Hi –
I tried my first ride with clipless shoes and pedals this morning and – other than a few hairy moments when I nearly fell over sideways – it all went ok.
One thing I noticed was that there was a small amount of rotation in one shoe (the foot I lead with – not enough to release from the pedal but enough to be a minor distraction. I tried tightening the pedal and this didn’t seem to make any difference. The cleats seem to be attached properly.
Any idea what might be causing this?
Thanks!

Float probably. Different cleats and clipless systems different amounts of float. What cleats and pedals?

Edit… from here….

Float

Most pedals and cleats have a degree of float to allow your feet to pivot slightly as you pedal. Float is measured in degrees and is the amount by which the foot can move before releasing from the pedal. Some cleats are zero-float, or fixed, which, as you can imagine, keeps your feet ‘locked in’ to the pedal. Other cleats are in the six-degree range. Most riders prefer a little bit of float, and many bike fitters insist that this wiggle room can help keep knees healthy.

Exactly how the cleat floats is something you want to consider too. Speedplay is well known for its ice-like feel, with virtually no friction in the float. Some riders like this feeling; others do not. Most pedals have a small amount of friction built into the system, and some pedals can be adjusted for a tighter or looser feel.

If you are unsure about what float is right for you, the good news is that your pedal choice won’t lock you into one particular setting: you experiment with the settings on the pedal, and with different cleats.

Some people like a little, some people like a lot.

a few hairy moments when I nearly fell over sideways

It will happen. It’s like the matrix – everyone falls. Usually on the 3rd 4th ride when you’ve stopped repeating to your self “I am clipped in. I am clipped in. I am clipped in. I am clipped in.”

On the show, take it no visible sign on cleat rotation on the shoe.

Eliminate the pedal by putting your hand in the shoe and clipped into both pedals, see if different. Should help you narrow down if its the cleat, or the pedal. What system are you on?

Not sure exactly what you mean by rotation.

But try angling the cleats on the shoe. When I initially bolted mine to the shoes, I made them perfectly straight. But of course, my feet don’t sit on the pedals in a straight line. They angle out a bit. I was feeling the shoes nearly unclipping when pedalling. I always noticed it only on my left foot. It actually angles more than my right!!

So after I angled the cleats to match the natural angle of my feet, I felt much better pedalling and never noticed the cleats.

The one that doesn’t rotate may be adjusted at the very edge of where it should be, so it’s not giving you float either side, and the one that you can feel the float with is probably adjusted correctly (see alternative explanations above to eliminate these too)

Pretty sure OP is talking about Float – tis a good thing for me, can cause knee issues with some people, but others are ok with zero float.
Are we talking about SPDs / 2 bolt cleats or 3 bolt ones, like Look Keo/SPD-SL ?

I’m not sure you can eliminate float with the former. (?)

Thanks everyone – I am using Shimano SPDs.
I will also take a look at the angle and positions of the cleats.

The tension is adjustable on the SPD if its a SHIMANO pedal. This well make a difference as to how much effort is required to get out of the “clip”.
The position of the cleat on the shoe may need to be different for each foot as well.
FWIW When I started with clips (riding to work at 04.00 in the morning) I would clip in at the xxx car, clip out at the lamp post etc etc until it became second nature. It only took a couple of days for this to happen

Thanks everyone – I am using Shimano SPDs.

I think Shimano SPD have 4 degrees of float. I don’t think there’s actually much you can do to change that, in the way you can change it with different cleats for road shoes. You’d probably want the cleat angle such that your natural foot position is somewhere near the middle of that float.

At the beginning i kept them really loose. So loose in fact a foot would disengaged now and again.
As confidence increased with staying on the bike over obstacles i gradually tightened them to the point it is hard to disengage.

Now i need to feel like im solidly attached.

No matterhow quièt the road when you forget at the lights and conedy deck there will be

A seasoned roadie who nods approvingly and knows you’re one of us

A bmw driver right behind you who laughs hus head off

A hot young thang (male or female whatever your preference) who just thinks you’re a bell end

You can get shorts with padding on the hip. This doesn’t help with the initial issue but does help with the pain/injury that can come with it…

Just a thought. Double sided pedals have adjustment for both sides so have you done this ? I tend to wind the adjustment screw fully one way and then back it off a certain number of turns, then repeat for other side and then the other pedal.