Francis73

So I took my first ride today in clipless shoes and I have to say this was very uncomfortable my feet were hurting and it seemed my toes felt slightly numb. I also seem to have some abnormal knee pain and my the muscles in my hips are hurting and this was just on a 6 mile ride. My question is now that i'm clipped in is something I just need to adjust to or do I need to adjust my seat maybe now that my feet are in the proper place on the pedals. the pain in my knee is similar to what I had before I adjusted my seat early on. Any advice is appreciated, the good thing was the pedaling felt easier and legs felt good during the ride just need to figure out the other items.

TrojanHorse

Do the shoes fit? They shouldn't be tight... and your feet will swell a little while you ride, so there's that. I like my toes to be loose in the toebox.

The stack height of your shoes + cleats + pedals may be different from sneakers + pedals, so take that into account when it comes to setting your seat height.

IT's also very important to get your cleat placement correct because obviously you can't adjust your foot on the pedal anymore. The guidance is usually to put the cleat under the ball of your foot but I'd actually suggest moving it further back than that (just my own opinion)

MattFoley

Also, inward/outward cleat alignment is important. I prefer to have my cleats aligned to keep my heels slightly outward, but some people may prefer to have the feet exactly straight or their heels inward more than their toes.

FIVE ONE SIX

basically, the cleat placement is very important for numerous reasons. if you've never done it before, and don't feel like going to to a LBS to have someone experienced do it, all you have to do is this. put your cycling shoes on with no cleats bolted on, then mark the center of the bulge on the inside of your foot below your big toe, then mark the center of the bulge of the outside of your foot below your pinky toe, then draw a line to connect those 2 points. that line is pretty much the ball of your foot, which is exactly where your cleat should be bolted on, so now just bolt the cleat on using that line as a guide. as far as left or right as far as the cleats go, that's up to you, but i would say to put the cleats towards the inside of your shoes and straight as a starting point. you can always adjust them left or right or the angle as needed, depending on how they feel, cause like someone already said that all has to do with preference and comfort...

you shouldn't have any pain riding, and the pain you described could have happened for numerous reasons. if you don't know anything about fit, or more importantly saddle height and fore/aft, than i suggest you check reliable videos on youtube regarding fit and how to adjust your saddle height and fore/aft to help you. honestly, that would be easier than actually trying to explain it, and anyone can pretty much do it themselves through some trial and error...

chasm54

There's a lot of trial and error in this. The usual guidance suggests placing the cleats beneath the ball of the foot. Personally I, like TrojanHorse, prefer the cleats set fractionally further back than that. And Matt Foley is spot on with hus advice about alignment. If I set the cleats pointing stright ahead I will get knee pain in my right knee. Adjusting that cleat so that my toe points slightly inward sorts that out. YMMV, of course - hence the trial and error.

Finally, have you bought cleats with float? That is, those that allow your foot to move around slightly when clipped in? If not, that's definitely something to consider.

You might find this helpful

Rowan

Francis, before you put on clips, how were your feet oriented on the pedals? Toe in? Toe out? Straight ahead? Whatever that position was is the natural position of your foot and at least initially, the positioning of the cleat on the sole of the shoe must reflect this.

If you are like me, you will likely have a little trouble looking at the top of your shoe, then working out which direction to rotate the clip when you take if off your foot. I say this, because you are going to have to make the alteration; and that might need two or three goes on each shoe to get it right. Be aware that we are not symmetrical with our bodies, and the adjustment on the left side may not be identical on the right. I also am an adherent to placing the cleats behind the balls of the feet -- you aren't racing.

Also, if you have Shimano pedals, loosen off their mechanism so it is easier to clip in and out. Check, too, that the sole of the shoes around the opening for the clips is not interfering with how they operate. I have had to trim the sole on several shoes because of this encroachment. Do you know if you have clips that allow some rotational float?

As to the toe numbness, it could be that the shoes aren't right for your feet. What brand are they? They might be too narrow for your feet; they may have a depression where the cleat plate is located, and this is causing the small bones in your feet to close together and block the nerves.

Certainly, you shouldn't be experiencing any of the pain you are. And who said your feet are now in the "proper place on the pedals"?

Francis73

Well this morning I adjusted the cleats back a little further and made them slightly toe in, I also took the advice of leaving the shoe a little looser and made a slight seat height adjustment and rode 16 miles this morning stopped at 10 and made a slight adjustment and I think I finally have them close way better than yesterday, they are shimano shoes and clips and pedals by the way.

GravelMN

Echoing some of the other tips and adding a couple:

- The shoes should fit well with enough room in the last to splay your toes
- Stiffer soles mean a shoe will be less "walkable" but may be more comfortable on the bike, especially on long rides
- If it is adjustable, keep the retention setting as low as possible while preventing accidental clip-outs
- Fore/aft and side to side adjustment of the cleat may be required to find the sweet spot
- If you pronate or supinate, there are two types of shims available, those that go between the cleat and shoe and those that go in the shoe under the footbed
- Some systems allow for more float than others which can aid in comfort
- A good system with a good fit should feel as if it is an aid in keeping your foot in place rather than locking it to the pedal

Willbird

I now have 3 sets of shimano pedals with over 5k clipless in the last 14 months, I backed every set off all the way in tension and never needed to tighten them up. 3 sets of pedals reside on 3 different bikes :-). I now run them as far back as they go too, just my preference.

ColaJacket

Here's some information from Steve Hogg on cleat placement. He believes that just behind the ball of the foot is probably best for most (not all) cyclists.

GH

tunavic

I suggest you get a bike fit. It's worth the $ spent and will sort out all kinds of fit issues.