats in the right place to pedal. You know you can also release by twisting in? That's what I tend to do on one side due to a dodgy ankle. If that's no good then you can get multi-release cleats which release by pulling up as well. I hate the things as they release when you don't want, but it's a better solution than putting them in the wrong place.
don't use multi-release, they're a nightmare if you're used to normal cleats
what about Crank Brothers pedals? lots easier to disengage and you have the option of 15 or 20 degree release angle
Crank Bro's get recommend to me alot, I tried Candy C's and oddly I actually found it more difficult to disengage despite people saying they are easier than spds. I've got them in the spares box so I might give them another try (it was around 12months ago when I tried them when I first started riding clipped in)
dependign on your shoe design and how recessed the cleats are candys can be a bit 'grippy' as the cage catches ont he shoe - you can use the supplied psacers to move the cleats further out from the sole to help with this though (or try eggbeaters which are the easiest releasing pedals I've ever used, particularly at the 15 degree angle).
If as loose as they go is too tight something is wrong. The loosest Shimano setting is really very loose indeed. Grit/sand/snow in the show cleats makes it really hard to unclip - I am in the habit of tapping my shoe on the end of the pedal to knock the sand out before I clip in. I makes a big difference. Also, spray the pedal before you ride with GT85 - lubes the moving parts and allow some to just go all over the clip parts.
Crank Bros reliability makes them a complete non-starter in my book.
Dangle your legs off something you get a feel for what way your feet like to point, your cleats should be pointing straight on when you feet are in that position.
I do that and have no issues clipping in or out and no knee pain. Left foot is pretty straight but my right one is at an angle so the cleat position compensates for that.
From tinterweb
The key to getting SPD cleats lined up is to ensure that they're not trying to pull your legs in directions that they don't want to go. SPD-related knee issues are generally down to twisting the knee, and the way to avoid that is to accommodate the natural angle of your lower leg. It's tempting to just line the cleat up with the slots in the shoe, but that's unlikely to be a good idea. Sit on a high stool, let your legs dangle and take a look at which way they're pointing. They usually won't be pointing straight ahead - the editorial pins here are quite clearly of the duck-footed persuasion, which is the most common arrangement. It's by no means guaranteed that they'll be symmetrical, either, so you'll need to align the cleats differently on each shoe.
Its also worth checking your shoes,aren`t interfering with the pedal.
The tread on my Specialized BG shoes cathces slightly on my pedals.
Trim the tread a little with a sharp knife.