Clipless Pedal Shoe Compatibility question

[albertlum]

Heya,

I have a question regarding clipless pedals, specifically the Time Atac xs. I love these pedals and got a pair for my fiance. I have nice biking shoes that have a stiff carbon fiber bottom and have no problem getting out of these pedals. My fiance however is having a really hard time getting out of them. She has been practicing with her shimano mtb shoes that shes been using for spinning. She loves using them for spinning and hasnt had any issue getting out of the shimano pedals at the gym but im thinking she may be having difficulty getting out of the Time pedals due to the fact that her shoes are built more for comfort and not stiff enough making it harder to exit. She is also very light (less than 100lbs). I made sure all the pedals were at the 1(easiest) setting as well.

Thanks.

[Mrs. Outlaw]

That sounds so familiar! RiderX uses Time pedals on all of his bikes so it made sense for me to use them on my bike when it was time for me to go clipless. I struggled with the Time Atac pedals, so much so that I was almost ready to give up clipless. It was horrible!

I ended up switching to Speedplay Frogs and have never looked back - I love them and have a few other friends who use them and feel the same way. Don't know where you live, but I have an extra pair of pedals and shoes (size 6-1/2) if she's interested in trying the Frogs out.

[walsh]

Heya,

I have a question regarding clipless pedals, specifically the Time Atac xs. I love these pedals and got a pair for my fiance. I have nice biking shoes that have a stiff carbon fiber bottom and have no problem getting out of these pedals. My fiance however is having a really hard time getting out of them. She has been practicing with her shimano mtb shoes that shes been using for spinning. She loves using them for spinning and hasnt had any issue getting out of the shimano pedals at the gym but im thinking she may be having difficulty getting out of the Time pedals due to the fact that her shoes are built more for comfort and not stiff enough making it harder to exit. She is also very light (less than 100lbs). I made sure all the pedals were at the 1(easiest) setting as well.

Thanks.

Time ATACs are non-adjustable, and will always be tougher to release than Shimano pedals set to the lightest spring tension. It's just the nature of the beast.

As the pedals and cleats wear, release will get a little easier. Unless she's wearing shoes that really don't fit properly, I doubt that stiffer soles will make that much of a difference.

I almost forgot - you can mount the cleats two ways, for a 17- or 13-degree release angle. I can't find the instructions online, but check and make sure you set her up with the lesser angle.

[jabberwocky]

Time ATACs are non-adjustable, and will always be tougher to release than Shimano pedals set to the lightest spring tension. It's just the nature of the beast; they have a higher tension and a greater release angle.The ATAC XS actually does have adjustable release tension, but it doesn't really change the tension nearly as much as Shimano SPDs (I've run SPDs before and run Times now).

This is a relatively common problem with some mountain pedals and lighter riders. The design of the pedal seems to require some weight bearing down on it to make it easy to release out of. If the rider is too light, it makes releasing difficult. I've heard people complain about both Crank Brothers and Times with similar problems.

The bottom line is that I doubt changing shoes will help. If she likes Shimano pedals, I would get her a set of those to use on the MTB (or take Mrs O up on trying the Speedplays).

[mabagal]

I started w Shimano pedals/cleats -- and could never get out quick enough, so I ended up on the ground a lot -- even the loosest settings. I have since moved on to Speedplay Frogs -- which are much easier to get in and out of.

Where are you taking her to practice -- grassy fields are the best -- but since it's been so wet -- muddy fields are not fun.

[DaveG]

That sounds so familiar! RiderX uses Time pedals on all of his bikes so it made sense for me to use them on my bike when it was time for me to go clipless. I struggled with the Time Atac pedals, so much so that I was almost ready to give up clipless. It was horrible!

I'm with you. I hate the things. Hate hate hate. I rode them for close to 2 years and crashed ALL THE TIME from not being able to clip out. I was deathly afraid when I had to put new cleats in because I just knew a bunch of horrible wrecks were right around the corner.

I used them with many different shoes w/o any real differences. I can only guess that these simply take more sideways motion than I'm comfortable with to get out of. I switched to Shimano SPD's and I couldn't be happier.

Dave

[Cbuzz]

Or you can buy "shaved" ATAC cleats from Speedgoat. All they do is round off the engagement edges a bit so release is easier. I switched from SPDs to ATACs on everything years ago, and will never look back--but I always use their shaved cleats. Engagement and disengagement is smoother without any loss of stability, and in my opinion you get much better mud-tolerance.

Carl

[walsh]

The ATAC XS actually does have adjustable release tension, but it doesn't really change the tension nearly as much as Shimano SPDs (I've run SPDs before and run Times now).

But, but, what happened to the Auto Tension Adjustment Concept . . . :(
Shows what I know.

I hear what people are saying about the Times - they aren't for everybody.
Marissa, a featherweight rides my Ritchey SPD's for their ease of entry and release. I knew a young lady who went over at a red light when she couldn't release, put out a stiff arm, and broke her wrist.

Personally, I own three sets of the aluminum-bodied ATACs and one pair of Z platforms. They all came to me either cheap or free, and I like them for their secure engagement, uncomplicated design, and unmatched ability to take a whale of a beating.

[albertlum]

We were thinking about going out this Saturday to some grassy areas and practicing. It was really awesome when we were goofing around and riding to the local bike shop she went off a curb and was astounded that a) she didn't fall and b) it didn't hurt. She rode my old trek a couple of times out (hardtail with a broken front fork-really old elastomer system that doesnt rebound anymore). Also was ecstatic when we were riding uphill and I encouraged her to try shifting gears, she did so and was amazed how much easier it was and that 'she could ride on forever!' now. Haha, figured I'd share that story. We hope to meet some of the other local lady riders so she can have some other folks to pick up some pointers too as well. I think we were just excited last weekend picking up her new racer-x.

Thanks for all the helpful input and quick responses!

[DaveG]

Or you can buy "shaved" ATAC cleats from Speedgoat. All they do is round off the engagement edges a bit so release is easier. I switched from SPDs to ATACs on everything years ago, and will never look back--but I always use their shaved cleats. Engagement and disengagement is smoother without any loss of stability, and in my opinion you get much better mud-tolerance.

Carl

I shaved my cleats. They still sucked for me. Plus, this caused the cleats to wear out much faster. I think ATAC pedals simply don't work for some people.


Dave

[FIX_BKS]

There must just be "something" about the way TIME's disengage. I personally use them on all of my bikes and don't foresee using anything else.

I like them so much, that I recommended them for my girlfriend, who at first had real difficulties with them too. Granted, they were her first pair out in the "real world" and eventually got used to them(also having used SPD's in a spinning class). Now she loves the ATAC's as well. After trying some SPD's in a pinch after riding TIME's for over a year, she said the SPD's felt "mushy" and wasn't sure if she was in or out most of the time (likely due to tension adjustement) - but TIME's definitely give a rider feedback, both physically (felt on the foot) and audibly - or when you're lying horizontally cursing at them ;)

I haven't experimented with Frog's but it sounds like they're a great alternative for the lighter rider. Has anyone had any trouble when it comes to clogging them with mud? There doesn't seem to be much room for debris to shed and they appear to have a more technical engagement system.

So, I also did a search on MTBR.com for Frogs (http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Pedal/product_22475.shtml) and ATAC's (http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Pedal/product_122955.shtml). I was surprised by the honesty of the reviews. Generally I feel that everyone on this site LOVES what they bought and therefore give way to many chili's, but both reviews seem relatively unbiased.

[nocro]

I ended up switching to Speedplay Frogs and have never looked back - I love them and have a few other friends who use them and feel the same way. Don't know where you live, but I have an extra pair of pedals and shoes (size 6-1/2) if she's interested in trying the Frogs out.


Funny, I just put the Time Z pedals on my turner, and really like them. I'm probably going to ditch the frogs from my seven and just run the Times.

I had a problem where the frogs would release when I didn't want them to (log hops and aggressive climbing) and not release when I wanted them to (falling to the side when I was stalled). This not release was on a small percentage of the time, but enough to be noticable, and cause some very painful crashes in rocks.

[Mrs. Outlaw]

Oasis - the Frogs do clog up in really muddy or snowy condidtions (good incentive to stay clipped in ;)). But overall I really like the ease of getting in and out quickly.

[Cbuzz]

I shaved my cleats. They still sucked for me. Plus, this caused the cleats to wear out much faster. I think ATAC pedals simply don't work for some people.


Dave


My cleats didn't wear out much faster despite the shaving, and lots of people love ATACs. Both are just considerations.

Carl