Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - crank bros quattro sl's: really hard to clip into?

So yesterday I switched from my generic spd pedals that kept clipping out on me during skids/skips no matter how much I tightened them down to a pair of crank brothers quattros. They're very pretty pedals, but I have a lot of trouble clipping into them. I'm wearing a pair of lower-end sidi mtb shoes, and I had to cut away a bunch of sole to get the cleats to engage at all... Still, they seem to take an abnormal amount of force to clip in. Is it just because my old pedals were really loose, or is there something else at work? I didn't use the little rubber thing that they provided which surrounds the cleat, because getting it on the shoe would require even more cutting of the sole, which was a huge pain in the ass, and I felt like i was on the edge of a catastrophic knife wound the whole time.

So, what's the deal? Get used to the way they clip in? Cut that sole down some more and get the rubber platform in there?

i use the shims and put a little grease on the cleats. they work fine for me and i also use sidi mountain bike shoes. i didn't have to cut away any sole. you aren't using the weird road cleats with the star wars-looking black wings on the side, right? if you're just using the small brass cleats, you should be fine.

Got a pic of how much sole you've cut out? I used to ride Quattros on my roadie until I switched to SPD-SLs. I had no problems engaging the Quattros, and they were the first clipless system I had ever used at that point.

I ordered a pair recently but have to receive them: however, I did try out a friend's road bike with them on. They engaged easily enough with my Dominators which surprised me (and is the reason why I picked them up). I've heard that putting the shim on helps if you're using MTB shoes (like what visitordesign did) though I'm looking to get some road shoes down the line.

I wouldn't keep cutting the soles down (unless you don't care about these shoes) -- try the shim. Or get road shoes and use the tie-fighter cleats.

Edit: my Dominators don't use a shim to engage Eggbeaters.

i needed the shim to run by MTB shoes with eggbeaters.
with the quattro platform i think you'd definetly need the shim.

My eggbeaters took a good number of clip ins and outs before they really broke in. I think the booklet that comes with the pedals even mentions this. That might have something to do with it. After using them a bit, getting in and out is very easy and they still hold perfectly.

yeah, I think I'm about done cutting the sole, unless I really need to.

I don't think I got a shim with mine - I got a big wide rubber thing that the manual refers to as the "cleat base" which won't fit on my shoes without a ton of trimming. It does look like the tread is interfering with clipping in by toucching the platform too much. I might try to make these cleat bases into some makeshift shims.. they might be thick enough to get the soles clear of the platforms.

They may just need to be broken in, too. I'll probably take them for a couple good rides and see what comes of some good use before I do anything more.

yeah, I think I'm about done cutting the sole, unless I really need to.

I don't think I got a shim with mine - I got a big wide rubber thing that the manual refers to as the "cleat base" which won't fit on my shoes without a ton of trimming. It does look like the tread is interfering with clipping in by toucching the platform too much. I might try to make these cleat bases into some makeshift shims.. they might be thick enough to get the soles clear of the platforms.

They may just need to be broken in, too. I'll probably take them for a couple good rides and see what comes of some good use before I do anything more.

go to yr LBS and just buy a set of regular old eggbeater cleats. the shims are these little black plastic things. you might ask about those too.

nonononononononononononono

don't cut the "cleat base" down. it's meant for road shoes. so the cleat doesn't stick out so much from the smooth flat soles.
shim with some washers or a beer can or something

well, I don't have road shoes, and I probably never will... why not use it?

anyway, I'm not doing anything more for a while.

well, I don't have road shoes, and I probably never will... why not use it?

anyway, I'm not doing anything more for a while.

because if you would have left it in one piece you probably could have just traded cleats.

Got the Quattros. Don't use the black cleatbase w/ mtb shoes. I did have to trim the shoes a little where the sole touches the wings of the Quattros. I also had to trim away a whole inner sole lug where the pedal spindle is. Had to do this on two pairs of shoes. Once done, everything works great.

I also had to trim away a whole inner sole lug where the pedal spindle is. Had to do this on two pairs of shoes. Once done, everything works great.

What did you use to trim away the soles with? I think I'm having the same problem-- clipping in is pretty damn hard. I've had them 3 weeks and put about 300 miles on them.

Also, my right shoe has a little bit of play in it, meaning I can wiggle my heal about a quarter inch without clipping out. Anyone have an idea on that?

Also, make double sure that you are using the short attatchment screws i.e.
there are no threads protruding out the bottom of the cleat. (since on the road version the cleat is attatched to the black plastic thingy which then screws onto the sole of your shoe, rather than the cleat just being held to the sole with two screws SPD style) They will contact the big spring that wraps around the spindle making clippping in very difficult.
Do yourself a favor and get the proper cleats for your shoes. They're like 17 bucks.

I ride with CB Mallets and had a similar issue at first. I installed the cleats w/o the shim and really had to mash down to them to engage. With the shim, they're great. Easy to clip, decent float, but solid enough for the occasional skid. Cutting down the sole is a last resort! You might even contact CB and see if they'll get you a set of shims (if you don't have any). THose guys are great.

What did you use to trim away the soles with?

I used a dremel tool on mine. Worked like a champ.

Use the shim under the cleat. I did that with my MTB shoes and i can ride my roadbike easily now (it's got the quattros).

Never tried Quattros, but I have had no issues with MTB shoes and the Candy pedals. Maybe give those a try.