Cleat positioning advice

Rothkored

Hi all,

I recently moved to SPDs, and on my first long ride in them, it became clear that I needed to move the cleats further toward the front of the shoe, which I did.
However, even after positioning them forward as far as they can go, I still feel that my foot is too far forward on the pedals, something I especially notice on any kind of incline.
Using normal pedals on my commuting bike, I could easily notice the difference in position, and the reduced efficiency.

As I can't move the cleats any further forward now, I was hoping someone cold advise me on where to go from here.
Drilling new holes in the shoes seems extreme.

Cheers in advance.

slowandsteady

I must be missing something here but at the minute the obvious answer is;

Move the cleats back towards your heel.

Ber Nard

Slowandsteady wrote:

I must be missing something here but at the minute the obvious answer is;

Move the cleats back towards your heel.

That would move his (or her) foot even further forward on the pedal which is the problem.

Are the shoes a good fit? The position of the bolt holes relative to your foot could be out if the shoes are the wrong size. Or maybe try experimenting with the side to side adjustment or the angle of the cleat to see if that makes a difference.

Rob

Rothkored

@Ber Nard
Shoes themselves seem to be fine fit wise. If I were to reposition the cleats slightly (I take it you mean slightly diagonally?), will that not then possibly cause me some knee strain?
TBH, even if there was no chance of knee strain, I can't see the incremental difference being enough to satisfy me.

@Slowandsteady - No worries!


I'm a bit perplexed at how there is so little room for maneuver regarding the position (forward/backward), especially as how everyone has their own taste in where they like their feet on the pedal.

Cheers again.

denniskwok

The obvious question is; where do you want the cleats to be positioned? It's recommended to have the middle of of pedal axle under the ball of your foot, but I've recently moved my 1cm cleats further back and found that my endurance has improved, as it has taken strain off my calfs. I've not noticed any loss of power.

Having your cleats too far forwards, will put undue strain on your calfs, reduce your efficiency and make you more prone to injury.

rick_chasey

What makes you feel like they are in the wrong position??

doug5_10

Clip in, then take off your shoes leaving them attached to the bike (its pretty hard to clip in with just the shoe in your hands, but can be done). If the pedal spindle sits across the widest part of the shoes (i.e.) the ball of your foot, then they're in the ballpark. As mentioned, if too far forward you will be 'pulling' too much with your calfs, also i would imagine your toes will have zero blood circulation for the majority of your ride!!

styxd

http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/blo ... -position/

Sprool

styxd wrote:

http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/blog/2011/04/power-to-the-pedal-cleat-position/

= put the cleat so the ball of the foot is positioned slightly (10mm) ahead of the centre axis of the pedal, to compensate for 'heel down' when you are pedalling hard.

Rothkored

Hi all, thank you for your replies so far.

Unfortunately since I posted this, I've had back problems so have been unable to try and act upon your recommendations. However, What Doug5_10 mentioned gave me the idea to photo my shoes when in the pedal.
I've also photoed the sole of the shoe, which is where things get interesting (for me at least).
My cleat can go only as far forward as the line marked "3", but surely, if it goes all the way up to "1", then I should, in theory, be able to move the cleat that far forward, no?
Can anyone suggest any reason why I can't move them as far forward as the "1" line?

Whilst here, I'm going to presume that the numbers also help with alignment of the cleat, even though it looks un-centred in the photo.

Thanks again, your help is much appreciated.

doug5_10

Rothkored wrote:

My cleat can go only as far forward as the line marked "3", but surely, if it goes all the way up to "1", then I should, in theory, be able to move the cleat that far forward, no?
Can anyone suggest any reason why I can't move them as far forward as the "1" line?

Cleats from different manufacturers are different shapes?

Looking at your photos, the cleats look fine, only fine tuning of rotation perhaps rather than any fore-aft adjustment. I think perhaps you have been too used to pedalling on your toes using flat pedals? Unusual though as the foot tends to slide backwards onto the arch using flats. Did you use clips and straps previously?

I spy a hairy leg in the background, tut tut tut!!

whitestar1

I am curious, I just moved the cleats until I don't feel any pain in my knees, be it backwards or forwards. What I am currently working with is different for the left and right feet. I have really bad knees and can't do running or any high impact sport yet cycling as become a means of escape and mobility. My penny's worth.

Rothkored

@Doug5_10

Yep, not long after posting I realised it might be due to different cleat shapes/styles; I figured I should take whatever ribbing was coming my way as punishment for being so dumb in the first place. :oops:
You mentioned fine-tuning rotation alignment - any suggestions for the noob?

I've used clips in the past, but not in the run-up to the cleat switch. When on my commuting bike, the ball of my foot is very much in the centre (or so it feels), but I'm still no nearer to getting that same feeling with these cleats.
Feeling it a lot more in my thighs after climbing a hill.
If the info's of any more use, I have my seat about as high as I can have it, so I get that (almost) full stretch out of my leg.

As for the leg hair, I'm bald and can't bring myself to lose yet more hair
Like Whitestar1 above, I have certain afflictions that prevent me from doing high impact exercise, which re-kindled my childhood cycling buzz, but as a newbie, I can't yet bring myself to shave yet - it'd feel a bit "try-hard", y'know?

Cheers yet again for your post; most helpful.

jordan_217

This *may* help:

1. Wrap some masking tape around the inside of the toe box of the shoes - in roughly the area the balls of your feet will be. (That will be where the red circle and 'b' is on yours OP)
2. Put shoes on.
3. Apply pressure to the sole until you feel pressure on, or just behind the balls of your feet. Mark this point with a pen, on the masking tape.
4. Remove shoes.
5. Align the centre of the cleat (there's usually a circle in the middle of the two rear screw holes) with the line on the masking tape. You'll need to test and adjust to get the angle right but this is usually a good way to get you started.

HTH.

doug5_10

Rothkored wrote:

You mentioned fine-tuning rotation alignment - any suggestions for the noob?

Just make sure your spinning in 'straight' circles so that ankles+shins aren't twisting slightly, make sure your knees don't hurt? TBH I think you would benefit from a professional bike fit far more than my waffling if you just can't get comfortable on the bike, no matter how much tinkering. It might just be a case of getting used to it, I can't see too much wrong with the cleats currently.