pedal/cleat help

If you're sure they aren't upside down, make sure they are very tight into the shoe, as any slack makes them hard to get in....and out.

I use Look myself and if they're slack, they are a nightmare.

Yo ain't screwed them cleats on upside down, has yo?

Oi'll get me coat.

That's a good point. Perhaps it is a very flat shoe base which means the gap for the pedal to engage between the shoe and the cleat is slightly undersize. That would make it tricky to get the pedal to engage. My Sidi sole is slightly curved so that there is definitely enough gap to get the cleat down past the pedal and for the pedal to snap shut immediately. If that is the case, I'm not sure what the answer would be other than to file down the thickness of the cleat a bit.

I've got 105s also although on Specialized BG shoes. I did find when I first started with them that they were harder to engage than expected but that has improved over time.

What I can't say is whether that is me getting the hang of them, springs etc bedding in or wear on either the cleat or engaging mechanism. What I can say is that there has always been an audible 'clunck' when they were in. I haven't adjusted the tension from factory settings. It seems to me that the higher the tension the harder it will be to get them to engage?

Have you had a look at the cleat/shoe interaction? Don't know if some shoes work better than others with Shimano cleats?

I had a set of ultegra spd-sl pedals before they changed design from the plastic engaging plate to a metal one. I have the 105 pedals and I found that I have to have them at maximum tension to get a click but it is subtle and I do find myself giving a quick tug up before pushing down.

Not much of a help im afraid but it was something I played around with till I got a medium I was content with. I think there is a bedding period for sure.

Are you sure you have the Shimano cleat? It's an obvious question, but I believe Look do a yellow cleat. Apologies if that sounds patronising. My girlfriend has the 105s and yellow cleat and beyond her own initial problems with riding with cleats has never had a problem. Sometimes she gets crud stuck in the clear where it engages at the back. Only things I can think of. Anyone you can get to look at your cleat while you try to engage?

Can you give us the model of pedals? Do they go in eventually, or not at all? I use SPD-SLs and some basic Shimano pedals, no problems on maximum tension. I cant think what the issue might be unless its something to do with the width of the access hole in the pedal...