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Float vs No Float

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Float vs No Float

Old 07-03-05 | 09:19 AM
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Float vs No Float

I got a pair of fixed SPD-SLs cleats and I am debating on replacing the float versions... I hate the float I have now but I am not sure what effects it will have on the legs.. Have anybody had problems using fixed cleats?.
-AJ..
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Old 07-03-05 | 09:55 AM
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I tried fixed cleats once, but it's almost impossible to position them in the right spot -- this is what I found most frustrating.

What don't you like about the float?

With my SPDs, I found them a tiny bit slippery, so I covered the plastic part of the pedal with some gaffer tape -- a bit crude, I know, but sufficient

There's also a reasonable chance you could injure yourself without float.

Many moons ago, most of the old cleats used with toe-clip pedals would wear a small amount which was just enough to provide some float. When the first clipless came in there was no float, and some pros developed injuries. This is why float was first introduced.
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Old 07-03-05 | 10:08 AM
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Originally Posted by 531Aussie
I tried fixed cleats once, but it's almost impossible to position them in the right spot -- this is what I found most frustrating.

What don't you like about the float?

With my SPDs, I found them a tiny bit slippery, so I covered the plastic part of the pedal with some gaffer tape -- a bit crude, I know, but sufficient

There's also a reasonable chance you could injure yourself without float.

Many moons ago, most of the old cleats used with toe-clip pedals would wear a small amount which was just enough to provide some float. When the first clipless came in there was no float, and some pros developed injuries. This is why float was first introduced.
I dont like my cleats moving at any part of the pedal stroke which sometimes happens when my ankle compensates for some thing... The other reason is when out of the saddle, the shoes go to the extremes when I rock the bike...
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Old 07-03-05 | 10:11 AM
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i know what you mean by the out of the saddle part. I found my heels slipping sharply inwards at the bottom of each pedal stroke, and this "annoyed" my Achilles', but I think I got used to it.
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