Guys I am new to clipless and have just got the Shimano Ex7 GTX, aiming for gravel racing+Bikepacking. Using with my Crankbrothers Candy 2 pedals. It feels Very Hard to clip in, especially when i try with hands, in the YouTube videos people just push very easily, which i can’t do that at all. For the foot to clip in , I can succeed only when I push forward with power like Start riding.
Besides, about the cleats, actually I have tried both Cleat only & Cleat+shim, they both worked (Cleat Only may need a bit more power) and the shoe soles were both successfully touched the pedal body, however, with the shim, the cleat was hitting the ground very hard and obvious, which didn’t make sense for a walking & riding balance shoe.
The experience was quite confusing when i look at so many videos that people clipped in Sooo Easily & Fast like Magnetic with no power needed……
Can Anyone please tell me what to do about them？ 🙏🏻🙏🏻
by Zealousideal_News863
7 Comments
They get easier as that cleat wears a bit and you get more comfortable with the interface, I mean you could also have an issue but I’ve been running CB pedals for years with no issue. It does take a little push to get them to engage
You may need to trim some of the rubber of the sole around the cleat. I had to do this in the past when using Candys.
New Crank Brothers cleats are very tight and take a few rides to break in. I’ve used their pedals exclusively for years and love them, but you definitely have to ride a bit to loosen them up. Once they are broken in you won’t even have to think about it. You can also try their easy release cleats if the standard ones don’t work for you.
They should be more difficult when trying with your hands. In fact, what you are describing doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. You want a secure and stable hold. But if you still feel it is too difficult, try this: Get the cleat engaged and take a look at the shoe/pedal interface. There should not be any gap between the pedal body and the shoe tread. If the pedal body is pressing into the tread you can add a cleat shim. You could also try shaving a bit of tread off where it touches the pedal body. However, if both pedal and shoe are new, I would just ride. Eventually one or the other will wear down and it will get easier.
Use the little plastic shims to space the cleat further out from the sole
I turned my crankbro cleats a bit into the inside so that when I clip in, the cleat is at an angle to the pedal so it clips in and unclips easier
Get metal shoe shields, they are little metal plates that go between the clip and the shoe. They reduce the friction of the shoe bottom when clipping it. Seriously amazing difference!
[Crankbrothers MTB Shoe Shields](https://a.co/d/52TNChP)