Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Does anyone use cleat or in the shoe wedge

I just bought a set of in-the-shoe wedges, wondering if anyone here uses them and under what circumstances.

I'm experiencing inside-the-knee pain, which I guess is called medial pain. Been playing around with cleat rotation, position, seat height while the bike is on the trainer, and I've come to the conclusion that I need wedges to raise the inside of each foot.

Is this something that clydes have to deal with commonly?

I just bought a set of in-the-shoe wedges, wondering if anyone here uses them and under what circumstances.

I'm experiencing inside-the-knee pain, which I guess is called medial pain. Been playing around with cleat rotation, position, seat height while the bike is on the trainer, and I've come to the conclusion that I need wedges to raise the inside of each foot.

Is this something that clydes have to deal with commonly?

I don't think it's exclusively a Clyde issue. Flat feet/fallen arches might be more prevalent, however.

man, I made a typo in the thread title I can't fix.

II've come to the conclusion that I need wedges to raise the inside of each foot.



Do you need to angle the cleat or just raise it straight up? I like many people have one leg longer than the other. I have a 4mm spacer between my shoe sole and cleat.

Do you need to angle the cleat or just raise it straight up? I like many people have one leg longer than the other. I have a 4mm spacer between my shoe sole and cleat.

yes, I should have been more precise - I came to the conclusion I need to angle my foot.

Because I have lots of room in my shoe, I bought "in-the shoe" wedges instead of cleat wedges.

more pain on this morning's trainer ride.

after more research, I think I have my cleats rotated incorrectly in a toe-out, heel in position. I deliberately set this rotation after researching and reading.

BUT re-reading this morning suggests the opposite - a neutral or even toe-in, heel-out position in order to help with medial knee pain.

A follow up post:

I made cleat angle adjustments that didn't seem to help the medial knee pain. I ended up staying off the bike (which was on the trainer) until the in-the-shoe wedges arrived.

I've since had a few hours with the wedges, and they have made a big difference (and I'm sure resting the knees have helped). Very pleased, I was thinking I might have go to looking for another new pair of bike shoes.

Do you have a insole or "wedge" in your normal shoes? If you do, transferring them to your cycling shoes may help. If you don't, having the insole in your regular shoes may be of some benefit as well, preventing a mild strain that is exacerbated on the bike.

D

yes, on a related note I have insoles in my gym shoes. I've made an appointment to get the insoles checked, and a general checkup on my insoles/ankles, which I've had problems with since childhood.

Interestingly, I had read specifically that you should NOT use insoles intended for walking or running in a cycling shoe - the mechanics of walking vs. biking mean you're not putting the same stresses on your foot, and you could end up with an injury. Further, be careful when if you get custom insoles for cycling shoes, as you need a podiatrist with specific cycling experience to specify the insoles.

Get an actual bike fit. They will shim as needed.

Just my $.02

yes, on a related note I have insoles in my gym shoes. I've made an appointment to get the insoles checked, and a general checkup on my insoles/ankles, which I've had problems with since childhood.

Interestingly, I had read specifically that you should NOT use insoles intended for walking or running in a cycling shoe - the mechanics of walking vs. biking mean you're not putting the same stresses on your foot, and you could end up with an injury. Further, be careful when if you get custom insoles for cycling shoes, as you need a podiatrist with specific cycling experience to specify the insoles.

I have not heard anything about not using the same inserts in your cycling shoes that you do in your regular shoes. While the mechanics of cycling are different than running and walking, you still generate power in simmilar ways, your medial-longitudinal arch still supports the medial column of the foot and lower leg, etc, etc, etc. I'll have to look into that one.

Homework I need to do aside, you already have an identified biomechanical irregularity in your feet and lower legs, and it follows that there will be some cross over to your cycling activity. Often times, exercise only serves to amplify a problem that is minor in rest type activity (I'll save my story about the runner I saw last weekend with genu-varum "knock-kneed" for another post). So this needs to be addressed. I would suggest that you take your cycling shoes with you on your check up, and see if a pair of insoles can be ordered/made to fit that pair as well.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

D

that last post of mine came off as way too preachy, after i re-read it. it was simply me recounting my learnings.

Fixed the title for you

that last post of mine came off as way too preachy, after i re-read it. it was simply me recounting my learnings.

Oh, I didn't notice. If you would like, I'll take it that way now and get all bent out of shape (throw a hissy fit, etc) if you would like, but that's really not my style.:D

Please note the sarcasm and humor in the above. I do a lot with biomechanics as part of my occupation, so I honestly took it as nothing more than bringing something to my attention that I hadn't thought of before. So, no worries.

That being said, if you have a link to where you read that bit about not using the inserts from your regular shoes in your cycling shoes, I'd love to see it. If you could PM it to me, that would be great.

Thanks, and good luck.

D