Pedal advice for dodgy knee

mriley60
mriley60 Posts: 19
edited November 2012 in Road beginners
HI there,

After months of saying no due to an injury from years gone by, I've decided I need to go for spd type pedals. The main thing that has stopped me doing this in the past is a leg injury. In short I had a bad leg break a few years back which has resulted in my knee and ankle being out of line. Are there any pedals out there (excuse my ignorance) that have sufficient side to side adjustment for cleat position?

Thanks in advance for all your help

Martin

Comments

  • Chippy_Minton
    Chippy_Minton Posts: 39
    Try the link to this article in mens health on pedals and knee pain.

    http://www.menshealth.co.uk/living/gear/bike-giving-you-knee-gip-83350

    Speedplays would probably be your best bet - but maybe some advice from a trusted LBS and a bike would help.

    I have had 3 x ACL reconstructions and have a very delicate knee - I found the positioning of the cleat and set up of the bike is the thing that helps avoid any problems for me. I use cheap Exustar / Look pedals and I get on fine most of the time as long as I keep a high cadence and avoid mashing big gears for too long, saying that I don't have much of a misalignment issue.
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  • mhj999
    mhj999 Posts: 122
    maybe try Crank Brothers for a cheaper alternative - high degree of float (15 or 20 degrees) and a few mm of side to side cleat wiggle room for the alignment issue - works for me! (i use candy pedals)
    Sensa Giulia 105
  • jerade
    jerade Posts: 54
    Considering your injury try also to ride the bike with higher cadence. :wink:
  • mhj999
    mhj999 Posts: 122
    jerade wrote:
    Considering your injury try also to ride the bike with higher cadence. :wink:

    That my excuse for spinning up hills with a granny gear!
    Sensa Giulia 105
  • jerade
    jerade Posts: 54
    Hahaaa, I know that feeling. :lol: Take care of yourself, cheers!
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    My very flat feet mean that my joints don't align correctly and are slightly different for each leg. SpeedPlay pedals work very well for me. I've put over a thousand miles on them and no problems, touch wood. :)

    If you search my messages you'll find a couple of lengthy threads on the topic.
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • g00se
    g00se Posts: 2,221
    If you're going for 2-hole recessed type shoes (SPD is Shimano's option for this) you may want to consider Time's ATAC system.

    Similar to SPD but has a lot more lateral and rotational float. The basic ones have between 7 and 17 degrees of rotational float:

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... dals-14748

    and there are higher end versions:

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... oc-s-31254

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... n-11-13439
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    Over the last 4 years I've used Look, Time and I'm now on Speedplay.

    While I've been able to deal with my dodgy knee on each type the adjustability of the Speedplays is brilliant so if you're happy to spend a bit I'd recommend them (along with a proper bike fit). The only thing I would add as a warning though is that Speedplays do need maintenance, I'm regreasing every 2-3 weeks and expect to replace the pedal bodies every year (4-5,000 miles on each pedal set) as I've already got a little rocking on one set and I only bought them in May.
  • mriley60
    mriley60 Posts: 19
    Thanks everyone for all the replies!! Reading up it seems to be a tossup between the speedplays, and the Time ATAC, although leaning toward the speedplay due to the adjustability (if thats even a word). Thanks again guys!!
  • damov2
    damov2 Posts: 66
    I have the same issue only I broke my ankle, now my right foot tows out around 10 degrees. Im using shimano 105 and yellow cleats with no issues.
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  • Garryboy
    Garryboy Posts: 344
    g00se wrote:
    If you're going for 2-hole recessed type shoes (SPD is Shimano's option for this) you may want to consider Time's ATAC system.

    Similar to SPD but has a lot more lateral and rotational float. The basic ones have between 7 and 17 degrees of rotational float:

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... dals-14748

    and there are higher end versions:

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... oc-s-31254

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... n-11-13439

    Another option for recessed 2 bolt shoes is speedplay frogs. Same non centering float as speedplay zeros, but for mtb style shoes (or any with 2 bolt design). I had knee issues and got these in summer, been fine since.

    Only thing is cleat is pretty wide, so check compatability with your sho - was ok on mine (shimano m087).

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