Road Cycling - Pedals

I've been using the new, flat Shimano Ultegra road pedals for sometime now.

Unfortunately they’ve been hurting my knees quite a lot. The tendons on the outside of my knees feel quite strained and painful. I believe that this is the result of the pedals.

My feet feel as if they are too close to the cranks, and although I move cleats as far inwards as possible, they still feel that way.

This problem is not related to my seat position of other adjustment, I’ve experimented with my seat position a lot and it is perfectly adjusted now.

Did anyone have the same problem with these pedals? If so, how did you get rid of it? Which pedals did you install afterwards and did you have any recurring problems?

Please let me know.

Thanks,


Tibby

Tibby,

I have not used the Shimano Ultegra pedals, but have used Shimano M535 and Look pedals.
You say you have adjusted the saddle position, but do you mean up and down, or forward and backward? If you haven't moved your saddle farther back, try moving it back until the front of the knee is above or slightly behind the axle of the pedal with the pedals at the 3 o'clock position for each leg.
There is an article (with pictures) in either the June or July Bicycling magazine about saddle position in relation to the pedals.

Also, how much float do these pedals have? If there is a lot of float, or more float then you are used to, you may be trying to keep your foot from rotating and putting stress on your knee. I experienced this when I first got my Look pedals with the red cleat (lots of float). When I switched to the black cleat (no float) pedalling was much easier and the discomfort went away.

If none of this helps, take your bike to your LBS and explain the problem to them. They usually have lots of experience and information.

Ron

You mean the SPD-R's? I've been using them for 2 years, and have no knee problems.

In my case, I have to have some float, and with the 6 degree cleats, had to adjust the cleats to get the float range where I needed it. Also, I like my feet as close to the cranks as possible (a.k.a. low Q-factor). So my cleats are pushed as far out as is reasonable.

Do your shoes float easily in the pedals, or do they bind? I think the Ultegras come with two sets of little rubber pads, thick and thin, that let you control the float w/out being rattley-loose. You may need to lubricate the pedal/cleat contact areas (PAM works well).

Just curious... where are your knees when you're spinning along... near the top tube, or akimbo? Pain on the outside of the knees sometimes indicates you're pedalling bow-legged.