Which shoe/pedal combo

ppryan

Both of my feet have had surgery to correct a birth defect. This has resulted in toes and ankle joints being fused. As a result I tend to pedal with the centre of my foot rather than the ball. This oddity makes shoe/pedal selection a little tricky, as most shoes/pedal's are designed for the masses. Can anyone suggest a shoe/pedal combination that would allow for good secure grip and purchase, specifically on a road bike. Thanks Pete

softlad

in all honesty, I don't think there is a clipless shoe/pedal combination which would enable you to get enough set-back on the cleats to place the pedal axle under the arch of the foot (which I'm guessing is where you mean?)..

The only thing I can think of is a set of 'powergrip' toe straps and conventional flat pedals - with enough adjustment, these could probably be set up to give you a good position and they are pretty secure once your feet are in...

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... ctID=12960

VinceEager

not sure i understand exactly what you need. might help if you could day what shoes / pedals you are using now and what the problem is with these (ie foot slipping, cleats unclipping, inefficient power transfer, pain & discomfort etc etc), and also what you want from a shoe / pedal set up.

ppryan

Vince thanks for your post. I'm in the process of buying a road bike and would like to understand the options available to ensure a comfortable, purposeful ride. At the moment my riding is limited to MTB for which I use a five/ten boot with a sticky sole and a flat pedal which works ok. I'm not sure the same combination will work on a road bike?

rake

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Shim ... -12261.htm

edeverett

http://www2.trainingbible.com/joesblog/ ... ition.html

Do you mean something like this?

northpole

Might be worth having a chat with Cyclefit in Covent Garden who claim to be out and out specialists in ensuring optimal set up. If they don't know, they may be able to give you a good pointer elsewhere.

If I were in your position I would want to make sure I got off to the best possible start before clocking up many road miles.

Peter

VinceEager

if you want / have to pedal with the centre of you foot over the pedal then softlad is probably right - all clipless road shoes / pedal combinations that i can think of are designed for the ball of your foot to sit over the pedal spindle, this being the most efficient way to transfer power. you might then have better luck looking into strap / clip set ups.

if however you are not averse to pedaling with the balls of your feet (it simply being that at the moment on flat pedals your feet have the freedom to find their natural, comfortable position) then maybe a standard road shoe / pedal combo could work (?) essentially your feet are clamped into position - the cleat is bolted onto the underside of your shoe beneath the ball of your foot and this clips into the pedal (in a way not unlike ski's are clipped onto ski boots) - if at the moment there is a tendency for your feet to slide forwards over your flat pedals i cant imagine there would be enough force in this to drive a cleat forwards out of a pedal....you might however encounter problems with your knees or other joints / ligaments by forcing your legs and feet etc to strain in unnatural positions....even the smallest discomfort is magnified by repetition (with each pedal stroke).

my best advice would be to speak to people who have experience fitting people to bikes and setting up riding positions (cyclefit are known for this though i cant vouch for them personally) and try out different set ups until you find one that works for you.

ride_whenever

there is a guy, presumably the one talked about in that blog post above who does it.

Should certainly be possible, at least for 2-bolt pattern systems.

Pokerface

I think mountain bike shoes/pedals allow the cleat position to sit further back (closer to the arch, rather than the ball of the foot).

Whatever system you currently use on your mountain bike can be transferred to a road bike. After all, pedals are pedals and can be attached to any crank at the end of the day.


If you want to use road pedals and road shoes instead, look into Speedplay pedals. They sell an adapter plate which allows you to move the cleat backwards - closer to the arch of the foot. But not a great deal (14mm extra).

Details on Speedplay website: http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.merchandise&promoid=Aluminum%20Fore-Aft%20Extender%20Base%20Plate%20Kit

maddog 2

If you want to fit cleats to a road shoe then I'd look into drilling the sole and retro-fitting some 2-bolt spud cleats. I've done this to a shoe that only had fittings for 3-bolt cleats. It was a bit fiddly admittedly, but doable.

I just drilled the carbon sole, fitted the backing plate inside then screwed the cleat on. With a flat carbon sole you can pretty much fit the cleat anywhere you want.