Help - new to clipless pedals

[ED-76]

Hello,

Just bought a pair of clipless pedals and shoes. Can anyone give me some tips on how to correctly position the cleats on the shoes. How should my feet be aligned when clipped in?

Thanks.

 

[triguy98]

Get a large piece of cardboard,wet your feet and step on it. Stand naturally. The marks left are how your feet should be aligned on the pedal. as close to parallel to the bike as possible is ideal, but people are different. The cleat should be right under the ball of your foot, adjust as needed (knee pain, etc)

 

[ED-76]

Get a large piece of cardboard,wet your feet and step on it. Stand naturally. The marks left are how your feet should be aligned on the pedal. as close to parallel to the bike as possible is ideal, but people are different. The cleat should be right under the ball of your foot, adjust as needed (knee pain, etc)

Thanks triguy98. I didn't do the whole feet on cardboard thing, but I did try having my feet parallel to begin with. It's quite tricky to get it right the first time. I tried it out for the first time today, and found that initially one foot was angled more than the other. A few adjustments here and there and they seem to be okay. I only did a 15km ride, so didn't experience any discomfort (knee pain, etc.)

Thanks again for the advice. Clipless rocks. No foot slippage, and pedalling in circles really does make it easier.

 

[triguy98]

Glad it's working out for ya. Clipless DOES rock. It elevates your riding to another level. The power output you get out of them vs even toe clips is dramatic. I had a friend who rode platforms for a couple months, then switched to toe clips, he could never keep up with me untill he got the clipless. And climbing... i can count so many climbs I wouldnt have made if it hadnt been for the extra oomph

 

[SnowBladerX]

Glad it's working out for ya. Clipless DOES rock. It elevates your riding to another level. The power output you get out of them vs even toe clips is dramatic. I had a friend who rode platforms for a couple months, then switched to toe clips, he could never keep up with me untill he got the clipless. And climbing... i can count so many climbs I wouldnt have made if it hadnt been for the extra oomph

Yeah I used to use normal pedals and found that exact same thing, I picked up a set of Candy Cs a few weeks ago and never looked back.

 

[Aramei]

I have a question regarding cleat positioning also....It seems that when I was a child, 10 yrs old, I broke my lower right leg...both bones in fact. After the casting and all it seems my right foot angles out to the right a bit. When I have both my kneecaps straight I can see this.

Sooo.......should I be adjusting my right cleat to make up for this angling. I'm still new to riding and the only problem I've encountered so far is that my right leg tires more easily than my left. But this could be due to my using my right leg more.

Christine

 

[cydewaze]

I have a question regarding cleat positioning also....It seems that when I was a child, 10 yrs old, I broke my lower right leg...both bones in fact. After the casting and all it seems my right foot angles out to the right a bit. When I have both my kneecaps straight I can see this.

Sooo.......should I be adjusting my right cleat to make up for this angling. I'm still new to riding and the only problem I've encountered so far is that my right leg tires more easily than my left. But this could be due to my using my right leg more.

Christine

I have a similar problem - broke my right leg just above the ankle. In addition to the slight angle change, my right leg is also a tiny bit shorter. For the foot being angled out, I addressed that by getting a set if pedals with a LOT of rotation (speedplays) so that my foot can take whatever angle it needs. For the length problem, I got a few shims to stick between my shoe and cleat.

I've been riding like this since 1990-91, and so far no problems.

 

[Digibike]

Hey!

I'm new to clipless as well- they can be quite scary. How long does it take before twisting and removing your feet becomes second nature?

 

[SomeGuy]

Hey!

I'm new to clipless as well- they can be quite scary. How long does it take before twisting and removing your feet becomes second nature?

Depends how often you ride .

IIRC, after a few weeks I was confidant, and after a few months I had forgotten I was even doing it .

 

[woodchuck]

Hey!

I'm new to clipless as well- they can be quite scary. How long does it take before twisting and removing your feet becomes second nature?

I was new to MTBing last year and it took about 1 month to become comfortable with them and at the end of the season I did not feel comfortable unless I was clipped in. Now during races I feel quite uncomfortable if I cannot get clipped in right away. In fact, in my last race, it was wet and one of my feet slipped out in some twisty single track. After not getting clipped right back in my foot slipped off the pedal and I got a nasty wound on the front of my leg. Fortunately it didn't hurt until after the race.

Isn't it stupid talking about clipping in and out when we call them clipless pedals

 

[willtsmith]

I was new to MTBing last year and it took about 1 month to become comfortable with them and at the end of the season I did not feel comfortable unless I was clipped in. Now during races I feel quite uncomfortable if I cannot get clipped in right away. In fact, in my last race, it was wet and one of my feet slipped out in some twisty single track. After not getting clipped right back in my foot slipped off the pedal and I got a nasty wound on the front of my leg. Fortunately it didn't hurt until after the race.

Isn't it stupid talking about clipping in and out when we call them clipless pedals

It's VERY stupid. It's stupid because clipless pedals do indeed have CLIPS!!!

I prefer the terms cageless, or strapless. The things they call "Clipless Pedals" have neither straps nor cages, but they do have clips.