How do i set up Cleat's on shoes ?

IanWhite

Hi All

I'm going to change my pedals to a clipless set , think I'm ok with fitting them on my own , but are there any tips for the shoes themselves ? , cleat placing is what I am worried about

Anyone got any tips that would help me ?

thanks for any help , Ian

daniel_b

I think the key one, well it was for me, was to sit somewhere high enough so your legs can swing, so you can see where your feet naturally want to sit, ie pointed out, straight ahead, or pointed in.

That gives you your cleat rotation, and ideally if you have any float in your cleats, you want your natural position to be near as dammit to the middle of that float.

There is also a train of thought about finding the ball of your foot, and putting the point where the centre axle of the pedal sits at, or near that point - I'll see if I can find a article.
Personally I have just gone by feel in that respect.

This is the video I found that seemed to make it the clearest:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/videos/bike-fit-and-maintenance/cleats-explained-how-to-set-them-up-correctly

apreading

Yes - just had a bike fit which spent over an hour on shoes! Key point is to find the knob of the bony protrusion on the inside of your foot and line the cleats up with that, or possibly even just behind it. Many people put the cleats too far forward and effectively push the pedal with their toes.

If you are getting SPD pedals/shoes, there is so much float inherent in the system that rotation angle really isnt very important, not like it is with other systems. But yes, the rotation should ideally put your natural position at the centre of that float area.

Arch support is as important though for good pedalling action - I have quite high arches and cycling shoes generally come with zero support in this ares. Superfeet Green or Blue insoles really help here - I needed the green. It is surprising just how much of a difference this makes to pedalling action and leg movement (See Steve Hoggs articles about it).