Cleat positioning

Improper cleat adjustment can completely undermine the advantages of cleats. If the ball of the foot is not over the pedal spindle, or the leg is forced into an unnatural twist, you not only compromise performance but risk knee injury.

The first step in adjusting your cleats is to grease the cleat bolts and tighten them moderately. Mount the bike, click or in, and adjust the position so that the ball of your foot either directly above or slightly behind the pedal axle. Keep in mind that cleats positioned too far forward on the shoe will generate excessive ankle movement, and can cause in Achilles strain.

Make a note beforehand of the direction your feet point naturally when riding without cleats. Try to duplicate this arrangement if it differs substantially by from simply leaving a centimeter between the ankle and crank arm. If your pedal allows some rotational freedom, be sure that you don't center it too close to the crank and allow your shoe to come to close.

Now, fully tighten the cleat bolts and go riding. Cleat positioning is often an iterative process, so keep making small adjustments until it feels just right.

cdaleguy said:

Where do you have your cleats (road) mounted on your shoes?....forward, middle, back? I have mine mounted all the way forward now but may change. I may be losing power?!

Thanks a bunch

cdaleguy said:

Thanks a bunch

You're welcome...

Is this your first time with Clipless? If so, I went through the same thing about a year ago...my LBS suggested double sided Pedals to start with and as luck would have it one of the VP's from Shimano turned up at the store (Their HQ is local) and he helped me set the Cleats etc...

To start with, stand on a shiny floor in your socks and walk forward naturaly a couple of paces, look down when you're standing still and see which direction your toes are pointing..in, out or straight ahead..this will give you a clue to how your feet are positioned when you're in the Pedals, so set your cleats accordingly..plus as I said in my last post, for and aft for the position of the Balls of your feet over the Pedal Spindle...

Obviously you'll need to adjust your cleats as you ride....then after a few rides and you feel your comfortable, torque the cleat screws down tightly...and check the tightness of the screws regularly...if one falls out you won't beable to twist out...

Incidentally, I have the Coda (Cannondale brand) double sided MTB Pedals on my C'Dale, I love them..OK, they only "Look OK"...BUT, I don't have to worry about hunting for the right side of the Pedal when pulling away from the Lights...I can clip in one side, then push the other pedal without having to worry...then clip in when I've built up some speed...

And one more tip, my Coach taught me to practice clipping out with alternate feet...one time left, the next the right..just to get used to putting either foot down in an emergency...now I can do it without thinking about it...

I'm no Cycling expert BTW, but I've been through the learning curve and just thought I'd pass on what I've learned, put it this way, I've pedaled around 2600 miles with clipless without ever falling once...although I've come close a couple of times...which is good, because I can imagine it really hurts...