Taking the plunge with clipless pedals - advice please

[SoulOnIce]

I've decided to take the plunge and fit some clipless pedals to my bike.

My bike is a Ridgeback Cyclone hybrid, which does me jsut fine for the 28 mile round trip commute I do a couple of times per week.

I've got some Shimano PD-M647 SPD Pedals off eBay for 27 quid and I'm gonna have a go at fitting them at the weekend. Any advice on the following would be appreciated:

a) I'm no expert bike mechanic so is there owt I need to watch out for when fitting the pedals? I've got a pedal spanner (if that's what you call it).

are the pedals I've got suitable for someone new to clipless pedals?

c) any advice for how to practice using clipless pedals?

d) what maintenance do clipless pedals require?

 

[punkypossum]

Hi, I'm afraid I can only answer c)...Best bet is to clip and unclip a few times with one foot on the floor or leaning against a wall, then have a go round a quiet car park or similar. Put pedals on loosest tension setting - you will be fine as you will be so aware of being clipped in at the beginning, so planned stops are not a problem. The clipless moment will come when it's an unexpected stop or (in my case) when stationary However, damage and pain appears generally minor and you get used to them quite quickly. The cleats might need some faffing till you find the correct position.

 

[Dave5N]

Make sure you thread the pedals into the cranks carefully, and use a litte grease.

To practice, prop yourself up in a doorway on your bike facing the telly, watch an hour of your favourite programme whilst continually clipping in... clipping out. It'll soon be second nature!

 

[HLaB]

When you do fit them remember to turn the pedal spanner the correct way, its different for each side, somebody on an old forum used the phrase remember "in to the frame to loosen" and that has stuck with me. And apply a drop of grease to each pedal axle before you fit them. There also be a tension adjuster bolt on each pedal marked + and -, starting off you want to adjust with a small allen key towards the - (looser) setting to make it easier to unclip.
On my commuting bike I use the pedals one below your M647 and I had them when I first wen clipless and liked them so much I've went back to them for my commute. I find the cage is very comfortable and in an emergency makes them very normal shoe friendly. So IMO the pedals you have chosen are very friendly to the new user.
For me the best technique I've found is keeping the dominant foot clipped in (the right for me) and unclipping with the weaker foot and putting it down at stops, bringing the dominant foot up to a 3 O'clock'ish position before I pull off; it soon becomes second nature. Also it means when you push off if you miss the left clip your still in a position to be able to pedal and you can clip the other foot in at a convenient moment, ie when you're away from a junction. The SPD's with a cage are extremely convenient for this.
Maintenance wise, I just go for occaisional greasing of the axles and sometimes apply a little oil to the binding spring.

 

[SoulOnIce]

Thank you for the advice. I love this forum. Though the only downside of the forum is that it makes me want to spend loads of dish on a new bike and new kit.

 

[jimboalee]

They are double sided, so there are four mechanisms to get equal.

Put a blob of tippex on one of the adjuster mechanisms on you weaker side, usually the left.

Wind it all the way in, counting the turns as you go. Wind it out to where it started from. Note down the number of turns. Try it. Too loose, tighten it. Count the fractions of turns as you adjust. Too tight, loosen, counting the fractions of turns as you go.
Note down the number of turns you think its at.
Wind it all the way in counting the turns. Wind it back. Note down the number of turns it really was.
Now the other three can be wound in completely and wound out the same number of turns to give you the same adjustment on all four ( give or take spring tolerances ).

Wipe off the tippex.

 

[mickle]

When installing the cleats allowance should be made for the proportions (long toes/short toes) and attitude (pigeon toed or duck toed) of your feet. A benchmark or starting point (from which you can then make fine tune adjustments if required) should be established rather than just bolting them in.

As a benchmark the cleat should be set at ninety degrees to a line drawn from the inside edge of the heel to the inside edge of the main sole. It should also be located right underneath the knuckle of your big toe. Don't be afraid to tweak them (fore/aft, side to side and rotationally) until you get it right, perhaps even several months later. Your feet should be comfy, not feeling as if they are being forced into an unnatural position against the pedal's spring tension. You will not become accustomed to a poor set-up before damaging your knees.

Apply a smear of grease to the bolts, on the thread and under the head before fitting.

Pedals come out of the box with a low spring tension setting, as soon as you are confident about clipping out in a hurry crank them up. Un-clipping accidentally at speed is worse than failing to clip out whilst stationary.

 

[jimboalee]

Tippex again.

If you are riding in rat traps and you are comfortable with your foot position fore - aft.
Ride your rat traps in you new shoes. Still happy? Yes. Make a mark on the outer sole of your shoes directly above the pedal spindle.

Position the cleat on the new shoe so the mark is directly above the new pedal spindle. Adjust to perfect.

 

[SoulOnIce]

I thought all I'd need woudl be a spanner and an allen key? I will get a bumper bottle of Tippex to add to my toolkit.

 

[sjb]

Keep the springs in the pedals lubricated. Otherwise, once they start getting wet they can begin to squeak. Which can be very annoying.

Second this, really irritating - WD40 does the job though (I know its not meant to be used as a lubricant, but it works.......)

Otherwise I have never had a clipless moment (SPD 520's), dead easy to use and a revelation c.f toe straps

 

[jimboalee]

I was lucky. You might see on another thread I had a Pug 531 with quills and clips. The shoes had plates nailed to the sole, so there was NO adjustment. You just had to adapt and develop into that position. The shoe makers were quite good and put the plate in a good position anyway.

I say I was lucky because when I bought my first clipless shoes with cleats, I measured up my plates and tightened the cleat on the new shoes to put the shoe in the same position relative to the pedal spindle.

This where the Tippex comes in, to mark up the new shoes to mimic the old ones.