Mhendricks

So after years and years of using Look pedals w/Delta cleats, I finally moved up the KEO because I've always suffered from knee pain even with the right cleat adjustments. Now here's the funny part, for the first three weeks I only rode on flats but noticed that now my hamstrings, quads, and calves were getting a little sore. Well yesterday I went on a nice 63mile, 6400 feet of climbing and by the end if the day my hams, quads, and calves were really sore and to be honest, my legs were spent. The one thing I did notice was that my knees didn't hurt one bit. So my question is "Has this happened to anyone else?" Thanks.

shouldberiding

Did a search. Somebody else who did the same switch mentioned that they "lowered the saddle 4-5mm per Look's suggestion."

If the distance between pedal spindle to saddle has effectively increased, you may be placing less stress on your knees by lessening the dead spot at the top of the pedal stroke.

When my saddle is too high, I also notice less knee stress but more muscle soreness.

Did you notice that it was more difficult to spin the pedals smoothly at a high cadence?

At any rate, take it easy for a while.

Mhendricks

Thanks for the info. Actually I'm still able to spin the same at a high cadence. My thoughts are that the change made my legs do more work.

ZXiMan

Make sure your cleats are in the exact same position as before. Even 1-2mm difference front or back, or even side to side can make a big difference.

giantdefy

I read in bicycling magazine that if the cleat is pushed forward of the ball of your foot (closer to toes), you will get the exact same issues you mentioned, but allows more power to the pedal. moving the cleat back more on the ball of the foot(away from toes) will allow you to ride longer with less strain on the muscles.