Crank Bros pedals

I just got a set of Crank Bros Quattro pedals to replace some Shimano M-
535s.

I'm having trouble getting the pedals to release when I turn my heel out.
The pedals release fine when I turn my heel in. I have the pedals set for
the lesser angle of float, so in theory the pedal should release fairly
easily.

I've noticed that the two loops that the cleat connects to are different
sized and that it is possible to have a small or a large in either the
front or read position.

Is there some adjustment I should make or should I make sure that the loops
are in a certain position?

Barry Harmon

In article 54,
Barry Harmon wrote:

I just got a set of Crank Bros Quattro pedals to replace some Shimano M-
535s.

I'm having trouble getting the pedals to release when I turn my heel out.
The pedals release fine when I turn my heel in. I have the pedals set for
the lesser angle of float, so in theory the pedal should release fairly
easily.

This sounds like a set of cleats that are pointed nose-out. You should
turn them to point a bit more nose-in.

The other thing to check, just in case, is that the cleats themselves
are not loose. Loose cleats cause really unpleasant problems.

I've noticed that the two loops that the cleat connects to are different
sized and that it is possible to have a small or a large in either the
front or read position.

Is there some adjustment I should make or should I make sure that the loops
are in a certain position?

Given the way that the Crank Bros. mechanism works, the big and small
loops should not make any difference to the release angle.

As you turn your foot, the shape of the cleat spreads the wings wider.
Because of the way the bottom of the cleat's shape matches the curve of
the spring, they also tend to cam-out (shoe goes up) as your turn. When
your cleat gets far enough off-axis that the angled nose and tail tabs
clear the now-spread wings, release is possible.

The design, even with a pedal body (as the not-Egg Beater versions
have), is remarkably elegant, and very simple. Its only downside appears
to be faster-than-SPD cleat wear, which is caused by the soft (brass or
bronze) material of the cleats. This is a decision made, I think, to
prevent wear on the pedals themselves.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

Ryan Cousineau wrote in
]:

In article 54,
Barry Harmon wrote:

I just got a set of Crank Bros Quattro pedals to replace some Shimano
M- 535s.

I'm having trouble getting the pedals to release when I turn my heel
out. The pedals release fine when I turn my heel in. I have the
pedals set for the lesser angle of float, so in theory the pedal
should release fairly easily.

This sounds like a set of cleats that are pointed nose-out. You should
turn them to point a bit more nose-in.

The other thing to check, just in case, is that the cleats themselves
are not loose. Loose cleats cause really unpleasant problems.

I've noticed that the two loops that the cleat connects to are
different sized and that it is possible to have a small or a large in
either the front or read position.

Is there some adjustment I should make or should I make sure that the
loops are in a certain position?

Given the way that the Crank Bros. mechanism works, the big and small
loops should not make any difference to the release angle.

As you turn your foot, the shape of the cleat spreads the wings wider.
Because of the way the bottom of the cleat's shape matches the curve
of the spring, they also tend to cam-out (shoe goes up) as your turn.
When your cleat gets far enough off-axis that the angled nose and tail
tabs clear the now-spread wings, release is possible.

The design, even with a pedal body (as the not-Egg Beater versions
have), is remarkably elegant, and very simple. Its only downside
appears to be faster-than-SPD cleat wear, which is caused by the soft
(brass or bronze) material of the cleats. This is a decision made, I
think, to prevent wear on the pedals themselves.


Thanks for the reply. I'll try it out.

Barry Harmon

It is worthwhile to point out that the eggbeater mechanism gets a
little easier to clip into and release from once the pedals break in
after a few dozen rides. The release angle also shrinks as the cleats
wear. Near the end of the cleat life (typ. 3500 miles for me) you can
release with just a light flick of the foot. This summer I finally
wore out the clip mechanism on a pair of Look 4x4s after 14000 miles,
which is pretty acceptable to me. This manifested as an inability to
stay reliably clipped in (on new cleats) on the right pedal which is
the one I clip out of for stops. I was able to reduce but not
completely eliminate this problem by swapping pedal bodies. I'm sure I
could have stretched their life a little longer if I had been
switching the bodies every time I serviced the pedals.