How do people typically secure the straps? I'm baffled as to the best way of doing that...

In particular how do you make use of the two metal rings? It's not clear to me how they should be threaded...

To add to Grant's advice: as he said, thread the strap through the toe bail and back to the other side of your boot. Then you get to the rings. There are two metal rings as you pointed out, an "inner" and an "outer" (inner is closer to your boot and should have a little rubbery pull tab on it). Put the strap through the inside of both rings, from inner to outer. Then, put the strap *around* the top of the outer ring, not through it, and then back *through* the inner ring. It should now be doubled back on the strap coming from the toe bail. Pull this to tighten. To loosen, take the little tab on the inner ring and pull down and outwards. Hope that helps!

Step into the crampon, pull the bail over the toe, take the strap and put it through the bail and secure it by pulling it through both loops then back through the outermost one. When put on correctly, they will not move at all and feel very secure.

just how you see it. Step in to the crampon take the strap go through the band oover your toe back to the other side and double back through the metal rings...maybe that helps...just try and make it look like the picture