Originally Posted by froze

To make it easier to grab onto the strap and tighten it up. Here's the only web site I could find that has a picture: http://www.yellowjersey.org/tocleat.html

Make sure your shoes have the cleat on the bottom has shown in the above site; without the cleat your not going to have the power nor will your feet stay in well...which is ok if your not trying to train for racing and just want to be a casual rider.