cleat position

foo-fighter

Hi all
I am after some advice on cleat position, my new shoes,cleats and pedals arrived today (shimano 077 shoes and r540 pedals). I've read the paperwork that came with everything but still a bit unsure about the correct position of the cleat on the shoe is it just trial and error till i get it right? am i right in thinking the ball of my foot should be directly over the centre of the pedal axle? My toes point outward slightly to. i want to get this right as i have heard that if its wrong it can cause alot of pain.
any advice appreciated

Si

Berk Bonebonce

I am not familiar with your pedal/shoe combo.

But yes, ball of foot over the pedal axle. It is a case of trial and error.

I fit my (Time) cleats 'straight' onto the shoe sole. I do this knowing that they incorporate some float, and this float allows the foot to find its natural riding position, meaning that the alignment of the cleat is not a life and death issue.

foo-fighter

thanks for that berk, i shall set them up with the ball of my foot over the pedal axle. As for alignmtnent of the cleat i'll just have a fiddle with that, hopefully wont cause me to much bother as the cleats have 6 degrees of float so should give me some room for adjustment.

seanoconn

If your feet are naturally turned out slightly, you want them turned out on the pedals, to avoid ant knee problems. To achieve this, imagine sitting on the saddle, the cleats will be turned in slightly, towards the bike. Don't tighten the cleats too much untill you find the right position, its unlikely you'll be spot on first time. ( Don't ride the bike with loose cleats though, lethal! )
Try and put the most comfortable position at the centre of your degree of float. This guide might help also.
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/cleats.html