OK ... perhaps I have over tightened the cleat? Seems to engage OK with a distinct "click" when it locks in but I had to tighten down the 4 cleat mounting screws pretty far to keep the cleat from moving left / right when I twist my heel in or out to disengage from the pedal. The cleat also seems to disengage much easier when I twist my heel out away from the bike vs in. I also would assume that similar to the SPD SLs engagement / disengagement requires less force after they break in a bit?