Bicycling - Road and Mountain

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Problems unclipping from pedals - is it the pedals or my leg?

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  • wildtxn
    wildtxn Posts: 97 Member
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    don't feel bad Ceci, I did the same thing my first time with clipless pedals on a mountain bike. although I was more or less riding wheelies coming down a ramp at the S-bahn train station and went backwards, not sideways and couldn't get out either with lots of people watching it happen.
  • faugsu
    faugsu Posts: 330 Member
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    So be careful. Falling is, at best, embarrassing & can be much worse. Pay attention especially when tired near the end of a ride. :)
  • faugsu
    faugsu Posts: 330 Member
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    Just got new pedals cleats shoes & wondered how JCeCi's doing.....
  • Just_Ceci
    Just_Ceci Posts: 5,926 Member
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    I'm good. My left wrist was sprained pretty bad, but is almost back to normal. :neutral: No more falls since either!
  • mikeyrs
    mikeyrs Posts: 176 Member
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    @pepperpat64 You probably have Wellgo 98A cleats mounted to your shoes. See them at http://en.wellgopedal.com/products_detail_0_384.htm. These are cast and then machined. One of your cleats may have excess casting material that can be filed down or otherwise addressed as described below. Also, cleats using two screws secured to your cycling shoes are more prone to misalignment issues. Misalignment will cause the cleat to either release prematurely or not release easily regardless of the tension adjustment. Check your shoe that didn't release from the pedal. Note if that cleat, as it's currently mounted to the shoe is slightly less than square (at any angle other than 90 degrees to the length of the shoe) to the shoe's centerline (straight along the shoe length for those who speak English better than this engineer). If not, that cleat will always give you a problem and the cleat must be removed, reinstalled, and aligned correctly to work as designed.

    These cleats look symmetrical so the left and right cleats should be identical. So, if there is no obvious alignment problem, remove both cleats from your shoes and install the left cleat on the right shoe and the right cleat on the left shoe. If there is a casting or finish machining error with one of your cleats, the release issue may travel to the other shoe or it could be cured altogether. I hope this helps you isolate and cure the problem.
  • brocantrs
    brocantrs Posts: 273 Member
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    I've discovered that if I point my toes down a little, it is easy to push my toes forward and twist my heel out. Works every time! Hopefully, no more falls!
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
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    Only found two problems with my Wellgo: 1) the cleats needs to be fasten down tightly - reminds me of my old Time magnesium & sport (circa 1987), and 2) the tensioning mechanism has too much play (my tightens from use). A little lock tight and grease on the tensioning bolt seem to do wonders.

    Cleats placement should reflect how you walk. No point of forcing your feet to be perpendicular if that's not how you walk normally. It's a receipt for knee problems. Float can provide some relief but that all depends on how large of an angle your foot is pointed. To some extent, matching exactly your walking angle is not wise if they are really out there. But in general the closer they are to natural walking, the better. The general consensus is to have cleats on or just behind the ball of your feet. Some have found placing just in front the center of one's feet best but I find it too out there.
  • shawnkonica
    shawnkonica Posts: 4 Member
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    The easiest to get out of are the crank brothers. It is just a quick turn of your foot and you are out!

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