How should it feel.....?

pinnaclered

Today i bought a pair of outland road pedals, i mainly got them because they are affordable and if i don't like them its not a huge waste of money.
They came with cleats that allow a 6 degree float, when i put them on my bike i tried to position the cleats how my feet naturally sit on the pedals (toes slightly pointing out) but the float keeps pulling my legs back in towards the bike which hurts my knees.
Should i be doing something different? Shall i just put the cleats straight for time been?

Garz

Trial and error Im afraid, keep adjusting them and going on short rides to find your comfort setting.

amaferanga

Don't think yuo can blame the float for that - if there wasn't any float I suspect your knees would be feeling even worse. As Garz says, its trial and error.

John.T

The float allows your feet to find their natural position. You should be able to move your feet either side of their natural position. If you are up against the float limit then adjust the cleats. Also check the fore and aft setting. The ball of your foot should be slightly forward of the pedal spindle. (mine are about 1cm in front) If it still hurts then you should look elsewhere for the trouble.

hopper1

It appears that you haven't set your cleats correctly on your shoes.
Sit on a table, or a worktop, with your knees slightly apart (same distance as when riding your bike). The angle your feet fall into is the natural position for them.
Attach your cleats to replicate that position when on the bike.
Your feet should be positioned on the pedal so that the ball of your big toe is above the pedal spindle (this can be adjusted for/aft to tune your ride better).
Now that you're using a cleated shoe, you will have to adjust your seat height, too, to allow for the cleat (seat higher).
If the cleat/shoe is set up as per the above, the float should allow for any extra movement caused by your natural pedalling technique.
Hope that helps.

EDIT: I can't believe a lady chose that subject title! :oops: :oops:

John.T

Sit on a table, or a worktop, with your knees slightly apart (same distance as when riding your bike). The angle your feet fall into is the natural position for them.
Attach your cleats to replicate that position when on the bike.

This may work for some but certainly not all. If I did it my heels would be about 1" inside the crank which would make riding rather difficult. I set the cleats so my ankle can just brush the crank. When in the centre of the float my foot is straight parralel to the crank. I have never had any knee problems.

hopper1

John.T wrote:

Sit on a table, or a worktop, with your knees slightly apart (same distance as when riding your bike). The angle your feet fall into is the natural position for them.
Attach your cleats to replicate that position when on the bike.

This may work for some but certainly not all. If I did it my heels would be about 1" inside the crank which would make riding rather difficult. I set the cleats so my ankle can just brush the crank. When in the centre of the float my foot is straight parralel to the crank. I have never had any knee problems.

A. These are all guides, giving the OP a starting point.
B. You're saying if you sat on a table with your knees +/- 4" apart, your heels would be touching :shock: I can't see that... :roll:

John.T

You're saying if you sat on a table with your knees +/- 4" apart, your heels would be touching Shocked I can't see that... Rolling Eyes

No but my feet are sticking out a long way. If I put them on pedals at the same angle my heels would only be about 3" apart. My feet are also rolled outwards when hanging free. If I straighten this roll then my feet move in line but this is not what you said. If it works then fine but as I said it will not for all.
Setting as I said will work for all as a starting point. I have done this for every bike I have had over 55 years and more than 100,000 miles with no trouble. (It was shoe plates, not cleats in the early days).

pinnaclered

Thanks for the responses:
hopper1: i chose the title to get people to read lol.

So today i rode my bike with my spd peadals for the first time, i forget to unclip at the first set of lights i came to and fell to the floor on my side (steep learning curve)

I've been tweaking my cleats today and found a position that seems okay, but i still get a lot of movement in my feet, meaning there is a lot of play side to side with out clicking out. which means when i stand up to pedal my feet are sliding (i'm making a concious effort to keep them steady)

i'm considering buying some new pedals
i have these ones at the moment http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/111887.html

can i use ANY cleats with these pedals?

sorry for all questions very new to all this

John.T

I've been tweaking my cleats today and found a position that seems okay, but i still get a lot of movement in my feet, meaning there is a lot of play side to side with out clicking out.

That is the float. It is supposed to let your feet follow their natural movement as you pedal. IMO most pedals offer too much. Those pedals give 6deg which is about average. They use Look compatible cleats so you can use any cleat sold as Look compatible. You can get cleats with less or even no float if you think these would be better.

pinnaclered

John.T wrote:

I've been tweaking my cleats today and found a position that seems okay, but i still get a lot of movement in my feet, meaning there is a lot of play side to side with out clicking out.

That is the float. It is supposed to let your feet follow their natural movement as you pedal. IMO most pedals offer too much. Those pedals give 6deg which is about average. They use Look compatible cleats so you can use any cleat sold as Look compatible. You can get cleats with less or even no float if you think these would be better.

Thanks, I've just been looking into it and think i might get the 4.5 degree float one. I guess its just getting used to them, never road spd before. my boyfriend rides them but only been riding them for a couple of months so we are kind of in same position.
Thanks for all the help, hopefully i'll be riding like a pro soon :op

hopper1

The LOOK grey cleats are 4.5 degrees.
Tightening the preload on the release mechanism may help, but then it'll be harder to unclip!
If your boyfriend has different pedals, but compatible with your cleats, have a shot on his. That would at least dismiss the pedal from the equation.
With only 9 degrees of float, I can't imagine there being so much movement... :?