SPD-SL shoe/cleat problem

Hi.....i can clip in and out using SPD-SL shoes cleats.....well up till today.....I have 2 pair of shoes.....Shimano are fine, clip in and out...both feet......but i have a pair of Northwave winter boots......and the problem is with my left foot of the Northwave boot.....the one i clip in and out of when i stop.....having not mastered track stands.....i can clip in...no problem...but when i try to clip out...i can't.....foot seems stuck.....I have made sure the tension is at the minimum on the pedal [the pedals are 105 SH-5600].....and there is no muck on the pedal or cleat....i have moved the cleat about...front, back....left, right......no difference......but here is the odd bit and this goes against Shimano unclipping instructions.......they say and i have always done so is unclip using an outwards movement of the heel.......what works is an inward movement of the heel.....when i do that the shoe comes out easily......but why is this happening?.....Have i damaged the pedal?......my other shoes [Shimano]....work fine is i use an outward movement of my heel [though, i can unclip with an inward movement too]......sorry for the long winded story.....any advice/explanations to what is happening....or what i should do?.....cheers

The formatting, my eyes, my eyes.

Have you got your boots on the correct foot??

The formatting, my eyes, my eyes.

Now come along...............don't exaggerate!

Have you got your boots on the correct foot??

Will that make a difference?

Is the cleat bolted to the sole of the shoe tightly enough? If not, it will be moving as you twist your foot, and staying in the pedal.

Is the cleat bolted to the sole of the shoe tightly enough? If not, it will be moving as you twist your foot, and staying in the pedal.

That was my first thought....the cleat is tightly bolted to the shoe....the cleat does not move about...but i cannot remove my foot with an outward movement.......but comes out very easily and smoothly with a slight inside movement.....Is that ok....or is something very wrong?

Pics? Specifically of the rear of the cleat.

Not using the Duegi's I gave ya? ;)

Not using the Duegi's I gave ya? ;)

Too big.........and you exchanged them for some spd shoes!........too much pain.....toeclips pinched and soles too flexy and soles of my feet hurt......sadly unlike Anquetil and Simpson...i am a wimp!

Pics? Specifically of the rear of the cleat.

Not able to do pics at the mo.....The cleats are the yellow ones and they are new....and seemingly undamaged.....only put on a couple of weeks ago......so these shoes not used much.....are the cleats left/right specific?......i will take a pic later on tonight and post it.

Swap...cleats... between... the... shoes...?

are the cleats left/right specific?..

Nope, I often swap them over as the left wears more than the right for me (when stopped, etc)

You're not using them with MTB shoes and an adapter plate are you?

Nope, I often swap them over as the left wears more than the right for me (when stopped, etc)

You're not using them with MTB shoes and an adapter plate are you?

No...the Northwaves are road winter boots with Look 3 hole fittings.......should my foot unclip with a gentle inward motion?

sounds like youve got 2 right hand cleats

sounds like youve got 2 right hand cleats

It felt like that yesterday!.....but are they left/right specific????

This morning.......i stripped down the cleats and found a burr on the front of the left cleat.....but not on the right one......could that be the cause?....i have filed it down and about to give it a go.....report back later.....hopefully!

The problem has been resolved.....on two levels.....Firstly.....i found a 'pronounced' burr on the front of the left cleat....i filed this down till it was smooth.....When i trie it out my foot unclipped my easier......Secondly.....a technique issue......when looking on the internet for a solution, i noted it said that when one unclips from SPD-SL pedals one should do so when the pedal is at the bottom of the cycle stroke......i have always unclipped at the top of the cycle stroke.......So with the burr removed [due to frequent in and out actions] and unclipping at the bottom of the stroke......unclipping is again easy and safe.......So thanks for all the advice and suggestions...well some of the suggestions.....Cheers y'all

No, they aren't left/right specific but swapping the cleats over may still help. Although this would be unusual for brand new cleats, still worth a try.
The foot should unclip with any sideways twisting, inwards or outwards. It's just a lot harder to unclip by twising your heel inwards, which is why it's not recommended, but it is possible.

What do you mean by a burr, one of those seed pods that sticks to your clothes? ;p

It's worth remembering that all of these mtb type recessed cleat systems have more shoe/pedal interaction than road type systems.

Very easy for the shoe tread pattern to stop rotation hence stopping breakout. Also when the shoe tread wears down you can get rock from side to side as the tread no longer hits the pedal body.

Engaging the shoe and having look from the bottom will give you some clues- look for places that the sole lugs hit the pedal. There's no harm in using a sharp knife to trim the sole a bit if you need clearance- for example the slots may let you move the cleat a lot side to side but the sole stops you engaging.

Check which type/model of spd cleat you have- the multi release may suit you better?
Good luck,
Scherrit.

No, they aren't left/right specific but swapping the cleats over may still help. Although this would be unusual for brand new cleats, still worth a try.
The foot should unclip with any sideways twisting, inwards or outwards. It's just a lot harder to unclip by twising your heel inwards, which is why it's not recommended, but it is possible.

What do you mean by a burr, one of those seed pods that sticks to your clothes? ;p

It was actually easier to unclip with a very short inwards movement which required no effort.

By a burr....a mean a protuding bit of black plastic at the front......under the yellow grip...where the front of the cleat meets the nose of the pedal......it was as if the plastic was unevenly wearing leaving a protuding lip/burr....possibly due to the force needed to unclip especially if i am unclipping at the top of the pedal arc and not at the bottom...where less force is needed......just a theory.

That was my first thought....the cleat is tightly bolted to the shoe....the cleat does not move about...but i cannot remove my foot with an outward movement.......but comes out very easily and smoothly with a slight inside movement.....Is that ok....or is something very wrong?

I've read through this thread, and it sounds like the angle of the cleat was incorrect for your foot. It's likely that you when you put the cleat back on, you inadvertantly changed the angle of the cleat so that the back was pushed more towards the outside (or front towards the inside) a touch. I doubt it has anything to do with a burr or anything like that.

if you are duck footed, pigeon toed, or hens toothed, you have to account when angling the cleat under your foot.

The problem has been resolved.....on two levels.....Firstly.....i found a 'pronounced' burr on the front of the left cleat....i filed this down till it was smooth.....

That's what I thought it would be, which was why I wanted a pic of the rear of the cleat. Glad it's sorted. Strange this happened with newish cleats though. I tend to use SPD-SL cleats until all of the yellow/red rubber has disappeared (and then a few months more) and have never had any problems clipping in/unclipping....

I've read through this thread, and it sounds like the angle of the cleat was incorrect for your foot. It's likely that you when you put the cleat back on, you inadvertantly changed the angle of the cleat so that the back was pushed more towards the outside (or front towards the inside) a touch. I doubt it has anything to do with a burr or anything like that.

if you are duck footed, pigeon toed, or hens toothed, you have to account when angling the cleat under your foot.

Not sure about that....The position of the cleat is the same as i had marked the sole and lined up the nose of the cleat with the mark.

I am totally flat footed....not sure about being quack footed.......or coo-coo toed......but i am *rare *as a hens tooth!

Some coincidence......burr=problem.......no burr=no problem

That's what I thought it would be, which was why I wanted a pic of the rear of the cleat. Glad it's sorted. Strange this happened with newish cleats though. I tend to use SPD-SL cleats until all of the yellow/red rubber has disappeared (and then a few months more) and have never had any problems clipping in/unclipping....

The burr was at the front and not the rear.....rear was clean and unmarked.....up till Friday.....i had no problems either......but unclipped at the bottom of the pedal has made things even easier.......however i can unclip with the merest of inside movement...a few centimeteres and its very smooth.....odd!......ps good luck with your Miche sale.