urbanknight

We're thinking of getting a tandem and would like my son to have clipless pedals for that. I got him some shoes, threw on some cleats, dialed down the spring tension on my SPD-SL pedals, and had him try to step into them. As best as I could see, he had them lined up correctly, but even standing with his entire 58lb on the pedal, they would not engage. Anything else I can do before I go to plan B (which is SPD mountain bike pedals)?

Pop N Wood

WD 40 everything, make sure it it clean.

I know worn cleats can engage more easily, not sure I would recommend wire brushing the cleats to round edges.

BTW cool that you are getting your little one into this at such a young age.

Pridedog

My grandson was about the same weight when we put him in SPD pedals. No problem getting in or out on the tandem. Sounds like you are really set on getting him in the road pedals. I think you would find the SPD pedals easier for him to use and an added plus is that they are easier to walk in.

urbanknight

Thanks! I'm thrilled to have a riding partner.
The pedals are well maintained, just took them off my own bike and put on his to try clipping in and out, and I used an old pair of cleats I keep as a spare set, but didn't use any WD40. I'll try that.

urbanknight

Not hell bent on road pedals, but thought they were a logical choice since he seems to like the idea of doing a triathlon some day. I do have a set of MTB pedals and cleats laying around though, so it won't take much to convince me to go that route for now. Thanks for giving me info from a real life experience!

mstateglfr 

He is 10 and on a tandem...running shoes would be more than fine. But if you want him to want clipless, then why not SPD? A quality sole and SPD will be more than stiff enough for a 10 year old.
SPD will be easier to walk in, stiffer than needed, and easier to engage.

As for youth triathlons- I've been to a 3 of them now and SPD will not hold a 10yo back in any way compared to SPD-SL. There are a good dozen things that are more important for success at that age. Kids can easily ride and excel in running shoes at that age(and older).

Russ Roth

Agree with the above, my 8 and 10yo due velodrome racing, a lot of the kids their age that go clipless the coaches recommend road and the parents do it, since it does mean better cleat retention when riding. But most kids in the age range don't have the leg strength to yank their cleat out of the pedal, mtb shoes are safer to walk in and the pedals are harder to get in and out of, especially when crashed. A few of us bought our kids spd instead. When they're more like 15 I'll go road cleats with them but till then I think everything about spd is better for young knees and general safety.

urbanknight

Well, we haven't put him on a tandem yet. I have experience as a pilot and a stoker myself. His biggest complaint on his own bike right now is that his feet slip off the pedals and they spin around and hit his shin, which I imagine will only happen more often when someone else is in control of when to pedal.

Very nice! I started velodrome at 13 and my brother at 11. We went clipless (Look Delta) around the same time and had no problems. Loved it better than clips and straps. Come to think of it, many track racers preferred clips and double straps back then.

Anyway, thanks for the comments. We went ahead and tried the SPDs and he had a much better time getting in and out. At least as the stoker on a tandem he can take his sweet time clipping in and out, but he does understand he will probably fall over on his own some day.

Paul Barnard

Don't dismiss Crank Brothers pedals as an option. They can be made really easy to enter and exit.

downhillmaster

Clipless should be alright but certainly not before he is fully kitted out in Rapha.
Anything else would just be plain reckless and irresponsible IMO.

DorkDisk

Has OP tried the SH56 cleats? They are made for easier entry and exit; for beginners.

urbanknight

Yes, I actually had a pair of SH-56 and SH-51 cleats laying around, so I put the 56 on for him.

mstateglfr 

yeah, I've seen too fast of a cadence can mean kids feet slip off the pedals. This especially makes sense with some of the cheap nylon flat pedals that dont have as much traction as aftermarket flat pedals.
It seems like a cadence above 75 is where many kid's feet start disconnecting a bit on flat pedals. I see it with my youngest(10) and a lot of inexperienced teens I ride with frequently each year when they first start out.
When my youngest jumps on her bike connected to a trainer and gets up to 90rpm with little resistance, its comical. Her feet are coming off at the top of the stroke each time. She only has interest in sitting there for 15min at most and isn't serious about cycling so its not like the form matters much.

Hopefully the clipless system helps keep your son's feet connected better and he can learn to deal with spinning faster than his coordination would otherwise typically handle at this point.
...or just pedal slower.

Kapusta

If the problem with flats is slipping off the pedals, give him some pedals and shoes that don’t suck..

10 Wheels

Try theses.
MKS Half Mini Steel Toe Clips Classic Chrome Japan Made Pedal Clip Fixed Gear 4560369003570 | eBay

urbanknight

That is the plan.

Kapusta

Sorry, I was not very clear: I meant you could try flat pedals and shoes that don't suck. Ones that stick like velcro and you don’t slip off of.

Camilo

If you can find them, try Speedplay Frogs (the two bolt/MTB pedal). My small wife was having great difficulty with SPD and the Frogs were much easier for her. This was when we were riding the tandem and really, the stoker does need to be clipped in (IMHO). Now that we're not using the tandem any more and she just rides her own bikes, she just uses grippy flat pedals and is perfectly happy. But she kept getting knocked off the pedals on the tandem.