After 1.5 years of cycling I think I have finally found the most comfortable cleat position. This is going to sound strange but I find that if my left foot has the cleat all the way back, which is almost mid foot, this is comfortable. Then with my right foot the cleat is almost all the way forward , this is comfortable as well. I have a power meter on my bike and I have noticed I can keep the watts up much more comfortably with these new cleat positions.

I was wondering if this will cause any problems over long term as I plan to ride my bike for exercise only for as long as I can.

My shoes are mountain bike ones, I prefer those over the road shoes. I think the possible reason this is comfortable is because when I stand, my left foot is straight forward, my right is angled to the right rather than straight. I probably look a little funny when walking.

Anybody ever tried this?

We are all different- and our bodies are not symmetrical- so if this works and feels good- may the road rise to meet your wheels and may God hold you in the palm of his hand...

It might be worthwhile to check if you have a leg length discrepancy. The more forward your cleat is, it effectively increases the distance your leg needs to travel. Also it puts more stress on your calves and Achilles, which can cause issues down the road. But everyone has different anatomy, so what works for the majority might not for you. But during longer rides if you start to have significant calf and Achilles pain, it's worthwhile to check your cleat position. The further back your cleat is, it engages less calf and more quad, which if you think about it, makes more sense since your quad is a much larger muscle than your calf.

I'd suggest having them the same and have you body adjust, but as the others have posted - people adapt. Just you may not want to adapt to a non-symmetrical setup.

Some people have non-symmetrical bodies, eg one leg is shorter, or you have foot/arch problems in one foot, or your feet are oriented differently on each leg. Adjusting your cleats the way you describe is very unusual, though perhaps it does relieve some symptoms from one of the physical issues I mentioned earlier. I think you really need to figure out what physical issue you really have before you try to fix it.

It's possible that your current setup is indeed the best one for your particular anatomy and physiology. However, it is highly unusual, and I think it would be a good idea to consult a good bike fitter and/or sports physiotherapist about it.

given that you don;t really have any significant structural differences between your 2 sides, then:
having the left cleat back, as noted by others, means more engagement of the quad & hip, less of calf and glut. more forward of the right side, easier on quad, more on glut & calf.
together this could also mean 'compensation' for an existing muscular imbalance, a left side which is not as strong/balanced as the right. meaning having to engage the left quad more to get a more balanced pedal stroke from both...

other consideration is, cleat back reduces the comfortable cadence - cleat forward aids more spin. Having them oppose each other would seem counter-productive. But then I don;t know for sure. Never heard of anyone I've spent time riding with who did this...
DO you know what your comfort cadance range is? what is it?

If you want to see the effect on your pedal stoke - try riding with only one leg pedaling, at your comfort cadence, for a mile or 2... then switch...
how'd that go?

whatever gets you down the road... of course the imbalance wouldn't be or allow for much longterm improvements in any area of the physical act of cycling.

I'll second the possible leg length difference. I went to a PT for an unrelated issue 2 years ago at 60 yo. First thing she had me do was walk the length of the room away from her and back. "Your left leg is longer than your right." By the end of the session, she had it down to 1/2" and prescribed me lifts for all my shoes. All my cycling shoes got 1/4" shims for the cleats.

I won't say your approach is wrong or bad, But I would suggest you do or have done by another some simple checks for leg lengths and other asymmetries that possibly could have very simple fixes (and might well add up to improvements in the rest of your life. I now stand with even hips and straight back for the first time.)

Ben

I've been periodically riding hard for about 40 years. My left leg due to minor knee injury, back nerve stuff is significantly less powerful than my right leg. Yet - overall power does not seem to care so much. It is still my cardio and fitness that determines my power. Of course having a weaker leg is less than ideal, but outside a sprint or short high output most of what makes a cyclist go faster (on longer rides) is above the waist.

My comfortable cadence is around 77-80 on the flats, 90-95 on the hills. I do believe my left calf is not as strong as my right so you probably have something there.

As long as you don't experience pain then goo for it. Trace your cleat outline I. magic marker on the bottom of the shoe and adjust accordingly. Interesting side note....i once had a bike that had two different length cranks.one was a 172.5mm and the other was a 175mm.

I too have to have one cleat further back than the other otherwise I experience a lot of discomfort. do what works