I just got my pedals (Wellgo WPD-823) and shoes (Sixsixone) in the mail. The directions on them are kinda sketchy though.
I affixed the cleat to the bottom of the shoe, but I tried to snap them into the pedal and it won’t go. I don’t have the pedals on the bike yet, so it may just be that I don’t have the necessary force to get it in the pedal. Is that the case? Is there some trick that I’m missing out on? Do I just need to put the pedals on the bike and try it that way? I really don’t want to go to the trouble of changing my pedals and then have to do it again when I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong
Your leg can generate a lot more downward force than your arms. I tried the same thing when I installed mine (Speedplays) and had no trouble clipping in with the pedals installed.
Just remember that the pedals are threaded against their direction of rotation, i.e., the unscrew towards the rear wheel.
I can’t attach or unattach my shoes from the pedals by hand, either. It just doesn’t work. So were I you, I’d try to do it with the shoes on my feet.
That said, when I first got my pedals, they were too (I don’t know the technical term) tight. I could barely get them in, and couldn’t wedge them out for love nor money (see the recent bike falls thread), it required a screwdriver to remove the shoes from the bike. After the pedals were suitably loosened, getting them in and out was much easier and more do-able. So when you try it with the shoes on your feet, you may want to do so while near a wall, inside, away from pointing and laughing strangers.
I plan to do just that. These particular pedals have an adjusting screw on them that will loosen and tighten according to your particular prefrence. It seems like a good feature. I almost bought eggbeaters just to avoid this kind of thing, but the good ones are a little more expensive than I would like for some pedals, and I would like to be able to ride the bike without the shoes if I need to.
You may need to install a shim between the sole and the clip. In the case of mountain bike shoes, you may need to cut away a little of the tread around the clip. Any bike shop can do this for you, if you aren’t feeling up to it.