Cleat position IT Band

This probably belongs in the Training Forum, but I fought IT band problems all last year. They started with a new bike. Set everything up identically to the old bike, then put on a saddle with more padding and pedals with a lower stack height. After a hard core 86 miler with a headwind and my seat 1+ cm too high, my right IT band was obliterated. I couldn't ride hard again for three months.

Tightening my pedals has helped keep my knees from wandering around. After looking at this and saddle height I would look at technique. I have a bad habit of doing seating climbing at a lower cadence with my knees several millimeters ahead of the pedal spindles. It absolutely ruins them. A seated climber I am and a seated climber I will always be. Going to a longer stem and moving my saddle forward was therefore a bad idea.

I just had a pro fitting on my bike, which was an enormous help. Like you mindeman87, I naturally tend to pronate. I wear custom orthotics in my shoes, but they only go under my heels and arches, so they don't really do anything for me in my cycling shoes. Although I haven't had ITB problems, I have had knee/quad problems. When I watched a live video feed of myself during the fit, I saw my left leg following the same path you describe - knee dipping in on the downstroke and back out as the pedal came up.

Among the many adjustments the fitter made, one of the changes that made the most striking difference was installing angled shims between the cleats and shoes, to simulate the anti-pronation action of my orthotics and get my knees in better alignment. He used a LeMond LeWedge kit from LeMond Fitness. You might want to give them a shot - they're only $25.

I think Specialized's shoes provide this tilt as well.