painfull knees after using spds
car.crash
Posts: 170
i used some spd's for the first time 2 days ago and now my knees are aching, mostly my right one. i often suffer with bad knees so take glucosamine and fish oils which keeps it at bay and dont get any issues cycling normally but after using these im in pain. any ideas why?
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Holding your knees in an unnatural position, need to reposition the cleats or go back to real pedals.I don't do smileys.
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
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is there a guide to setting them up as im very new to all this.0
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Put your flat pedals back on your bike, pedal normally and look at the positon of your feet, you might cycle with your heel pointed in/out, its quite rare that a person cycles with their feet pointed exactly straight. Once you've done this loosen the cleat bolts on the bottom of your shoes and move your cleats so that your feet are positioned in their natural position when pedaling. Another way to check your feet position is to sit on a table with your legs hanging off the edge, you can look at the position your feet are in. If the pain is still there it may be that the pedals you are using do not have enough float. This is the amount of lateral movement an SPD pedal will allow your foot whilst pedalling, if you dont have enough to suit the way you pedal it could lead to pain, shimano pedals are particularly known for having only a little float, though I cycle really cack footed and have never had a problem with them, others such as Time pedals allow more float.
Just a couple of suggestions on what might be causing the discomfort, hope this helps!0 -
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Ditto.The Northern Monkey wrote:Nickel wrote:Put your flat pedals back on your bike.
I agree!
SPDs might just not be for you.0 -
Thanks chaps
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cooldad wrote:Holding your knees in an unnatural position, need to reposition the cleats or go back to real pedals.
Or try another brand of pedals.
SPDs require two lots of alignment, the rotation of the cleat and the position of the cleat on the shoe (front to back).
Other brands only require you to align the cleat under the ball of your foot on the shoe.
Look Quartz, Time Atac and Crankbrothers Eggbeaters are some to try.
SPDs are the most common, but they don't suit everyone.0 -
yeehaamcgee wrote:
Ditto.The Northern Monkey wrote:Nickel wrote:Put your flat pedals back on your bike.
I agree!
SPDs might just not be for you.
As a hardened SPD fan, I am afraid I must agree. If you suffer bad knees SPDs are definitely not for you.A Flock of Birds
+ some other bikes.0 -
I have VERY bad knees indeed and have found I've had to adapt my riding style huge amounts to accommodate this issue!
I found SPDs okay as long as they were on the loose settings... but then thought what's the point I may as well stick with my trusted V12's... which I now do.
Also, make sure your saddle isn't too high making you hyper-extend your knees as this will really make them hurt.....DaZeD aNd CoNfUsEd....0 -
If you get the cleat position correct, there is no reason for them to be any less comfortable, or worse for your knees than flats.
Spd's have float, flats don't.0 -
I don't think they would.
If the position and alignment of the cleat was correct, there would be no stress on the knee form the pedal/shoes, and therefore no pain.
SPD's have float and allow way more movement than a flat pedal (obviously)0 -
Well, I have been warned by three different physios now, to avoid SPDs in future. So there's three of them that disagree with you.0
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I doubt they know what float is to be honest, let alone how to correctly align cleats on SPD's.
They probably told you to avoid them because they don't know if you know how to either.
Logic kind of tells you what I said is true, no matter what they said.
I bet I could find more than 3 people that agree with me.0 -
dubmodder wrote:If you have an Orange 5 then you're immune to any pain0
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dubmodder wrote:SPD's have float and allow way more movement than a flat pedal (obviously)
Do you actually mean this? On a flat pedal you can move your foot around and therefore have an infinite amount of float?!
My physio and knee surgeon (a few years ago) both rode bikes, different flavour but still knew a thing or two and they told me which types to avoid and which types to go for as some (egg beaters) would be better for me and my knee than others (spd).0 -
Wow, you're really quite an insulting clumpet, aren't you?dubmodder wrote:I doubt they know what float is to be honest, let alone how to correctly align cleats on SPD's.
Now, this seems bizarre that I'd have to justify a medical expert's opinion to you, but just for your satisfaction, two of the three physios I saw were very keen mountain bikers, and knew precisely what they were talking about when it came to SPDs. The other was a cyclist, and although not as much of an enthusiast as the others, offered the same opinion.
But, you know nothing about my knee injury, or the OP's, do you, really?
So unless you've got something useful to add, why not just jog on, instead of making a complete tit of yourself.0 -
dubmodder wrote:I doubt they know what float is to be honest, let alone how to correctly align cleats on SPD's.
They probably told you to avoid them because they don't know if you know how to either.
I have no idea of logic.
Think about it, if they have no idea of float or Spd's, why would they assume Yeehaa is an idiot?I don't do smileys.
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Flats have infinite float. You can ride on your heels if you want to.dubmodder wrote:If you get the cleat position correct, there is no reason for them to be any less comfortable, or worse for your knees than flats.
Spd's have float, flats don't.You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.0 -
Some people with bad knees find SPDs better, since it can be used to force you into a good position. But they're in a minority I reckon.
But, don't write them off yet, there's a decent chance you just haven't got the position quite right yetUncompromising extremist0 -
I'd disagree. Flats have an infinite variety of positions available, but with anything remotely grippy, have precisely zero float through the pedal stroke. Loosely set up spuds can have 5-10 degrees of movement around the cleat during the pedal stroke.
Whether that is helpful or not will depend on the knee injury, setup, how tight you have them and a million other factors. I find my spuds easier on my knees when I have them set correctly. I know of many others who find the exact opposite. As with all things spud, it's personal preference and I can't see the point in mud slinging.
Anyway, in reference to the OP's question, the key thing is to have the cleats in the right place. The axle of the pedal should be a little behind the ball of your foot. To set up the cleat angle, I always recommend that you sit on a table and dangle your feet off the edge. Look at how the feet hang, and try and set up your cleat so that that angle is at the centre of the available float.
As already mentioned, other makes offer more float than spuds. There also used to be two different cleat types available for Shimano spuds, one with more float than the other. Might be worth a try.
If all else fails, you may just be someone that spuds don't suit. Nothing wrong with that IMO. G1994 Clark Kent F12; 2004 Mount Vision; 2011 Canyon AM 7, 2012 Canyon Torque FRX 6, a unicycle and a Brompton.0 -
I was new to SPD's a couple of months ago, the first couple of rides I found one of my knees to be quite painful (an ache halfway through the ride), however, after a little adjustment, I have not experienced the pain again.Giant Trance X4 (2010)0
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your help has been awesome guys, its much appreciated 0
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Do you actually mean this? On a flat pedal you can move your foot around and therefore have an infinite amount of float?!Flats have infinite float. You can ride on your heels if you want to.
Flats have infinite positions not float. With a grippy shoe and pedal you practically have no float at all, hence why they are worse for your knees than SPD's set up correctly.
I don't care what any specialist says, that is a fact.0 -
I'm guessing that the issue is nothing to do with the position of the foot, but the unnatural twist that is required to disengage?
So perhaps after a few hours riding there has been enough twisting to strain the knee?
just guessing really, but I can't see why riding with your feet attached to the pedal is any different unless they are putting pressure on the knee.
Before you give up, it might be worth giving multi-release a go as they don't need as much work to release.0 -
if your knees can't take a 15degree twist, then i'd pack up doing any kind of sport tbh!
would be very surprised if this is why0 -
Setting up SPD's is a time consuming affair too- they should develop a system whereby you can tighten the screws through the pedals so you can assemble them fairly tight and pedal until you feel comfortable then have someone else nip them up. If you get it slightly wrong and tighten them, then try to make a micro adjustment the teeth indents from the cleats make this difficult. My right one was a fraction out and to pedal in the ok position it was a conscious effort with the ankle out as far as the float would allow it. Of course on bumpy bits there's then the chance of them disconnecting....
I've flitted between SPD's and MG1's for a while but on anything mildly technical, (wet) rooty or slippery I detest the SPD's. So much so I've decided from now on they're for the road bike only. I will have a go at things on flats I won't on SPD's, they drop my confidence level that much, and getting out quickly is only part of the problem, reconnecting is as bad on bumpy rocky descents.0
