shimano_cranker

i have mountain shoes that i am using for my roadie as of right now. i read that moving the cleats forward of the ball of your foot would increase your power. i wanted to try this so i went to work on my shoes...now heres the problem.....on my shoes the cleat will either be right under the ball of my foot (middle) or behind the ball of my foot (rear). my question is: is there any way that i can get the cleat to move forward so it will be in front of the ball of my foot? thanks.

531Aussie

Obviously there will be 15,149,100 different opinions on this, however........I would say you get slightly more power with your cleats back, moving the ball of your foot further forward on the pedal.

Be warned, all sorts of injuries can occur if the make dramatic changes, then go hammering.

sorebutt

as a rule, I adjust the cleats to the center of the ball of my foot. But this is only a starting point. I also stand on my foot attached to the pedal and feel where is the vertical pivot point, if it is too forward, then you put more stress on your calves, and your knee is not going to be on the right access and you may need to move your seat forward too...
Like Aussie said Start with what feels right, and then adjust them in small increments...

OneTinSloth

i road my bike for a looong time with the cleats as far forward as they could possibly be. then i looked at one of my other bikes that uses toe clips and straps and realised that the ball of my foot was right over the spindle on that bike, and i typically got more power on that one. so, i adjusted my cleats took the bike up some hills and lo and behold, it was much easier to climb and sprint with my foot farther forward.

everyone is different though...you definitely don't want your pedal spindle to be directly under your toes though, because that will make your toes start to curl under after a little while.

hair07

i certainly don't mean to 'hijack' this thread, but i have a similar question, so hopefully it's ok to ask in this thread. if not, i'll delete and start one of my own.

i ride a fixed gear road bike, but really like the egg beater pedals i've got, so i need a shoe that can take spd style cleats. my problem is that i like to have my foot pretty far back on the pedal b/c i need to be able to spin pretty fast in my gear on the flats. i'm not so worried about power on climbs and sprints. primarily spinning. when the cleat is too far back on the shoe (foot forwards on the pedal), it's harder to spin at a high rate. i've currently got the cleat as far forwards on the shoe as possible, but i would like it a little further. does anyone know if there are shoes that have an extra range of cleat positions? i'm using some shimano shoe, it's more of a casual shoe than a mtb shoe. would a road shoe afford me more movability of the cleats? thanks, and again, sorry for the intrusion.

dan

OneTinSloth

i use the answer palisade shoes. they aren't the best shoes ever, but they're reasonable comfy, and they're durable. failing those, SIDI dominators all the way.

531Aussie

I'd be reluctant to do that if I were you. "I'm no expert, but"...... I'm quite sure it's universally recommended that the ball of your foot be at least as far forward as the pedal axle. I am of the belief that the postition you're trying to achieve places undue strain on the plantar fascia (sole of foot), Achilles tendon, and the soleus (lower calf muscle). I also believe cyclists achieve slightly more power with a 'foot forward' position. I actually did the opposite, and dug holes in my shoes to move the cleats further back! I'm familiar with the 'I can't spin' feeling which may be averted by moving your seat forward. Once again, I strongly recommend against pedalling on your toes.

jfmckenna

Here is my Op on this for fwiw. I heard you should place the ball of your second toe over the axel. Now having said that how the hell do you do it? I mean it's hard to tell where it is. I always take the shoe bed liner out and stand on that and even mark it, then place it under the sole of the shoe to get an idea of where the cleat should go. Then I ride for a few hundred miles and make minor adjustments. Seems to work so far. btw I have a pair of Diadorra shoes w/ Ultegra spd l pedals and the cleat ia as far back as it can go. I think shimano intentionally makes there sizing unique to there stuff only. I don't like the idea that I cannot move the cleat anymore ie it is maxed out. I had a pair of shimano shoes first and the cleats fit fine but the shoes did not so I got the Diadorras...

hair07

thanks for the reply. i will try this first b/c it's cheaper than buying new shoes. i appreciate your concern, but i think i'm just more comfortable w/ my feet in the position i describe. before i got these eggbeaters i was riding w/ clips'n'straps, and that's just the position my feet (and spin) felt most comfortable in. so if anyone still has any suggestions on shoes that allow a lot of range in cleat position, i'd love to hear them. thank you though.

dan