# How to unclip SPD pedal while going up very steep hill?



## 9W6VX (Jul 25, 2004)

I fell down yesterday while going up a very steep hill gradient and my buddies up front could not make it up the hill and all were dismounting. Some were using platform pedals and some were using clipless ( a mixture of Eggbeater and SPD). 

I tried to unclip but could not do so in time before i came to a halt. AND fell down..........my XO RD is scarred, my kneee hurts......................  

Just started using SPD for the past week or so and am using the Shimano 959 model.

So, what technique is required to unclip when you are climbing a steep gradient and you need to unclip pronto (emergency stop).

I hope this is clear as it's quite difficult to describe what I mean!    

Cheerio and I'lll try to be more precise if you don't understand what the heck I'm trying to say!


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## antonovc (Jun 29, 2004)

two things

1 deraillerus get scratched dont worry about it  

2 to unclip you just have to practice and practice some more, u might want to adjust the tension on the pedals so you release easier (if you can do that with your pedals) and a good technique on how to unclip at really slow speeds(like going up a hill) is to practice trackstands clipped in, its a little scary if you cant get out (its happened to me a bunch) but it never really hurts if you are doing it on grass or somthin like that. and if you can easily unclip doing trackstands you can usually unclip doing anything


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## 9W6VX (Jul 25, 2004)

antonovc said:


> two things
> 
> 1 deraillerus get scratched dont worry about it
> 
> 2 to unclip you just have to practice and practice some more, u might want to adjust the tension on the pedals so you release easier (if you can do that with your pedals) and a good technique on how to unclip at really slow speeds(like going up a hill) is to practice trackstands clipped in, its a little scary if you cant get out (its happened to me a bunch) but it never really hurts if you are doing it on grass or somthin like that. and if you can easily unclip doing trackstands you can usually unclip doing anything


Thanks for replying mate.

Yeah, XO was scarred and likewise for the bottle cage. That's MTB!he...he..... 

Good feedback mate. Will be scary to do trackstands and release the SPD's but will give it a shot. BUT I was going up a very steep hill, does the same technique still applies?

I did adjust the tension of the SPD's to the minimum.

BTW, are there any articles that teach you the finer points of pedaling with clipless pedals with the push/pull factor?

Cheerio!


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## synkronized23 (Apr 12, 2004)

9W6VX said:


> Thanks for replying mate.
> 
> Yeah, XO was scarred and likewise for the bottle cage. That's MTB!he...he.....
> 
> ...


When I can feel that I can't climb anymore, i just hold both brake levers tight and unclip out on one side with a flick of the ankle while leaning to one side. So i'll be balanced enough on one leg to unclip the other. All the while while holding down the brakes. Dunno if this helps, but experience is the best coach.


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## Mike T. (Dec 30, 2003)

9W6VX said:


> I fell down yesterday while going up a very steep hill gradient and my buddies up front could not make it up the hill and all were dismounting. Some were using platform pedals and some were using clipless ( a mixture of Eggbeater and SPD).
> 
> I tried to unclip but could not do so in time before i came to a halt. AND fell down..........my XO RD is scarred, my kneee hurts......................
> 
> ...


And another tip is to make sure NONE of the shoe sole touches the pedal while its releasing. If it does, trim it away with a box cutter until it doesn't.


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## 9W6VX (Jul 25, 2004)

Mike T. said:


> And another tip is to make sure NONE of the shoe sole touches the pedal while its releasing. If it does, trim it away with a box cutter until it doesn't.


Very informative info.

Keep em coming! 

Mike T, I don't understand what you are trying to get at mate. Would you care to explain further? Maybe it's just me............LOL  

73's


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## bacchanal (Aug 4, 2004)

he's referring to the sole of the shoe interfering with your shoe exiting the pedal. if part of the sole of the shoe is limiting your ability to unclip, you can usually just trim it a bit.


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## LBmtb (Jul 29, 2004)

antonovc said:


> two things
> 
> 1 deraillerus get scratched dont worry about it
> 
> 2 to unclip you just have to practice and practice some more, u might want to adjust the tension on the pedals so you release easier (if you can do that with your pedals) and a good technique on how to unclip at really slow speeds(like going up a hill) is to practice trackstands clipped in, its a little scary if you cant get out (its happened to me a bunch) but it never really hurts if you are doing it on grass or somthin like that. and if you can easily unclip doing trackstands you can usually unclip doing anything


 Very good info there ^^. Follow his advice.


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## 9W6VX (Jul 25, 2004)

bacchanal said:


> he's referring to the sole of the shoe interfering with your shoe exiting the pedal. if part of the sole of the shoe is limiting your ability to unclip, you can usually just trim it a bit.


Ok! Got it. Thanks mate.


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## loopsb (Aug 9, 2004)

*a week isn't long*

you'll become more comforatable quickly. soon it will become second nature and you won't really even have to think about clipping out.

also note...and this might be very beneficial for you....Shimano makes two diferent SPD cleats - "single" release ( only release in one directional plane...i think ankle rotating out)) and "multi" release (which as the name implies release in several directional planes...sideways, forward, back) which look to have some of the edges "filed" off. i use multi release and never have a problem on steep,rocky, or technical trails...but do clip out inadvertantly sometimes when i air it out and get tweaked. good luck...i fell many times during my learning phase...i think it's just part of the deal


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## peachy-B (Aug 10, 2004)

i just unclip both at the same time... myb a sec or less before u decide to stop... just balance yourself enough and unclip. that's it. the very first time i took my clipless i forgot about it and fell sideways in a busy street when the stoplight turned red. that was totally embarassing.


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## Blue Shorts (Jun 1, 2004)

9W6VX said:


> I fell down yesterday while going up a very steep hill gradient and my buddies up front could not make it up the hill and all were dismounting. Some were using platform pedals and some were using clipless ( a mixture of Eggbeater and SPD).
> 
> I tried to unclip but could not do so in time before i came to a halt. AND fell down..........my XO RD is scarred, my kneee hurts......................
> 
> ...


There's a lot of good advice here.

Basically, once the unclipping action becomes second nature, you will have no problems. The reason that you're having a problem now is that you have to think about unclipping......and you don't have that much time when you're climbing that hill.

If you can climb the same hill with toe clips.......you'll do just fine with clipless, once unclipping becomes second nature.

If it's just plain hard to unclip, then the tension is either set too high or you may have some cleat interference that can be fixed with a sharp knife.


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## jekyllman (Jul 29, 2003)

peachy-B said:


> i just unclip both at the same time... myb a sec or less before u decide to stop... just balance yourself enough and unclip. that's it. the very first time i took my clipless i forgot about it and fell sideways in a busy street when the stoplight turned red. that was totally embarassing.


Hate to admit it but I did the same thing. The light turned green and no one moved They were laughing to damn hard


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## Tully (Jan 21, 2004)

Unclip one foot, swing that leg over your saddle, and hop off on the side to which you swung your leg. The twisting motion will unclip the pedal on your dismountaing side. Try it on both sides--it'll eventually get really natural, especially when you can see it coming.


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## Geist262 (Feb 16, 2004)

If those 959's are anything like my spd 540's, they are really easy to get out. On loose tension, it feels almost greasy. I kept comming unclipped when i did not want to. I find my 540's, which is pretty much identical to the 959, really easy compared to eggbeaters and time atacs. I tried time and eggbeaters and fell repeatedly. I am using 540's now and they are great. I was worried about emergency stops too untill I got these pedals. I was wearing body amor because I kept falling with times and eggs. Since I have the 540's, I never fell once. I had some close calls, but still got out okay. If I had the times and eggs, forget it. I am not bashing those pedals, I just think there for veterans, not rookie users like us. You have a great pedal there, so you just need a little practice. I think what made it easy for me was trying the higher release angle stuff first and fell, but the 540 only has 4 or 5 degree release, so to me thats not a whole lot. Its funny because I thought I would never get comfortable on clipless pedals, now I find myself saying, " I got to get clipped in." Just a bit rambling, but trust me, it will come.


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## 9W6VX (Jul 25, 2004)

Thanks for all the replies mates.

A lot of sound advice given here.

In fact I tried unclipping under pedaling pressure simulating as if I was profusely climbing up a gradient and trip unclipping the SPD's.

Viola! Worked like a dream!

Hope that if I really need to unclip in a real situation I can do it!


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## EJ_92606 (Jul 11, 2004)

I highly suggest the Shimano multi release cleats that someone else mentioned. They are silver colored, so you can tell them from the others. Also, a little bit of wax lubricant on the cleats helps to allow easier clip in/out. And practice....



9W6VX said:


> I fell down yesterday while going up a very steep hill gradient and my buddies up front could not make it up the hill and all were dismounting. Some were using platform pedals and some were using clipless ( a mixture of Eggbeater and SPD).
> 
> I tried to unclip but could not do so in time before i came to a halt. AND fell down..........my XO RD is scarred, my kneee hurts......................
> 
> ...


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## Dave719 (May 29, 2004)

EJBlur said:


> I highly suggest the Shimano multi release cleats that someone else mentioned. They are silver colored, so you can tell them from the others. Also, a little bit of wax lubricant on the cleats helps to allow easier clip in/out. And practice....


Not to be contrary but I hated the multi release because I could get out too easily. Once I learned the right way to get out with single release, I had less accidental releases which usually occurred in technical stuff where I was trying to use extra body english to balance or hop the bike around. With single release, you have to learn to twist out in a flat plane to get out. Any canting of the foot or pulling up, will only cause binding when you are trying to twist out. Again practice makes this second nature. It also seems like I can use less release tension with the single release. BTW I use M520s. Also FWIW, I only tried the multi release with M515s..

Also make sure to lube and keep clean the pivot and spring of the pedal. This will keep the release and entry smooth and predictable.

Dave


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## loopsb (Aug 9, 2004)

'With single release, you have to learn to twist out in a flat plane to get out'

actually.....my inclination for multi release cleats was for those many times that i wasn't trying to release intentionally...but didn't want my knees twisting or my bike flying down the trail with me still attached. hard for me to get that flat plane thing dialed when i'm going over the bars half sideways  the easier learning curve was just a side benefit


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## 9W6VX (Jul 25, 2004)

Thanks for all the input mates. 

Much appreciated.


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## simoriah (Oct 17, 2004)

peachy-B said:


> i just unclip both at the same time... myb a sec or less before u decide to stop... just balance yourself enough and unclip. that's it. the very first time i took my clipless i forgot about it and fell sideways in a busy street when the stoplight turned red. that was totally embarassing.


I had a similar incident. Was out cruising around with my son in one of those kiddie trailers a few days after getting my egg beaters. Stupid woman in an SUV pulled out in front of me. I stopped within inches of getting hit.... and forgot that I was attached to my bike. Fell right over and took a sprocket in the ankle. Thankfully, I was close to home. I got back up, clipped one foot in, and dripped blood the whole way home. 4 days and 3 stitches later, I was back out riding. 

Oh, yeah... Stupid woman never stopped. <sigh>

As for the trackstands.... I took someone's advice on that, can clip out without falling (sometimes)... but when I'm riding, I don't even think about clipping and unclipping.


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## TFloyd (Mar 17, 2004)

*I've done the same thing....ran out of momentum and fell over.*

1. I changed to the multi-release cleats and Shimano 520's. Much better release than the 515's that came with my bike. No unintentional releases at all.

2. When you need to unclip while going uphill, unclip when the foot you want to unclip first (usually on the uphill side of the trail) is at the bottom of a stroke. Just push down with your foot and twist, and let you foot kinda slide off the pedal toward the ground. Most failures to un-clip occur because you are unconsciously trying to "lift" with you foot, as if you were stepping off the pedal.

3. If you get one foot unclipped, at the very least you can put that foot on the ground while you worry about unclipping the other. It really beats rolling backwards down the hill.

HTH


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## sertek54 (Oct 9, 2012)

I set mine very loose, so the problem was unclipping to easily. Then I started tightening back up slowly as I got use to it.


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## NFLcheesehead1 (Sep 15, 2012)

I can't believe I just read that whole thread...from 8 years ago!


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