cleat fitting
 

One of my screws came off my LOOK cleats, and now they are not aligned and thus, not fitted properly. After adjusting the cleats to what I see as "straight," my knees are starting to bug me. What is the proper way to fit cleats?

I should ask this in the SoCal forum, but if any SoCal'ers happen to read this... do you know of any good fitters who can fit my cleats/shoes for me?

I'm old school. I was taught my toes should be a little pointed towards the frame.

i've kind of been wondering this to. When i'm riding i'll often get the feeling of 'i wish my toes were pointing out rather than in' or something.

Solution: Tonight I biked over to my friend's house and took a beater bike with platforms, i was wearing some flip-flops. I noticed that my moved around to their natural position on the pedals because my shoes didn't prohibit them at all. It may seem like a weird idea, but try riding in flip-flops and let your feet settle where they naturally see fit, then adjust your cleets accordingly.

Your foot should, generally, not be straight (Parallel to the bike for example). Without someone to do it properly, bascially your feet should be in the position on your bike that they would naturally go to if you did not have cleats. From there, straightening the leg's next, usually the best bet is a Lemond Lewedge, but you really need a fitter for that.

An explanation and there's a photo attached below. The lewedge straightens your leg (generally most people's legs tilt inward or outward). Also, a properly fitted cleat will prevent your toes from getting numb while riding.

Can't help with the rest...Socal's not my sphere of influence.

Pay for a cleat fitting. Best $35.00 I ever spent. (Much cheaper than med. bills for bad knees).

Bob

Ditto.

Get a RAD cleat fitting.

I don't know where you live, but if you're near Pasadena, check out Brandon at InCycle. He runs a side business doing bike fitting, and his comfort fitting is particularly reasonable. I had him do one of these, and he spent a long time getting my cleats set up right--apparently he considers this to be crucially important.

InCycle can put you in touch with him, or PM me and I'll forward his contact info when I get home. Time for a work break now.

I was under the impression that it was best to point the legs inward and almost have the knees rubbing the top tube for aerodynamic?

Unless you are naturally a little pigeon-toed, I would think that would be pretty hard on your knees.

I was fitted just the opposite: toes slightly out and a couple LeMond wedges under each cleat to lift the inside of the foot. That plus a saddle height/position fit made a world of difference for $40.

Aero drag has nothing to do with knee comfort.

Does no one have any float? With 8 degrees of float, all I have to do is get the angle in the ballpark, and I can put my foot wherever I want.

Ditto that as well. That is why I go with float. My feet natuarally turn out quite a bit, and I cannot set my cleats up to effectively pedal in this position, without knocking my heels on the crank. Plus I would really have to torque my feet inward to unclip. I set them up fairly straight, then with the float they are able to move around to a more natural position during the stroke, and I have not had knee pain.

Does one prevent the other? If you can adjust your cleat with wedge to make it straight up (which is not very aero efficient?) then one could certainly wedge the cleat in order to not angle the ankle while letting your knees to point inward. That was my thinking, at least..

No float. Can't stand that. Get it fitted and hammer.

Float fixes rotation in one plane, but does not address rotation of the foot, or foot roll.

I don't live by InCycle, but I've been there. I'll head over there on Friday to check it out. I'm guessing Bradon is the one who specializes in fitting, so I should ask for him. How much does he charge?

He isn't always there, so it would be best to arrange to meet him at the shop. You can e-mail him at brandon@tricentrictraining.com, or go to his website: www.tricentrictraining.com. Good luck!

the only way to properly adjust your cleats would be to have a knowledgeable fitter adjust them, while you're on a trainer, on your bike...

thanks

Hi, do u know if he still offers the service? Thanks

This is not a bad idea. Back when everyone used toe clips and cleats, when you got a new pair of shoes you would ride without the cleat for a few days -- just using the toe straps. There would eventually be an indentation on the sole where the shoe was riding on the rear of the pedal. This is where you put the cleat. Of course that was when the soles were wood and you nailed the cleats on.

I'd suggest Nate Loyal operates out of Helens Cycles in Santa Monica very happy with my full fitting I had with him call and ask about having only your cleats fitted if thats all you want done.
http://www.nateloyal.com/

As far as I know he still is. Check out his own website: http://www.tricentric.net/

Not sure how well this works with clipless systems, but back in the old days of slotted cleats and toe straps, the trick was to put the cleats on but with the bolt(s) just "finger tight" so they could "roam" a little while you rode...

Then go for a ride in your natural position, and after a ride, viola! Tighten up and that's your natural fit.

Or from the super-old days....nail them in.

That doesn't work anymore, since you have to clip out to tighten the cleats - and the torque required moves the loose cleat.

Yeah, I know...too bad because the old way would yield the most natural postion.

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