[Closed] So I’ve been (intermittently) using the wrong cleats for some time!!!

Aren't the multi release black and the single release silver/not black?

Edit: Nope thats a loads of bollocks. Multi release have a M on them though so easy to tell them apart.

Yeah the multi release cleats let you unclip by pulling up, which just baffles me 🤣

No wonder you were having issues!

Didn't know this was a thing, off to check

I was in merlins buying winter shoes and asked for cleats. Multi or single, when I asked for multi guy said really? He then explained the difference. I had no idea. Thought single was twist out and multi twist either way

Needed some new cleats once and found some bargain multi release ones, which ended up being entirely wasted money.

Nearly caused me to crash at the front of a traffic queue when pulling away from some lights!

Didn’t know this was a thing, off to check

Me too!

Why would a beginner want a cleat that releases randomly extra?

edit - apparently they release when you pull up hard. Who knew!

I too only discovered this recently despite 25 years of spd use! Daren't use the multi ones now.

Thought single was twist out and multi twist either way

This was my understanding or like crank brothers, beginner released at 1 angle and pro further out.

apparently they release when you pull up hard. Who knew!

Now you mention this I think I've bought some cleats that do this and just thought the pedals were getting worn as couldn't stop my feet popping out at the wrong time!

Cheers @drp I will check. Got a few spare cleats in a draw, hope I've not cocked up and bought loads of "m"

Ps hope your not too badly injured or damaged your bike

Blimey I think I may have a set of these on my winter boots. The slow whirr and click of realisation....

I bought some packaged 51s off eBay that sat in the spares box for a while but after a couple of months of phantom unclips closer inspection showed me on was a 56.

Similar PSA given the longevity of Shimano pedals and cleats. Check you're not still running SH52 or SH55, they're only designed to work with the the older style pedals.

Aren’t the multi release black and the single release silver/not black?

Edit: Nope thats a loads of bollocks. Multi release have a M on them though so easy to tell them apart.

Pretty sure that's true when new.

Had same problem on tech climbs, pulling up unclipping and crashing.

Seems I'm not the only one!
I honestly was getting annoyed.... unclipping on hard climbs, jumps etc....

No wonder I enjoyed winter riding so much. The winter boots were the only ones with 51s on!

I'm fine from the crash ta.... tumbled and slid down the slope face, but thankfully was rock free so only grazed shoulder and elbow, rather than slicing myself open!

DrP

Oops, thought you'd have noticed that !

I’m fine from the crash ta…. tumbled and slid down the slope face, but thankfully was rock free so only grazed shoulder and elbow, rather than slicing myself open!

How's the bike?

Yep, I remember learning on multi release cleats and gradually increasing the spring tension on the pedals.

Consider it training! Read about a roadie pro recently taking a hacksaw to cleats in order to reduce his reliance on upstroke, or something.

But yeah, I got shot of multi-release very quickly, even exaggerated cornering enough to unclip!

Haha, I'm on Time pedals. Although I'm pretty sure I've been there back in the past when I had Shimano pedals.

Damn you Shimano and your reliance on non descript code numbers (actually generally love Shimano kit, especially their shoes).

I am honk it's the 52's that were designed for a specific pedal but can be used with any SPD and give slightly less float. I got that tip from a 4x/bmx racer who liked reduced float for a more direct feeling

I've been using the multi since I learnt to ride clips.

Can't say I've ever unintentionally popped off the pedals when climbing, but I don't pull up on them as I know I can't do it on the other bike with flats!

One foot has come out when cornering some times but I thought that was just my shite technique

Reading this with interest as I’ve just got some clips and was advised to get single release and it makes so much sense for MTB, if I unclipped off a jump or drop and wasn’t aware of this I’d just dump them straight away! Few rides with no phantom unclip as so far anyway 👍

It's why they label them "multi" and "single" release 🤷‍♂️

Yeah, but that involves, you know reading things rather than just screwing them in... 😬🤯!

Also, I didn't know multi meant it'll pull out!

DrP

Ha, I’m another with that slow dawning of realisation that I must had bought some of these by accident as I went through a period of pulling my foot out which was really annoying! I’m off to check the current ones!

To be fair any SPD cleats can pull out upwards, even the single release ones. The accidental unclipping is partially why I switched to Crank Bros

@drp just checked my plethora of spd shoes and spare cleats. Got a mixed bag. Got some sh51 and sh56 which I guess are all multi release rubbish. Explains a lot!

I've found in my spares box 4 pairs of new 98a cleats which I think are wellgo but are they single release or multi release?

Also have some e-c05f cleats which I think are from boardman pedals. Again are these single or multi?

And if they are multi release anyone need 6 pairs of new cleats? 🤬

And does anyone have a psa for some single point release spd cleats? I need 6 pairs 🤣

You'll see the black cleat (Non shimano brand, BUT is a single release) has a flat bit front and rear, whilst the silver multi release cleat is bevelled...

THAT'S why they pull out so easily regardless of the pedal tension!

DrP

No wonder I enjoyed winter riding so much. The winter boots were the only ones with 51s on!

I had the reverse, riding in my winter boots which were a size up and kept unclipping, I put it down to extra size and weight of them, nope, turned out I had multi release on them somehow, no idea how multi release made it on them TBH!

I thought the M ones were for mountain biking and the single release were the road variant. The M release was designed to release easier in an OTB moment or something like that.

@footflaps

to me it seems the opposite.. as someone in another forum put it:
"The SH-56 is a good option for road/commuting when you might need to unclip a little easier and more often but the SH-51 is better suited for off road."

I deffo HATE the SH56 off road! Binned one set of cleats, and got 4 more on order (a tenner each on amazon)

DrP

I use the multi release clip on my gravel commuter. Great for getting your foot off the pedal in an emergency but would say it's the worst of both worlds for MTB, although personally I use flats for MTB

I’m thankful for this thread and also baffled. On checking my cleats I too was using multi release 🤷🏻‍♂️

I spent some time over lunch comparing my my current 56 pair (with a big M stamped on them) with a spare pair of 51s.

I’ll be damned if I could tell the difference in design.

I ended up trying one of each and the black 51s had a much tighter engagement and a good level of float with the added benefit of not disengaging when pulled straight up.

So I’m baffled as to how long I’d been using multi release cleats but I’m on the path for correction now.

Thanks OP 😎

to me it seems the opposite.. as someone in another forum put it:
“The SH-56 is a good option for road/commuting when you might need to unclip a little easier and more often but the SH-51 is better suited for off road.”

I always think the highest upward pull would be sprinting - which is more likely on a road bike, so you want the most secure engagement on the road eg I rarely put a down ever on a road bike whereas off road, you unclip intentionally and unintentionally (crash) more often...

i learnt on 56s and have stuck with them as i prefer the multiple release option to the possibility of accidental unclipping.

Have you got that the right way around? The 56's ate multi release and are the ones more prone to accidentally releasing.