is there some sort of trick to clipping out compared to shimano? like am I supposed to twist laterally instead of just heel out hard?
I couldn’t get my baseplate perfectly flat. the 5R (blue shim in the rear) was a touch too high. anyone sand them down? when I attached the metal thing it flattened it some but I guess I’ll never know if it’s optimal or not.
I got the easy tension cleats…a lot of my rides are commutes so I usually kept my shimano pedals on the lowest. I’m around 200 lbs and fairly strong. should I just return them and get used to the standard ones?
They are more or less the same action, twist & heel out are a distinction without a difference.
Speedplay are particularly sensitive to any “bending” during install, as well as excessive torque. Bending of the cleat makes entry/exit forces higher. Same for excessive torque that compresses the C-ring in the cleat assembly.
Do you have an actual problem with the current cleats? If not, run them for a while and see what you think. I wouldn’t expect an issue for a commuting use.
Over tightening the cleats will make them very difficult to get in and out of.
You can carefully pry open the “C” ring a bit to make them easier to get in and out.
Buy extra cleat covers. I lost a ton of them over the years.
They are a mega pain to set up on certain shoes. Get a metal straight edge on there and a screwdriver torque wrench. Wax lube also helps.
Once you have it set up as best you can, get the bike on the turbo and clip in and out until it gets easier and the pedals are broken in and you’ve learnt the movement. I think I did something silly like 50 clips per side to get mine comfortable. Also make sure the float is set to only what you need.
Just spray a bit of WD-40 into the cleats every now and then, makes it much easier to clip in and out. From what I hear the newer cleats since the Wahoo acquisition are now prone to rusting so might prolong the life of the cleat as well.
Unclipping from Speedplay’s is virtually the same as Shimano or Look pedals and in my own experience do not require any sort of break in. It is true that setting them up with shims on a Look compatible sole is mor e effort than a 3 hole cleat but years ago I began using shoes that have Speedplay soles and find cleat set up fairly easy. The cleats should be routinely lubed for sure to increase longevity. Have at least 250,000 miles on them and do not think I will ever use another pedal unless industry support for them completely dries up.
Just want to clarify that what we’re talking about here is if you put the mounting screws in too tight it then becomes really hard to clip/unclip. It’s definitely a PITA, but you have to back off the screws a bit to make it easier. You also need to check the screws periodically because they can come loose, even with loc-tite.
With Speedplay, I felt like I had to twist differently than with Keo/SPD-SL. There is a bit of “yaw” involved in that I kind of had to dip the outside/raise the inside of my foot a bit more, whereas with the other systems, it’s more of just a heel out motion.
