Cleat Position

bernithebiker

As I recently went to DA9000 pedals (fed up with dodgy Look ones) I had to reposition the new cleats.

I feel most comfortable with the cleats forward (i.e. pedalling with toes more than middle of foot), but different conflicting studies (hey, what's new....) encourage both forward and rearward positions.

Interested in where you lot put your cleats and opinions on pros and cons. (N.B. You do not need to back up your opinions with certified bona-fide scientific studies.... )

(I also cant my feet out by 5 to 10' as I walk a bit duck footed and otherwise I get knee pain, but that's another story).

mamba80

Even though they are back as far as they could go, due to where the holes on the NW shoes are, the centre of cleat is only about 10mm behind pedal spindle.... all that moving them back or fwd seems to do (for me in my one man scientific blind trial) is to lower or rise seat height, made no difference to comfort or power as far as i could tell.
Next shoes are shimano and they ve a much more rear cleat mount

Are you pleased with your DA's? i ve always used LOOK and several years and many 1000's of miles, they ve always been trouble free esp the Keo Max2 as the pedal body doesnt wear out like the older ones - BUT walking on the cleats is a big no no!

bernithebiker

mamba80 wrote:

Even though they are back as far as they could go, due to where the holes on the NW shoes are, the centre of cleat is only about 10mm behind pedal spindle.... all that moving them back or fwd seems to do (for me in my one man scientific blind trial) is to lower or rise seat height, made no difference to comfort or power as far as i could tell.
Next shoes are shimano and they ve a much more rear cleat mount

Are you pleased with your DA's? i ve always used LOOK and several years and many 1000's of miles, they ve always been trouble free esp the Keo Max2 as the pedal body doesnt wear out like the older ones - BUT walking on the cleats is a big no no!

I find I just can't get on with moving the cleats back - doesn't feel right or comfortable to me.

I've had all sorts of grief with Look Keo Blades, noisy cleats, and noisy bearings that needed constant regreasing.

The DA's just feel more solid, and they also spin a lot more freely. I like saving grams, but the 50g extra here is well worth it IMO.

itboffin

Surely the answer is put them where they're most comfortable and causes no pain.

simon_masterson

I'd say mine are in the middle. I found a position and stuck with it, and having used one system (SPD) since I went clipless, I have just replicated it.

My new TT bike has a Look sponsor decal on it, so that's got to have Looks. Which annoys me as all the reports I read about the current range seem to match your experience!

banditvic

I always thought the ball of your foot had to be inline with the axle of the pedal. That's the way I set mine up and feels fine, but I suppose everyone is different.

brettjmcc

I've got mine pushed all the way to the back on my Speedplays. I have found I am in general more comfortable that way. I initially used the Steve Hogg method of fitting it myself

FatTed

Steve Hogg's view on cleat position

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

I am also getting a little fed up with Look Blades, perhaps I should go back to Shimano on my Campagnolo bike set up

bernithebiker

Having read through the Steve Hogg thing (very interesting), I've moved my cleats from fully forward to roughly in the middle.

80k ride today felt a bit unusual (to be expected), will see how it goes over the next few weeks.

One point to note is that foot to front wheel clearance is further reduced (when turning sharply).

bianchimoon

Should have another button on there • where the bike fitter put them

fudgey

I have often thought about moving my cleats further back, but at the moment with the SKS Raceblade longs on the front I nearly come a cropper on every ride with foot to mudguard contact...
I guess one option is to cut the guard down to above where my toes usually hit but I will probably end up with wet feet...

thegreatdivide

I'm a no idea. My LBS does bike fitting and uses the Look fit system. So when I get new shoes I pop down there and my mate sticks the digital bricks on my feet and sends me off on the turbo for 30 mins to dial the cleats back in. No hot spots and sore knees for me :-)

mugensi

My right shoe cleat is back as far as it goes and pointed straight ahead. My left shoe cleat is nearer the front of the shoe and angled inwards as the natural of my left foot (sitting on a table with legs swinging over the edge) is angled outwards and if i were to position the cleat at furthest back position like on the right foot, my ankle rubs off the crank arm on rotation. It took me nearly 18 months of regular adjustment to get a comfortable cleat position. I have the cleat position etched with a blade on to the soles of the shoes so i can position new cleats in the identical position when replacing them.

debeli

Some cleat advice: Never clean your shoes. The border between dirty and clean makes it easier to position the new cleats where the old ones were.

This holds for SPD, Crank Bros, Look and I dare say other lah-di-dah types I've never tried.

Also... do stay off those front brakes on descents in this ultra-cold weather. You might cause the front wheel to lock, resulting in an unintended transition of bicycle between the vertical and horizontal planes.

Also.... Gloves in cold weather will keep those fingers warm.

Thank you all for your kind attention.

As to cleat position: On the sole of my shoe.

barrowmatt

I have mine around the middle, more importantly I have the angle/float set so I can't heel rub the cranks

garrynolan

I have stupidly small and wide feet (size 5) so I wear a size bigger. This means my feet move around a bit in them. I always thought that the position of your foot should enable you to curl your toes over the front of the pedal if you were in bare feet. Works for me...