# SPD Cleats...Single vs Multi Release



## Tom Sawyer (Jan 26, 2006)

Bought a set of Shimano PD-M520 last weekend. They came with cleats and I lost one of them. I bought a 2nd set and brought them home where I realized they were slightly different. The new ones are "Single Directional" so I'm guessing the ones that came with the pedals are "Mutli-directional."

Anyway, could somebody educate me as to which one might be right for me? I'm a brand new rider. I've only been on one ride "clipped in" and it wasn't pretty.


----------



## Kaba Klaus (Jul 20, 2005)

Shimano sells two type of cleats:

Single Directional: You need to move your heel to the side to get clicked-out.
Multi Directional: You need to either move your heel to the side or to move the heel up.

From my experience it simply doesn't matter. I always click-out by moving the heal to the outside anyway. Anything else does not work.

For sake of keeping things in sync: Put on both shoes the new cleats. Position them in a way that your foot is parallel to the frame and the root of your tow is on the axle. Make sure you tightem them. 

Then check your pedal. There is a little nut/screw to adjust the rate of the spring holding the shoe. Make sure this one is set to easy. In the beginning it is all about getting out quickly.

Get on your bike and practice clicking-in and out. Takes a few weeks but eventually becomes second nature. Being clicked in increases the efficiency of pedalling and gives better control over the bike (even if it scares most riders to hit a technical section clicked-in). I hope you never experience this - but when you fall you usually get out somehow.


----------



## fred3 (Jan 12, 2004)

*First off...*



Tom Sawyer said:


> Bought a set of Shimano PD-M520 last weekend. They came with cleats and I lost one of them. I bought a 2nd set and brought them home where I realized they were slightly different. The new ones are "Single Directional" so I'm guessing the ones that came with the pedals are "Mutli-directional."
> 
> Anyway, could somebody educate me as to which one might be right for me? I'm a brand new rider. I've only been on one ride "clipped in" and it wasn't pretty.


understand that if you went on a ride fairly soon after getting your pedals you made a mistake. That mistake was in that you didn't practice enough "before" you went out for a ride. It must be second nature(or almost so) before you hit any trails. Or ...tadah!...you will fall as you so courageously found out.

Now about the cleats. Think about their function. They're designed to keep your feet attached to the pedal. One reason is a greater efficiency in pedaling because you can actually use the whoe 360 degrees of the pedal motion to deliver power. The next thing is it keeps you attached to the pedal when going over rough terrain so your feet don't bounce off the pedals or come out of a strap. So if you get pedals that allow you to release by pulling up you defeat the purpose and efficiency of a 360 degree pedal stroke and you also could unclip on a good rough section when you not only least expect it, but don't want it. A surprise unclip could cause you a lot more damage than not being able to unclip when you fall.

Remember that you never want to pull up when you panic because that'll only bond you tighter to the pedal. Luck.


----------



## LoneStar (Jun 17, 2004)

I accidentally purchased some multi-directional replacement cleats a few months ago and I really don't like them at all. As the previous poster mentioned, they can easily release when you are in some pretty technical sections and it is frustrating to no end. You will find that it just becomes second nature to release to the side anyways, so if I were given the choice, I'd always buy the single direction cleats.


----------

