Bicycle Mechanics - Shimano SPD pedals = sore ankles?

Hiya,
I have Shimano SPD pedals on my Lemond Tourmalet (taken off an older Cannondale), and I've been having ankle problems (stiffness, swelling, pain), in my right ankle only, as I've been riding a little more. A friend suggested switching out my pedals for Speedplay. Does anyone have any advice about this?
Thanks,
David

If your left is OK, I would try adjusting your cleats first before spending $$$ on new pedals.

Unless you move to a larger pedal platform (LOOK), you will get no more ankle support from any other system. If you tend to pronate or supinate (walk on the inside or outside edges of your foot, rather than flat on the soles), any small pedal platfor is likely to aggravate the condtion. Another alternative would be to have a podiatrist make insoles to compensate, or find a LBS that can properly shim your shoes to do the same.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the comments. My friend's theory was that the SPD were holding me too rigidly, and the Speedplay offered more movement, which might lessen irritation of the ankles.

How might I adjust the cleats to help things?

Thanks,
David

You can adjust the cleat on the shoe forward and back, also the cleat can rotate a bit to change your foot position on the pedal. The pedals themselves don't have any adustments that can help. Try riding on regular platforms for a while and take a mental note of the most comfortable position for your feet and try to duplicate that with your cleats.

Look where your toes point when you walk..... they should be similar when you pedal.

David, I have the EXACT same problem you do. Sore right ankle. I've already loosened my SPD's up for the max amount of play.

I was riding with a physical therapist today. He said that the shimano SPD's are too small and the cleat puts pressure on the middle of my feet. Plus I was wearing MTB shoes, he recommended a) stiffer shoes and b) changing to something like LOOK which have a much bigger platform.

If you can find one in your area, and can afford it, get a professional fitting. It's amazing how serious problems like this can be attributed to minor adjustments specific to your body, esp. given that our bodies can have significant asymmetry (i.e. different measurements left vs. right). For example, at my fitting last week, we determined that my legs were pretty-much the same length (within a mm or so), but that my right knee was about 1 cm higher on my leg than my left. That means my right upper leg is shorter than my left, but my right lower leg is longer than my left. This affects both the "height" of my knees as I pedal, and the "reach" of my upper legs. To compensate, we moved the cleat (I'm on SPDs) on my left shoe so the foot sits a little further forward than the right, to allow for the longer left upper leg. We also put in about 1 cm of shim behind the left cleat, to compensate for the shorter left lower leg.

I used to get "tingles" or "pins and needles" in my right foot on most rides, no matter what shoes I wore, no matter what bike I rode, starting anywhere from mile 7 to about mile 10. It would either pass within a few miles, or I'd "ride through it". Well, Saturday, the first real ride after my fitting, I did 45 miles, on some wicked hills (it was basically about half of our state's "Horribly Hilly Hundred"). I felt a little soreness in that ankle from a sprain last year that I never treated (the "tingles" pre-date the sprain, though), but no numbness or "tingles".

Of course, they adjusted a myriad of other things, which explains why I felt like I could've done the rest of the century at the end of that ride (except it was on only about 3 hrs sleep!). But just being free of that numbness made the fitting worth the $125 cost.

Now I'm considering Speedplays, just 'cuz I want to get new shoes as well (I'm on MT shoes on my road bike), and I'm using the pedals hijacked from a bike I'm trying to sell. When I do, I can get a cleat fitting (to replicate the adaptations mentioned above on my SPDs) for $35.

Good point, though, about the area/pressure of SPDs. I get that general sense when I ride all my SPD bikes, esp in shoes with not-very-hard soles.

David, I have the EXACT same problem you do. Sore right ankle. I've already loosened my SPD's up for the max amount of play.

I was riding with a physical therapist today. He said that the shimano SPD's are too small and the cleat puts pressure on the middle of my feet. Plus I was wearing MTB shoes, he recommended a) stiffer shoes and b) changing to something like LOOK which have a much bigger platform.

If the adjustment ( position ) of the cleat is wrong then changing the cleat size wont help - sounds more a shoe problem to me - and remember too stiff a sole can be very uncomfortable unless you do a lot of mileage every day : racing parts ( shoes & saddles ) are for racing not touring .
Just as a side point , it could be that WALKING in those shoes is causing you more trouble than riding in them .

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the info. I did have a fitting, but it certainly did not seem as intricate as madpogue's up there. The mechanic put me on my bike on a trainer and checked the normal angles for seat height and position. He said everything looked great.

My shoes are Nike Ventoux, which are good and stiff but I think not high-end-racing shoes that wouldn't be appropriate for my riding (20-40 miles averaging 17-19 mph in the end).

I will check out my natural foot position when walking and ensure the cleats support that -- but it sounds like maybe I need to try a larger platform. Suggestions on makes/models?

Thanks again,
David
(And I'm curious what made for only three hours sleep, madpogue...)

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the info. I did have a fitting, but it certainly did not seem as intricate as madpogue's up there. The mechanic put me on my bike on a trainer and checked the normal angles for seat height and position. He said everything looked great.

My shoes are Nike Ventoux, which are good and stiff but I think not high-end-racing shoes that wouldn't be appropriate for my riding (20-40 miles averaging 17-19 mph in the end).

I will check out my natural foot position when walking and ensure the cleats support that -- but it sounds like maybe I need to try a larger platform. Suggestions on makes/models?

Thanks again,
David
(And I'm curious what made for only three hours sleep, madpogue...)

Look and Look-a-like pedals have nearly the entire front 1/3rd of the shoe as the cleat. They're huge and they're what I'm looking at now for my new pedals.

Hiya,
I have Shimano SPD pedals on my Lemond Tourmalet (taken off an older Cannondale), and I've been having ankle problems (stiffness, swelling, pain), in my right ankle only, as I've been riding a little more. A friend suggested switching out my pedals for Speedplay. Does anyone have any advice about this?
Thanks,
David
IM having no problem with the shimano shoes and shimano pedals,have you checked /adjusted seat possition?Make sure there is is float on the peddals and that the shoe is over the pedal corectly.There maybe somthing else causing the ankle problems other than cycling.

I was looking at pedals and shoes and noticed that shimano also have a pedal with a large platform, basically a full size platform outer with a clip pedal inner and as a bonus it was in the low end of their price range. Looks like it would give plenty of support. (considering them myself).

I was looking at pedals and shoes and noticed that shimano also have a pedal with a large platform, basically a full size platform outer with a clip pedal inner and as a bonus it was in the low end of their price range. Looks like it would give plenty of support. (considering them myself).

I just switched from spd mtb knockoffs to spd-sl road pedals. They look a lot like looks. I got some stiff road shoes to go with them and it's so much better now. I also had ankle problems, I started riding again cause I couldn't walk. I have none now. I agree with what someone else said about maybe its what is going on off the bike.

I did break my right ankle about 6 years ago, so maybe that's why it flares up and my left does not. It sounds like most people are recommending Look over Speedplay. Maybe I'll try some, to get a larger platform.

Until I do, how do I adjust the float on the SPDs?

David

I dont think float is necessary - it is just a means of compensating for badly adjusted cleats. I increased the comfort of my SPDs by changing the fore & aft position of my cleats.

I did break my right ankle about 6 years ago, so maybe that's why it flares up and my left does not. It sounds like most people are recommending Look over Speedplay. Maybe I'll try some, to get a larger platform.

Until I do, how do I adjust the float on the SPDs?

David

You don't?
Usually if there's no adjustment, you just get the max amount of float.

Float may not be necessary if your knees track perfectly, but for those of us who have ankle and knee problems it is mandatory. As for SPDs, the float is not adjustable. For most SPD pedals the float is 4° to 6°. If you need more than that, LOOK offers up to 9° on its pedals, and after that Speedplay offers 15° or more depending on model. LOOK and SPD are fine for me, but your particular stroke track will determine what is better for you.

When I first started using SPD´s I did have trouble with soreness and cramping on the outside of the right calf , I later noticed that this ankle bent inwards ( an effect of a break some years ago ) , but no problem now that the muscles have strengthened .
re feet like when you walk ; no - your feet , unless you have an abnormality , should be parallel . If ,when you walk , your feet splay like a duck then there might be an adjustment to make but it´s rare .
For racing large platforms are obligatory but most touring cyclists use SPD´s so that they can walk normally - and those guys do a huge mileage so there´s nothing wrong with Spd´s as such ; could it be the " Q " factor ( the distance between the pedals ) that´s causing trouble ? switching from one bike to another can sometimes cause a lot of problems , even if they seem similar .

I've been paying attention to the position of my feet and ankles and have noticed that my right heel seems to come in toward my crank, thus my toe points outward slightly.

Should I adjust my right cleat to try to fix this, or is it something I just need to do physically, remember to keep my toe pointing straight forward, heel pointing straight back?

David

I've been paying attention to the position of my feet and ankles and have noticed that my right heel seems to come in toward my crank, thus my toe points outward slightly.

Should I adjust my right cleat to try to fix this, or is it something I just need to do physically, remember to keep my toe pointing straight forward, heel pointing straight back?

David

You could try standing on tip toe / walking up stairs on tip toe / coming up to point and down , which ever is easiest for you but do it first with toes in then repeat with toes out - but start slowly as you´ll get sore at first . Get some body to see if your ankles lean in or out - they should do neither by the way - and then work that side more but remember ANY change will affect other things , knees , hips etc so carefull unless you have a real problem that needs to be solved .

Yes, you should adjust that cleat so that your foot can be at its natural position. This will take the stress off of your ankles.