Cleat Position
stewartk
Posts: 8
Any idea how the pros set their cleats up. I know everyone is somewhat different, but I imagine a lot of them are very similar. Do they tend to mount their cleats more forward, or a little further back which seems to be the current way.
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It wouldn't be forward of centre as that gives a horrible tippy toe pedalling action. Personally I find just aft of centre to work best.
Other views are available.0 -
Pros are all individuals (as are we) - so why would they all set their cleats the same?0
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This is what you should bear in mind:
Cleat positions are personal.
Recommendations from fitting professionals follow trends.
You are not a pro.0 -
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Please tell me that article is a joke.
You will be 30% more powerful and better in bed if you shift your cleats. If only Dave Brailsford knew, we'd win everything. But it is sadly a secret known only to those who use the internet.0 -
I had a very annoying setback recently regarding cleat position.
I bought some new (and quite snappy-looking) red cleats, but found that they had three screw holes, not two.
In the end (and after much experimenting) I used a combination of Gripfill and superglue to attach them.
Then... after all that struggle and ingenuity, it turned out they didn't even fit the pedals on my bike.
Has anyone else been sold completely the wrong cleat? It is draining and tiresome.0 -
Fixed that for you.Debeli wrote:I had a very annoying setback recently regarding cleat position.
I bought some new (and quite snappy-looking) red cleats, but found that they had three screw holes, not two.
In the end (and after much experimenting) I used a combination of Gripfill and superglue to attach them.
Then... after all that struggle and ingenuity, it turned out they didn't even fit the pedals on my bike.
Has anyone else bought completely the wrong cleat? It is draining and tiresome.0 -
First Aspect wrote:
Fixed that for you.Debeli wrote:I had a very annoying setback recently regarding cleat position.
I bought some new (and quite snappy-looking) red cleats, but found that they had three screw holes, not two.
In the end (and after much experimenting) I used a combination of Gripfill and superglue to attach them.
Then... after all that struggle and ingenuity, it turned out they didn't even fit the pedals on my bike.
Has anyone else bought completely the wrong cleat? It is draining and tiresome.
He as the right cleats, just the wrong shoes and pedals.0 -
Yes, I think on reflection that I do have the right cleats.
They are red, which matches the bike, which is blue.
Do professionals have this problem, or do they have someone to choose their pedals for them?
I didn't mention it in my OP, but I am an amateur.0 -
Eh?
Either a masterful attempt at trolling, or a portrayal of denseness hitherto only achieved at the heart of a black hole.0 -
what i find hard is when you buy new cleats and changing them with the old ones to get the right position as last time0
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Take a marker pen or a white Tippex style pen, and draw around your old cleats before taking them off. Replace new ones in exactly the same place and go ride.0
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i need to move my speedplay cleats as i keep getting terrible pins and needles with them.0
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ashleydwsmith wrote:i need to move my speedplay cleats as i keep getting terrible pins and needles with them.
I was getting pins and needles and numb toes until I moved my cleats as far back as they would go. Shoes are like slippers nowCube Attain SL Disc
Giant CRS 2.00 -
crikey wrote:Take a marker pen or a white Tippex style pen, and draw around your old cleats before taking them off. Replace new ones in exactly the same place and go ride.
Good tip!! Any similar wise words for when its the shoes you're replacing and not the cleat? I bought the same shoes (but new ones obviously
) and new cleats and tried putting the shoes side by side so I could line up the cleats and get them in the right place, but still struggled and took a lot of tinkering to get them right. Still not convinced they're 100% spot-on...?? "I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated"0 -
yes I'm interested in this as well — matching cleat position on a new pair of shoes. I had bike fit and would like to try and match0
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God, how did we manage in the 70s, I mean with tacks and hammers to use as well !0
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I don't have any magic tricks for transferring cleat position from one type of shoe to another, but it should be fairly straightforward;
1.) work out where the cleat is in relation to the ball of your foot
2.) work out the angle of the cleat in relation to the long axis of the shoe
3.) fix in place.
I've changed shoes ...a lot... and always manage to set my cleats up without much trouble. Remember to get the cleat/ball of foot relationship right and you can use the float in the system to avoid the need for millimetre perfect positioning.0 -
Phil Burt Head physiotherapist at British Cycling says in his book
Bike Fit optimise your bike position for high performance and injury avoidance
That:
"Fore/aft
The generally accepted rule of thumb for fore/aft positioning of the cleat is to align the ball of the foot with the centre line of the pedal axle (spindle) in the 3 o'clock position. The ball of the foot (the first head of the metatarsal joint) is the big boney protrusion just behind the big toe. This is where people commonly get bunions. Traditionally this has been placed over the pedal spindle as it provides the largest contact area of the foot directly above the pedals axis of rotation, and therefore maximises the biomechanical advantages of the foot to produce optimal power output.
Andy Pruitt suggests that this approach really only works for size 9 US men's feet (UK size 8 ½), as larger feet need more stability, requiring the cleat to be slightly behind the pedal spindle. Some even advocate using the second or third metatarsals, and Sanderson et al, (1994) the fifth metatarsal head as the anatomical landmark to set fore/aft. However good the reasoning behind their arguments for this, these landmarks are hard for the non-professional cyclist to find accurately on their own.
I like Todd Carver's take on cleat fore/aft which is a compromise of all the above and in my experience works very well. Find the head of the first metatarsal (ball of the foot). Then find the fifth metatarsal head (if you run your fingers down the outside of your foot, it's the first large bony protrusion you come to). Align the pedal spindle so as it bisects the first and fifth metatarsal heads. I find this method helps account for the size issue Pruitt highlights and generally gets people into the fit window.
The correct positioning of the pedal fore/aft is important for a number of reasons. A forward positioned cleat (and so the foot further back) results in a more up and down movement of the heel as it pivots around a longer lever arm and can result in achilles issues.
A rearward positioned cleat (and so the foot further forward) helps spread the pressure created when pedalling over more of the foot and specifically the mid-foot this can help people reduce forefoot pain (often termed 'hot foot').
Having said all this, the jury is out on the potential performance benefits of cleat position. Many studies have tried to examine the effect on the amount of energy expended with regards fore/aft cleat position, with inconclusive results. You can find many an internet forum or blog advocating arch or mid-foot cleat position for the most efficient power transfer from the lower limb to the pedal. The simple argument is that by shortening the lever arm of the foot/ankle pedal/cleat interaction you adopt a position that is biomechanically more advantageous for the transfer of power. To date research in this area has been limited."0 -
seanorawe wrote:ashleydwsmith wrote:i need to move my speedplay cleats as i keep getting terrible pins and needles with them.
I was getting pins and needles and numb toes until I moved my cleats as far back as they would go. Shoes are like slippers now
Tried this today, and still got it a bit. not sure what else to do tbh0 -
ashleydwsmith wrote:seanorawe wrote:ashleydwsmith wrote:i need to move my speedplay cleats as i keep getting terrible pins and needles with them.
I was getting pins and needles and numb toes until I moved my cleats as far back as they would go. Shoes are like slippers now
Tried this today, and still got it a bit. not sure what else to do tbh
One thing to note when doing this is that you'll need to drop your saddle height a couple of millimeters to compensate for the now shorter lever. I don't know if you did this or whether it will help but it just struck me that it's not necessarily obvious on first glance.I'm on Twitter! Follow @olake92 for updates on my racing, my team's performance and some generic tweets.0 -
to get the same cleat position on new shoes:
take the old shoe with attached cleat and mount in a workbench such that it is clamped around the cleat.
Draw around the shoe.
Remove the shoe from the cleat with the cleat still in the workbench.
Mark up the workbench where the cleat is and put a new cleat in the same place (unless you want to re-use your old cleat on the new shoe).
Place the new shoe over the cleat and line up with the marks for the old shoe.
Bolt in place.
Dont forget to remove the workbench or you might get pins and needles!0 -
ashleydwsmith wrote:seanorawe wrote:ashleydwsmith wrote:i need to move my speedplay cleats as i keep getting terrible pins and needles with them.
I was getting pins and needles and numb toes until I moved my cleats as far back as they would go. Shoes are like slippers now
Tried this today, and still got it a bit. not sure what else to do tbh
IS the numbness etc there for the whole ride? I always get numb feeling toes, but it usually goes away after a few miles.I don't know why, but I don't question it.Cube Attain SL Disc
Giant CRS 2.00 -
olake92 wrote:ashleydwsmith wrote:seanorawe wrote:ashleydwsmith wrote:i need to move my speedplay cleats as i keep getting terrible pins and needles with them.
I was getting pins and needles and numb toes until I moved my cleats as far back as they would go. Shoes are like slippers now
Tried this today, and still got it a bit. not sure what else to do tbh
One thing to note when doing this is that you'll need to drop your saddle height a couple of millimeters to compensate for the now shorter lever. I don't know if you did this or whether it will help but it just struck me that it's not necessarily obvious on first glance.
Can you explain more? I struggle with all this bike setup stuff, so want to understand how it would affect it. Would lowering the saddle then mean I'm not using full leg extension?0 -
seanorawe wrote:ashleydwsmith wrote:seanorawe wrote:ashleydwsmith wrote:i need to move my speedplay cleats as i keep getting terrible pins and needles with them.
I was getting pins and needles and numb toes until I moved my cleats as far back as they would go. Shoes are like slippers now
Tried this today, and still got it a bit. not sure what else to do tbh
IS the numbness etc there for the whole ride? I always get numb feeling toes, but it usually goes away after a few miles.I don't know why, but I don't question it.
Normally I'm good for the first few miles then it kicks in. And tends to stay there. If I wiggle my toes I'm ok.0 -
I have my cleats set as far back as possible with some offset to point my toes out slightly, only 1 or 2 degrees. Had it like that since a bike fit years ago. On SPD-SL.Shazam !!0
