Smokehouse

Finding a good, reliable place to get proper cleat adjustments performed can be extremely difficult. If you're going zero float, you'd better have you stuff dialed in or else. Personally, I'd never suggest that for a first time cleat user.

Diablito

Anybody in the NYC area who needs a good fit should look up R&A Cycles. Look for Felix Calderón to fit you with shoes or a bike. We have been fitting customers for about 20 years
Tell him Eric sent ya.
I'm in NJ so if you need a cleat adjustment I can help you out.

nick779

Im pretty happy with my a530's too, I wish the platform had better grip though. I might try to file some knurling or something into the pedal

Im using it with Shimano MT089s

makeitso5005

So your advice for someone on a set budget is to buy an EXTRA pair of zero float cleats for $20 so they can pay to

But don't ride them more than that because...

Brilliant! Buy an additional set of cleats and then pay a professional to install and align that cleat for 10-20 mile rides. Then take that all off and do it all over again with the cleats that came with the pedals because the zero float cleat will wreck your knees for longer rides. All for the sake of not having to turn your foot another 4-6 degrees to clip out or setting the tension so low you can just pull up and out of the cleat. Brilliant idea... [/sarcasm]

I hope you realize that only a very small percentage of riders have zero knee rotation during their pedal stroke so every pedal stroke you're placing strain on those knee ligaments on a zero float cleat. The whole concept of putting additional strain on your knee just to make it a little easier to clip out is... well... silly and dangerous, especially for a new rider who likely will have much more knee rotation in his pedal stroke. Wonder why someone would even consider doing this...

Ah... that's why. Selling unneeded and painful products and services. At least we know where not to go in the NYC area.


TheBlast82: Don't listen to that guy if you like your knees and want to enjoy riding. Use the cleats that come with whatever system you buy, you don't need an extra expense that you'll toss in a few weeks. You can turn down the tension of most systems so that in a panic fall you can just pull out of the system in any direction as most of these systems are based around a ski binding. Set the tension and if enough force is introduced that's not downward it'll release. You're over thinking the falling issue, for many people it's a non-issue including myself. Just clip out a ways before coming to a stop and you won't have the silly clipless falls.

Diablito

Dude when you pay $20 they install and fit them on for FREE. You buy a zero float, bring in the float cleats and try them both out. They install the cleats put you on a trainer, see if they are set properly and let you ride, clip in and out till your heart is content then let you ride the trainer. All for $20. I'm not sure what bug you have in your butt, but take it easy. All this is to prevent the rider from hitting the ground. All for $20. I'm in Jersey, I will do it for FREE. There are people out here who like riding and willing to help. I'm done here. Good luck with your cleats, you will never go back to platform pedals.

Diablito

Makeitso5005, probably has bad knees because he didn't get fit, mashed big gears and doesn't take advice. Rock on buddy.

makeitso5005

Has NOTHING to do with install costs. It has to do with pushing a product most users have no use for and will place additional stress on the knee. Installing a zero float cleat on 80%+ of the users will result in ADDITIONAL knee strain and pain. With the repeated motion of cycling even a few newtons of force on an off axis direction repeated thousands of times during a ride can cause inflammation and even tearing due to the repeated motion. Recommending a product that increases the chance of a repetitive motion injury all because it makes it slightly easier to clip out is downright horrid that a shop would even consider recommending this. The ONLY time you'd even consider this is if the user has serious issues with ankle rotation.

Never had knee issues and actually have an understanding of physiology. I truly hope that is not standard shop policy as you're intentionally creating possible injuries to sell your surplus of zero float cleats. You do keep proving your stance of wanting to sell products as your response is one would expect from someone who really doesn't know what they're doing as you're trying to attack the person and not address the issue. Doing anything that increases the possibility of injury/pain just to make it slightly easier to unclip is downright idiotic.

Cyclosaurus

I feel the same about my A530s. I just installed these Wellgo WAM-D10 pedals on my bike today. SPD+studded platform = Nirvana.

Diablito

So you never had knee issues, you have no idea how long it takes for your knee to actually ache with un adjusted cleats and all your knowledge is from book with no actual hands on with any other cleats then what you own. OMG,, there is a benefit from working at a shop for 10ys then owning it. You know what it is? I got to test, feel and actually use ALOT of products I sold. And in tern I gave feedback to my customers. Every person is different, some don't feel comfortable with float. Try them out is all I suggested. $20 is money well spent. Im sure you will find something wrong with this because Im starving for $20. Its more important to gain the trust of a cyclist then to mislead and lose a customer.

makeitso5005

Ignorance at it's finest. You can continue to claim to know what I know and have experience with... But you'll keep on pushing your products/services as you don't need to sell that $20 cleat in the first place or go through the process of fitting 2 sets of cleats! You'll lose more customers than you gain by having those users have knee pain, but I'm sure you'll refute that.


Look, even taken from your own information.
You're selling a superfluous product... which causes..
With zero degrees of float you're FORCING the knee to track at one angle throughout the entire pedal stroke which is unnatural for more than 80% of the population. So you're installing something on a bike that causes pain and generates forces on the knee in an unnatural direction. All for the benefit of selling another cleat and making it 4-6 degrees less rotation needed to clip out. If people here can't use their own common sense as to why that's not smart, especially when you go through tens of thousands of pedal strokes per ride, it's on them.

Bottom line is you don't have any formal physio knowledge and don't understand repetitive stress injuries. This is one of those reasons why any shop that claims to have "bike fit" should be required to have formal training the subject. Good luck to ya, but I know that I'll never patron your shop as you're so ready to say "you're wrong" without any justification other than you've sold XXX many, been in business for XX years. Ever wonder why Speedplay is so popular? Due to alleviation of knee issues because of the INCREASED amount float. But hopefully people can use their common sense as to why zero float and something that causes knee pain is a terrible idea for a new rider.

Diablito

Your like the guy who comes in the shop and knows everything But never tried anything. A lot of debate and you walk out without purchasing anything. Bye, we will be fine without you

SempreCycling

Another bonus for LOOK Keo pedals is that they do, in fact, work as a beer bottle opener in a secondary function. Should an emergency ever arise.

BillyD

Hey, you two guys, let it go. Drop it. You're ****ing up the thread. You're not going to agree so just drop it!

loimpact

Here's what I use, along with some very comfortable, easily walkable, recessed cleat MTB/road shoes. Though I've been told I need to get road pedals & shoes so I can gain an extra 2mph everywhere. Um, ya that.

TheBlast82

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, glad I started asking questions way ahead of time. I'll keep you posted on what I do, in the meantime I have another question... How does zero float affect my knees? And is that included in the specs of the shoes or pedals? Thanks ahead of time.

makeitso5005

'Float' is the term used to describe the amount of lateral rotation your foot can move when locked into the pedal. On a standard Look cleat you're looking at around 4.5 degrees of rotation or on a SPD cleat (likely the SH-56) will give you 6 degrees of float. This allows your foot and subsequently your knee/hip to rotate naturally (usually) during your pedal stroke as most people have a few degrees of rotation from the top to their bottom of their pedal stroke. However, when you install a zero float cleat you remove the ability for your foot to rotate laterally and instead force your knee to rotate instead, something it's not really designed to do. If you naturally rotate your foot and then install a zero float cleat you can cause patellar tendonitis, tibial or medial knee stress or other pain/injuries. So, in general, zero float cleats aren't recommended unless you know your foot doesn't rotate during your pedal stroke and doesn't need the float. A very quick test to give you an idea of how your feet rotate is placing your feet a little bit less than shoulder width apart (like they would be on the bike) with your feet facing straight forward and heels flat on the ground. Do a squat, leaving your heels on the ground, most people's feet will want to rotate outward. This is exaggerated due to the fact that a normal squat is deeper than your pedal stroke but most people will get some rotation in the feet with this. Additionally you can have someone look at your pedal stroke from directly in front, if your knee doesn't follow a vertical line it's likely you turn your foot a little bit during your pedal stroke and would benefit from some float. But even if you 'pass' these tests buying the zero float cleat is an additional expense and it's probably best to ride the default and make a further decision later.

So a bit long winded but to answer your question directly.. Zero float may put additional torsional stress on the knee if you naturally rotate your feet. Almost all pedals come with the middle ground cleat which usually is around 4-6 degrees of float. If you wanted a zero float cleat you'll have to buy that separately.

solo118

I started with LOOK Keo classics, and they are very easy to use. Also just know that once you get used to them they will become second nature. It took me one ride to get used to them, knock on wood no falls.

TheBlast82

Thanks for that precise info. Why would anybody use zero float? I don't see any positives to it, just cons. I don't think I will go out of my way and spend extra money to possibly hurt my knees.

Thanks for chiming in man, lots of people have praised the KEOs but I kinda have a budget of $125 for pedals and shoes.

I'm leaning towards these btw...

Amazon.com : Shimano SPD-SL PD R-540 - Black : Bike Pedals : Sports & Outdoors

solo118

If you are patient, you can definitely make that happen. However if you are dead set on the pedals you linked, you should have no problem there either.

When I originally got into clipless, I picked up KEO Classics for $50 (with cleats) on ebay and bought Specialized shoes for around $80 from my LBS.

Cruise ebay for a bit, if you do not mind slightly used pedals you can easily find Keos for under $50.

Edit: If you can swing $64 please see this link https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-NEW-LOO...item461a5789f3

69chevy

Add these in, and you'll be under budget..

Nashbar Comp R Road Shoes

justin1138

I have some of those on my road bike with a pair of these:
Giro Treble Road Shoes

Cheap yes, but it works.

My cross and commuter bikes have Candy 1's with some Giro MTB shoes. Different purposes and all that...

dr_lha

Don't waste your money on SPD-SL pedals that don't have a metal plate on them.

Spend the extra money and get some of these instead:

Shimano R550 SPD-SL Road Pedals Black | Amazon.com: Outdoor Recreation

EDIT: Here I found them for $52 for you:

Shimano PD-R550 Road Pedals

makeitso5005

The reasons to use zero float is that the individual finds they don't rotate their feet during the pedal stroke and find they need or like the feel of a locked down foot platform. Or it's a crutch for individuals who have issues with ankle rotation and find they can't clip out of standard cleats but that's only viable if they don't rotate their feet. But in reality, no first time clipless users should be on a zero float cleat.

Look or Shimano systems (and their copies) are very similar. The ones with the metal plate in the foot base are more durable and should last longer. The shoe is more important than the pedal, make sure that you get the nicer and more comfortable shoe and the cheapest pedal if it comes down to a choice of where to spend your money.

TheBlast82

I like these:

Specialized Bicycle Components

Any feedback on them? Good? Overpriced?

My closest LBS deals specialized and I actually went by today and looked at these and they look sweet, didn't put them on though as I still have some time to decide what to get. Obviously I can get less expensive shoes online but it's cool to support mom & pops joints plus you get to try them on, etc.

Thinking about going a little over budget and getting these shoes locally and the KEO classics or the Shimano R550s.

Slackerprince

If you want easy? Look KEO.

If you want grief? Speedplay.

S