I bought a pair of Shimano SH-MT33L Mountain Bike Shoes for a spinning class at my local gym. After attaching a pair of SPD cleats I find that it takes great effort to clip in and out...way too much resistance. I tried them on different X-bikes at the gym and same thing. I can clip in and out but its way too tight, to the point that the cleats actually get misaligned. I noticed that the cleats sit below the shoe rubber and are not touching the ground when I walk. I am wondering if the problem may be due to the rubber pressing down against the pedal, creating too much resistance, because the cleats are not exposed enough?!? Any ideas?

As for the cleats my local bike shop sold me a Forte brand and said that they are compatible just like the Shimanos.

Link to the cleats I purchased at a local store.
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...6#ReviewHeader

UPDATE 12/22:
Alright all, my clipping in\out problem is resolved. I went back to performance and replaced the Forte cleats with a pair of SM-SH56. Now I am able to clip in and out with ease (and love the mulch-release by the way). What can I say, my experience at Performance has been disappointing. The interesting thing is that to the eye, the Forte and Shimano cleats look very identical but in reality only one functions as intended. Hope this post helps someone who find themselves in the same situation.

Are the cleats Shimano? If so what model number?
Do the pedals have adjustable cleat tension? Shimano pedals should have adjustable tension.
Can you find marks in the rubber soles to show if the soles are interfering with the pedal release mechanism?

As Al1943 mentioned, SPD pedals have adjustable tension. It's possible that the pedals are adjusted to worn cleats, which clip out easier. Should just take a hex key and a few turns to lower the resistance at the pedal.

Some "brand-x" cleats appear to be SPD compatible but really are not. The "S" stands for Shimano.

As for the cleats, my local bike shop sold me a Forte brand and said that they are compatible just like the Shimanos. Hmm. I wonder if this is the problem.

Link to the cleats I purchased at a local store.
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...6#ReviewHeader

those look nothing like my SPD 105 cleats

Will your cleats fit into a pedal like this ?

105 and other Shimano road pedals are SPD-SL. The "SL" matters.

OP: Get some genuine Shimano SPD cleats. I bet Performance will take them back if you tell them they didn't work with the Shimano pedals.

I have pedals made by Wellgo, Specialized, and Shimano, and shoes made by Diadora and Shimano, but all my cleats are Shimano. I've never run anything else and have heard reports of other cleats not working properly. The genuine Shimano ones are not expensive and worth it to have the correct part.

+1 SPD and SPD-SL are two very different pedals.

Even their own specs don't list shimano and/or SPD compatibility, so I'd say wrong cleats are your issue.

There are only three cleats that are currently made (I think) that will work with genuiune Shimano SPD pedals: Shimano SH-51 SPD cleats, Shimano SH-56 SPD cleats.......and knock-off cleats that are made by Wellgo and branded as either Wellgo or other knock-off brands; these cleats will have a stamp on them that says 98A. They are the knock-off cleat that works with genuine Shimano SPD pedals and knock off pedals that use the actual SPD design. I believe Wellgo manufactures most or all of these knock-off pedals, too, and they're either branded as Wellgo or other knock-off brand. I'm sure Wellgo pays Shimano a patent or license fee to use the SPD design.

But anyway, I can see a number stamped on the Performance pedal the OP linked to, but I can't read it. If the number is 98A, it should work with Shimano SPD pedals, and perhaps there'a another problem that's causing the difficulities. I agree that if the cleats are SPD compatible, they should say so in the specs. If that's not listed in the specs, they're probably not SPD compatible cleats.

Make sure the rubber sole is not hitting the pedal, most of my shoes I need to trim .

If the cleats get misaligned when you click out, they are not installed with enough torque. My guess is that you need to get the cleats into the right position and tighten them to the recommended torque. They will not move if tightened properly and having them loose will effect release.

I also agree that using genuine Shimano cleats is a good idea.

That's probably it. The cleats aren't tight enough and are twisting when trying to come out.

I've had problems getting SPDs tight enough. I even used locktight once.

forte is performance re branded by welgo, I think ,
nashbar is now a division of performance inc.

perhaps you can bring and change the pedals too.

Locktite will only keep them as tight as you've torqued them, it won't help hold them in place. What type of screws did they come with? Shimano SPDs use an allen wrench to tighten and you can put some serious torgue on them. I've never had one move on my once installed (and I always grease the threads to make removal easier later on). Shimano recommends 43 - 52 inch pounds of torque for cleat bolts.

If the spin bikes have Shimano pedals, use Shimano cleats. I have never had good luck with off-brand cleats. Make sure you torque them down properly- the teeth on the top of the cleat have to bite into the sole of the shoe properly or they will twist when you clip out.

It is possible that the cleats are mounted upside down, so check that. I recently bought a pair of shoes for spin class and since I was pressed for time, the guy at Performance helped me move the cleats over from an older pair of shoes. Couldn't get the right foot locked in at all, though it seemed like it was aligned as well as possible. Turned out the one he installed was upside down. The side of the cleat with all the little grippy nubs faces the sole of the shoe. The rounded point faces forward, square end to the rear.

Refering to Performance as an lbs is like comparing CVS to Joe's Pharmacy. If your town is big enough to have a Performance store you're bound to have lot's of "Joe's Bike Shops" and you're much more likely to be talking to experienced bike mechanics at real lbs

The guy that was helping me was not a mechanic. He was sales staff. Also, I wasn't referring to them as an LBS, but to me, they are equal in many ways. At least this individual store is. The other nearby shop had me as a customer for over 10 years, but every time I went in, I felt like it was the first time they had ever seen me. Over the summer I went into the LBS with my wife looking for a possible hybrid or flat bar road bike for her. The young man that helped us sized us up as Grandpa and Grandma and only wanted to show us a hot pink Cruiser. The guy at Performance actually knew I was an enthusiast type and spoke to my wife before making any suggestions.

They may be a big chain, but the level of service and knowledge will vary by individual store.

And within an individual store. The one near me has a couple of really good mechanics as well as some excellent sales staff. There are also those in the store I avoid because they are less competent.

I'm in just about every shop in town. That Performance is one of my favorites, especially when Mariah is working.

My experiences with Performance has been mixed. The worst problem is when an employee will reccomend the wrong item due to lack of expertise rater than admit ignorance. I once went in looking for an SM-SH40 and SM-SH51. They tried selling me an SM-SH71 instead because they didn't have the SM-SH40. (I still can't figure out why Performance doesn't carry the SM-SH40.)