Does new shoes/cleats need a full bike adjustment?

homers_double

So, after a year or so of clunking about in my dirty MTB SPD shoes and pedals the birthday fairy bought me some outrageously white road shoes and some pedals to match.

Now the road pedal/cleat will make my foot sit some 10mm higher up than the mtb version and I found that out when I briefly test rode them last night so an obvious saddle raise is in order to compensate however should I also raise the stem by the same amount?

There is no top spacer so in theory I'd be half clamoing the steerer.

Does a few degrees of bend in the back make any difference and should I just go along with it as it is?

triban

i wouldn't worry about adjusting your handlebar just yet. ride it as it is for a little while, it may still be ok for you... you may even prefer it.

if you find you do want to raise the handle bar height, you maybe able to take the stem off and turn it over. often they are angled rather than straight so point downwards or upwards depending on which way up its facing.

hope that helps.

ai_1

If it was me, I'd need to raise the saddle at a minimum and I might have some problems with the extra bar drop on longer rides. That's why I have the bars where they are. I found the amount of drop at which I had a little discomfort and then raised the bars another 5mm so it was gone. I've done that periodically and over the first few years riding the drop gradually increased so I'm in a much lower position than I used to be. So if I was you I'd raise the saddle to keep your leg position the same and see how the bars feel. If you have discomfort you may have to flip the stem or get a new stem with a more suitable rise/fall (I would never clamp on to the steerer without full contact)

debeli

Road shoes undoubtedly offer some advantages over MTB systems (SPD, Crank Bros et al), but also some disadvantages for the daily or frequent rider.

One of these is the difficulty of walking any distance in road shoes and the skitteriness when putting a foot down on wet, painted tarmac.

You are very lucky that the Birthday Fairy has blessed you with new, white shoes.... but I'd adjust nothing until you are sure that you're staying with the road shoes.

If you do decide to adjust.... I'd recommend doimg the whole thing from scratch anyway. It takes only minutes and it offers a good excuse to check all those little bolts and fasteners that we often neglect.

ai_1

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19635659#p19635659]Debeli[/url] wrote:

Road shoes undoubtedly offer some advantages over MTB systems (SPD, Crank Bros et al), but also some disadvantages for the daily or frequent rider.

One of these is the difficulty of walking any distance in road shoes and the skitteriness when putting a foot down on wet, painted tarmac.

You are very lucky that the Birthday Fairy has blessed you with new, white shoes.... but I'd adjust nothing until you are sure that you're staying with the road shoes.

If you do decide to adjust.... I'd recommend doing the whole thing from scratch anyway. It takes only minutes and it offers a good excuse to check all those little bolts and fasteners that we often neglect.

It's the work of a moment to raise the saddle a few millimetres. And the same again to but it back if that were needed for some reason. Just measure or mark the position before you raise it so you'll know how much you've raised it and where it started. It's probably the single easiest adjustment to make on a bike.

mamba80

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19635036#p19635036]homers double[/url] wrote:

So, after a year or so of clunking about in my dirty MTB SPD shoes and pedals the birthday fairy bought me some outrageously white road shoes and some pedals to match.

Now the road pedal/cleat will make my foot sit some 10mm higher up than the mtb version and I found that out when I briefly test rode them last night so an obvious saddle raise is in order to compensate however should I also raise the stem by the same amount ?

What road pedal/shoe system has a stack height 10mm higher than SPD Mtb pedal set-up?

Are you sure the cleat centre is not fwd compared to your old mtb set-up? if they are much further forward, that would give you the diffrence you ve seen.

homers_double

It was a guess at 10mm.

Anyway I raised the saddle a bit, left the bars alone and didn't have any problems on Sunday so all is well in the world.

The cleats also gave good grip whilst stood on a grass slope at the finish line.

homers_double

Last nights 50km ride wasn't as comfortable, a bit of back ache, sore hands and a sore back side occasionaly.

Any suggestions?

ai_1

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19638103#p19638103]homers double[/url] wrote:

Last nights 50km ride wasn't as comfortable, a bit of back ache, sore hands and a sore back side occasionaly.

Any suggestions?

If this is a change from pre-cleat change and you were happy before, I'd check what exactly has changed and address it. i.e. you already know a good setup you just need to get back to it.
So:
Check how much the stack from pedal centre has increased and ensure forward/aft position is the same.
Compare the stack change and ensure the seatpost adjustment you made was correct.
If you raised the post too much you could be rocking slightly on the saddle which can cause pain on longer rides.
The increased drop to the bars could be responsible for the back ache and increased weight on the hands. But being only a few millimeters it's probably not going to be a big factor. If you think it is then consider a new stem to raise the bars and put the drop back as it was (assuming you can't do it with spacers as you mentioned previously).