I was worried I'd fall and all that, with only some practice leaning on the front of the house last night after the installation. Got all ready, practiced some more leaning on the house, and off I went. Plan was to stay near home, in case I fell and needed help, 2 miles down the road I kept going. I am amazed at how fast I got comfortable with the shoes and pedals, rode 21.4 miles when I got home. I do like them, only complaint is sore feet at times, I loosened up the shoes, moved my feet around a bit, and the pain would go away. Thinner bike socks might help, what do you all think?

I got Shimano PD-6700 Ultegra pedals, and SH-R133L carbon road shoes, Seem nice so far.

The Thin socks does wonders. ALso, try not to be so tense when you pedal. The foot soreness is from pedalling too hard and not allowing blood flow through your foot. Pedal smoothly and evenly when you start to torque out for more speed. No need to MASH..just gradually get faster. Other than that, you will pedal 2x longer and faster then you ever have when unclipped.

Mess with the cleat placement on the shoe to try to alleviate some of that pain. When I got my SPD clipless setup, the first week I had horrible foot pain, so I would stop, grab my 4mm allen wrench and mess around with the cleat placement. It's all perfect now.

And why is that ?

I wasn't thinking when I got the shoes, didn't get socks with them. I used the standard Hanes white cotton socks, seemed to thick, and were a bit warm.
Been wondering about the placement of the cleats on the shoes. I put them in the center, going each direction. Do most of you all have your feet straight, or at a slight angle? Also, what about forward and back placement?

A general rule of thumb is to set up cleats so the toes point ever so slightly inward. Generally, cleats will have about 2-5 degrees of float or drift, so if you don't get the angle quite perfect its not a huge deal. For the forward and back placement, put it right on the ball of your foot. Remember that this is just a starting point. After you ride awhile, adjust the cleat placement to where you find it most comfortable.

@talldog: Although I think 2 times faster is a bit exaggerated, cleats are a much more efficient way to pedal. Of course, you can pedal on both the up an down strokes. I notice the difference especially on hills and when I'm trying to accelerate when that extra power is desired. As an added bonus, you don't have to worry about your feet slipping off.

I guess what i meant was, since you are not only pedaling down you are also pedaling upwards too..maybe i should have re-phrased it as "50% more efficient"...My Bad..

Problem is that pedaling "upwards" with the opposing leg is not more efficient. In fact, it would be less efficient if it actually happened. Contrary to popular belief, cleats and/or clips were not designed to help cyclists pull up. They were designed to keep one's feet in the same spot on the pedals and to keep them from sliding off during competitive cycling events. The most they could do efficiency wise would be to help one partially unload the foot on the upstroke by acting as sort of a constant tactile reminder.

sorry about baiting your response ... not trying to disuade you or anyone else from using them as they apparently work for many riders. It's just a pet peeve of mine when I hear the "pulling up" claims.

FWIW, I shaved 10min off of an 8 mile ride when I switched to clipless.

That's great.

LOL..i guess we all have our "peeves". All good. I still stand by my statement..i do pedal with less effort and go longer and faster. To each his own.

Mine are positioned with my toes pointing slightly out, but I'm fairly duck-footed, and it's hard for me to point my toes in much even when I'm just standing on the floor. You just have to fiddle with your cleats until you find what works best for you.

Yes, it is all about keeping feet in one position. Clips and straps while not quite as effective are a reasonable alternative for retro grouches such as myself.

Got in 20.4 miles today, shoes were much better, except the last 3-4 miles. Moved the clips back as far as they would go, and stayed center. This placed the pedal axle under the ball of my foot. I was about 1/2" behind the axle, now more on top of it. MUCH better for my feet, just need to get the angle figured out.

I can't believe how worried I was about falling with these pedals, being tied to the bike. Don't feel tied to the bike now, just the feet, like water skis, you can kick them off when needed. I've been practicing unclipping and clipping back in while I ride, it feels much better now than at first. I think with better socks, and a few hundred miles, things will work out.

Thanks for the tips guys

When I started doing longer rides, I found my feet having hot spots with my clipless pedals. I've learned how to give them a break while riding. I'll change foot position a bit, wiggle the toes, pedal up instead of pushing down. I think your feet will become used to the pressure if you ride consistently for several months. I no longer have foot issues.

After 80 miles in the new shoes, I'm starting to get used to them. Still have to move my feet around a lot, but new bike socks on the way should help.
I moved the shoes out as far as they would go, then angled the toes out just a bit, feels good so far.

Rode today with some real thin dress socks, waiting on bike socks to get here, what a difference.

Much more comfortable then the thick hanes socks.

IMO, clippless is the only way to go if you are at least semi-serious about riding. They make pedaling most efficient, particularly climbing hills in or out of the saddle! Really doesn't take long to remember that you have to unclip before you stop. RE sore feet, you'll just have to try different combos to figure out what works for you. Welcome to the club!

The problem isn't the planned stop. It's the sudden, unexpected stop, when 3-4 things are happening at once.

I had my first oops, or almost fall. Went through a Ford dealer as a short cut, stopped beside a Boss 302, leaned a bit to far on the wrong side to get a better view of the price. Thank God my arm got to the side window to stop my fall at the last moment, or me and the bike would have fell into the door. It was a sunday, no one there, door was good, I rode off being very thankful.

LOL I almost wish that would happen to me
Was it an orange one I have been lusting after one for a while
but honey I had to buy it they made me after I scratched it

IMO, what makes a good cyclist is if he can get his foot off of the pedal in time for an unexpected stop and if he can hold his line. I can do both of these things. It's a real skill that takes a lot of practice!

A spill (or close call) is very easy when you first go clipless. Not only are the cleats fresh and tight, there is no muscle memory for unclipping and if you have forgotten they are there...boom. I fell over at a stop crushing my MP3 player trying to unclip in a panic.

After that, I started unclipping one foot at the same time I'd reach for the brakes, which helped a lot.

Clipless Spill This Weekend..

Worst thing he could have done was put that hand down to try and stop the fall.