I am home! It was fantastic!

I found out my LBS fitting two weeks ago had my seat a HALF AN INCH too high! No wonder I was getting Achilles pains the wkd I did 61 miles (41 for long ride). I got that pain almost immediately after the LBS raised my seat.

AND: TADA! I am back in clipless! He talked me into SPDs. I could tell right away that they were different and MUCH easier. It doesn't seem that much harder than just taking my foot off the platform. We will see if I feel the same way on the bike trail, but, I could instantly tell how much easier they were. The good news is that the other side is a platform so if I get a little leery of it at times (hills) I can take one foot out and pedal on the platform.

He shortened my stem a little, and the clipless will put the pedal more directly under my feet than just barely on the ball the way the stirrups did.

You are videotaped during this. I was not doing the heels down thing. I would have to say my natural stroke kinda looks like the goop-scraping thing a kind poster here mentioned (was that Indysteel?).

I also am on shoe number THREE. Well, a size larger in the second shoe. I have a size 9 and a 10. I am usually an 8.5 - 9 in shoes. The 9 was OK for short rides, but not long ones. So the toe numbness and toenail pain should go away.

So I have three shoes, and three pedal sets now. Two stems, too.

HTH?