Bicycle Mechanics - shimano 105 pedals

i recently purchased a pair of these for my bike but a, somewhat confused. after swithing from a shimano spd style pedal i thought clipping in would be much easier and able to be without really looking down at the pedal.

now i am experiencing the same problems that were happening with the spd. the carbon bottoms of my shoes dont allow for any mistake when clipping in. if i apply pressure to clip in and am not right on with the cleat my foot goes flying off the pedal causing 1. a dangerous situation and 2. embarrassment :)

after riding with a friend who has look pedals i told him about the problem and he indicated that his look pedals just seem to be weighted to hang at the perfect angle so he can just clip right in with out looking.

question;

can the shimano 105 pedals be adjusted in any way to balance at the right angle so as to make it much easier and safer for me to clip in?

I know that they make self adhesive weight tape for balancing ceiling fans. You might pick some up at a hardware store and try to balance your pedals to suit your needs with that. I might even try that with my new Look pedals as the unclipped pedal tends to spin on me as I take off.

i recently purchased a pair of these for my bike but a, somewhat confused. after swithing from a shimano spd style pedal i thought clipping in would be much easier and able to be without really looking down at the pedal.

now i am experiencing the same problems that were happening with the spd. the carbon bottoms of my shoes dont allow for any mistake when clipping in. if i apply pressure to clip in and am not right on with the cleat my foot goes flying off the pedal causing 1. a dangerous situation and 2. embarrassment :)

after riding with a friend who has look pedals i told him about the problem and he indicated that his look pedals just seem to be weighted to hang at the perfect angle so he can just clip right in with out looking.

question;

can the shimano 105 pedals be adjusted in any way to balance at the right angle so as to make it much easier and safer for me to clip in?

After they break in a little, SPD-SL (DuraAce, Ultegra, 105, and some others) pedals tend to hand heel down and toe up. The grease in them is a bit thick at first, but it does thin out.

I went from SPD types to SPD-SL types myself and found that the -SL's are definitely harder to clip in to.
Of course, it's always hardest when leaving a stop light in heavy traffic ;-(( You'll get used to it.

The '07 SPD-SL pedals are a little nicer, as they have a wider platform. I like them.

First, make sure the pedal is oriented correctly, or push it with your toe (or cleat). Make sure you are pushing down, not out, and your foot won't slide off. My new 105s are a little tighter than my well used Ultegras, but it's a good pedal.

feethanddooth, I know the problem of which you speak. I had 105s on my road bike for quite some time and never did get to the point where they hung like they should have. I constantly had to look down to engage the cleat properly, and yes, that feeling of your foot shooting off the pedal sucks horribly.

I had the 105s for quite some time, and they never did loosen up enough to hang properly. They're just not as well-balanced as the higher level pedals I think. I ended up switching to Crank Bros Quattros. They're easier to get into position and aren't nearly as slippery when you pedal without your cleat clipped in. Besides, I was used to the Crank Bros system on my mountain bike.

If it's still an option, I'd suggest exchanging your pedals and springing for Ultegra level.

Practice.