Foot in Shoe

Gav888

Hi,

I have tried searching but not had much luck finding answers, partly because im not sure what to type...

Anyway, I use clipless pedals with SPDSL shoes and I was just curious about your foot position in the shoe.

What I mean is, when pushing down on the pedal do you feel the ball of your foot making contact with the insole of your shoe, or the heel or your whole foot pushing down on the insole?

When I pedal I only feel the ball of the foot and toes pushing against the insole, but not my arch/heel, those areas dont touching the insole. The last couple of rides though I have been trying to put my whole foot against the insole, so ball of foot, arch and heel all pushing down evenly against the insole, and it feels ok, more like what I would imaging it should feel like, although I do have to move forward on the saddle a bit to get that sensation on my feet because my normal position makes it really difficult to push that way.

When checking out my shoe from the outside, my heel is about a cm or 2 above the front of my shoe when on the pedal with my ball of the foot over the pedal axle.

Does it really matter, should I be aiming for a flatter foot in my shoe?

keef66

I'd suggest you just do whatever feels natural and is comfortable.

Can't say it's something that's ever occurred to me. I'd assume all my effort goes through that part of my foot directly above the cleat. I'm having difficulty imagining how you'd go about putting downward pressure through your heel when your shoe is attached to the pedal much further forwards. Or why you'd want to try??

ai_1

As keef66 alluded to, the force applied must be balanced around the location of the pedal spindle or the pedal will rotate. You could manipulate the contact points for your foot somewhat by varying the angle of the pedal accordingly throughout the stroke but not sure it's something to worry about unless you're uncomfortable. Generally speaking I would think your toes are there for balance, the ball of the foot is the highest loaded when running etc, the heel is for static support and the arch is the arch - not, ideally, a load point.

Gav888

Ok cheers guys, wasnt sure hence asking

When I say load through the heel, its not just the heel but the whole foot, same as standing up in your socks, it feels the same in your shoes, ie weight across your whole foot rather than when you lift your heels its only the ball of your boot and toes for balance.

cswitch

maybe try moving cleats further back. If they're all the way to the front then you probably will feel more pressure in the forefoot.

Also look into heel wedges. I use them and for me they do make the the whole foot feel more ' connected'. For the majority of riders thick edge towards the instep of the foot.

Gav888

cswitch wrote:

maybe try moving cleats further back. If they're all the way to the front then you probably will feel more pressure in the forefoot.

Also look into heel wedges. I use them and for me they do make the the whole foot feel more ' connected'. For the majority of riders thick edge towards the instep of the foot.

Cheers, the cleats are already back as far as they go, although that a approx 1.5cm behind the axle, but I am currently looking into insoles. I already have arch ones which work great but considering heel ones now. Cheers.