cleats

[gunners50]

Some thoughts;

- if the shoe soles are squashy, the cleat may have embedded itself into the sole of the shoe. This will reduce the clearance available for the claws to engage with the cleat.

- mad thought; you do have the left pedal on the left side of the bike and the right pedal on the right side? It is (using immense force) possible to fit the wrong pedals on each side....

Please confirm that you are not trying to clip in by hand...?

cheers

no,not by hand,shoes are brand new & pedals are on right side,appreciate all your help

[9494arnold]

Aren't those cleats a bit far back?

Try them at the front of the slots , if you have a slightly curved sole this may help, the curve might be restricting entry to the pedal.
The optimum is the pedal spindle being under the centre of the ball of the foot (in my Opinion)

At least one on my cleated shoe pairs have an almost rectangular thin steel plate with 2 slots that sits under the Cleat itself, I don't know but I have assumed that it's to stop the cleats bedding into the soles too deeply ?

Pause for wails of dissent here!

Whilst the comments about the sole getting in the way are valid, that's more to do with MTB style Shoes where there is a tread and they are designed to be walked on without compromising the cleats too much as well as pedaled in. Those yellow ones in the picture are what would be referred to as Racing Shoes and I can't see anything on the sole that would impede the Plate. Walking in them (particularly in the wet or ice) is a bit like Ice Skating you will find . (I think you can buy Cleat Covers , you certainly can for look style Plates)

[Brucey]

the sole being too curved is a close relative of the cleat being embedded; both restrict the cleat entry. If this is the problem an easy solution might be to use SM-SH56 cleats; these are a bit more tolerant. If the rear pedal jaw is opening as you press down (front of cleat engaged) but the cleat isn't going in far enough then it is pretty much certain that this is the nature of the problem. Have someone else look to see what is actually happening. BTW I agree with the post above; that is a long way from being a 'normal' cleat position.

If you want to walk easily in these shoes you need to use an adaptor of some kind



SM-SH40 looks about the right shape but it

a) is really meant for converting three-bolt shoes and
b) is made of plastic that isn't really up the job of being walked on

other adaptors that are better seem thin on the ground; SIDI used to make some but they seem difficult to obtain these days. In any event the net result is never quite as satisfactory as a dedicated SPD shoe, i.e. one with a recessed cleat mounting.

cheers

[squeaker]

A read of this might help? As the saying goes, if I wanted to get there (use SPD pedals) I wouldn't start from here (use road shoes with no recess*). However, as a start (as others have already said) I'd try using the more forward pair of holes.

* If I didn't want the convenience / pleasure of not having to waddle around when off the bike, then I'd have used SPD-SL pedals.

[Mick F]

It all depends if you want to walk or not.
I use road pedals on Mercian because I ride it. Walking isn't required or needed.

I use Speedplay Frogs on Moulton, because I use that bike differently. Often getting off and walking.

BTW, having used SPDs and didn't like them much, so when I wanted some walkable pedals, I did some research and went for the Frogs.
Absolutely wonderful, and knock spots of SPDs.

http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.frog

[reohn2]

Haven't read the thread so forgive me if its already been suggested,but the last pair of double sided M520 SPD's I bought for my daughter came with the tension screw at full tension and took a while before I realised,entry/exit was almost impossible until I'd backed off all four tension screws(one on each side of each pedal).

[gunners50]

just to let you know i got connected,thank you to all for your help & advice its much appreciated

[Brucey]

so what was the magic ingredient?

cheers

[gunners50]

just to let you know i got connected,thank you to all for your help & advice its much appreciated

PATIENCE,sat on bike held onto wall & practiced in & out on the pedal

[zenitb]

just to let you know i got connected,thank you to all for your help & advice its much appreciated

PATIENCE,sat on bike held onto wall & practiced in & out on the pedal

Great news !!! Clipping in/out is really hard to describe on an online forum .. it ..just ... happens (once you have done it a few times) and we were really struggling to explain it in words !!!

One thing to look out for is knee pain from not having the cleats pointed in the right direction for your feet. My heels point in a bit when I pedal so my SPD cleats are angled a little bit in towards the bike. I use the "dangle" method ... and I found some text on the internet describing it...

"The key to getting SPD cleats lined up is to ensure that they’re not trying to pull your legs in directions that they don’t want to go. SPD-related knee issues are generally down to twisting the knee, and the way to avoid that is to accommodate the natural angle of your lower leg. It’s tempting to just line the cleat up with the slots in the shoe, but that’s unlikely to be a good idea. Sit on a high stool, let your legs dangle and take a look at which way they’re pointing. They usually won’t be pointing straight ahead – the editorial pins here are quite clearly of the duck-footed persuasion, which is the most common arrangement. It’s by no means guaranteed that they’ll be symmetrical, either, so you’ll need to align the cleats differently on each shoe."

Read more at https://bikemagic.com/how-to/mountain-b ... v3pOHrp.99

There is a bit of rotational freedom of movement in the Shimano pedals (called "float") so you might not need to do the above but I got terrible knee pain when I first used badly set up clipped pedals so i always align my feet to the clip/cleat now.

OK hopefully that covers any potential knee pain - now some info about getting off the bike in a hurry ...

Up in the thread Brucey mentioned the SH56 cleats (rather then the SH51 that you have). These are designed primarily to make emergency clip out easier for learners. If you are at all nervous about getting out of the cleats initially then these could help you in the short term. I used them for about the first 12 months of clipless riding - and they definitely helped me bail - but I then reverted to the standard cleats - because I had learned the "twist out" reflex and liked the firmer grip of these cleats.

The diagram below shows the difference for "twist out" between your SH51s and the SH55s. May be overkill for you, now you are learning the clip- in clip-out reflex, but I found them useful (and actually still use them on my "casual" cycling shoes").

They are £9 from Wiggle ... and would be a straight swap for your current cleats

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-spd-mt ... 4000002983