Cleat Placement

[Nick-NH]

I read an article the other day in VeloNews in which a professional fitting company recommended to the author that he move his cleats back a full cm from their previous position. I presume that his cleats were originally centered under the balls of his feet. The fitter said they were moving the cleat back in order to reduce the amount of work done by the calf muscles. Anyone have experience doing this? Thanks!

 

[dbcycle]

I actually just went to a bike fit seminar a few weeks ago and i was told the same thing.

The guy I saw was a professional bike fitter for serotta bikes. I believe he said that the cleat should sit immediately behind where your second toe connects to your foot, as this is where the most force is delivered – not the ball. i tried it and it seems to work well. i don't know if it significantly impacts how your calves feel after a long ride, but i did feel slightly stronger and more balanced in spots that you really hammer on the pedals.

I'm sure everyone has a different opinion. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

 

[Nick-NH]

I actually just went to a bike fit seminar a few weeks ago and i was told the same thing.

The guy I saw was a professional bike fitter for serotta bikes. I believe he said that the cleat should sit immediately behind where your second toe connects to your foot, as this is where the most force is delivered – not the ball. i tried it and it seems to work well. i don't know if it significantly impacts how your calves feel after a long ride, but i did feel slightly stronger and more balanced in spots that you really hammer on the pedals.

I'm sure everyone has a different opinion. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

It's funny you mention Serotta. I just went through a Serotta fitting this weekend and one of the results (in combination with replacing my 20 year old Duigi shoes) was getting new shoes. They positioned the cleat exactly where you mention. It feels a little odd but I'm going to trust their judgement and ride it for a few hundred miles to break in the new placement - then maybe make changes if necessary. Thanks!

 

[nutbag]

Let's get this straight before I ramble on. Moving the cleat back, means moving it toward the heel, therefore having the feet more forward over the pedal...right?

A while ago I was doing some commuting on a cheap bike while wearing jogging shoes, and using toe-clips and straps. It just so happened that the toe-clips were extra large, and the ball of my foot was much further forward on the pedal.

I felt very comfortable in this position and felt as though I had more power, especially when out of the saddle, so I experimented with my old Adidas cycling shoes on my "good" bike. I even dug holes in the soles to allow the cleats to go way, way back, way past the manufacturers limit.

I did like it for a while, and, as with my commuting bike, I felt stronger, especially out of the saddle, but I had some difficulty getting comfortable in the seated position. I like to have my seat high, and it sometimes felt as though my knee was way behind the ball of my foot when the crank was at the 3 o'clock position -- like I was kicking my shin forward.

I've gradually moved the cleats slightly more forward, but still have them further back than most. I recently bought some Sidi shoes (size 10 US), and I have the cleats about 2mm from being all the way back.

So, in my opinion, having the cleats a fair way back is preferable, but the limits set by the manufacturer provide enough scope.

 

[nutbag]

It's funny you mention Serotta. I just went through a Serotta fitting this weekend and one of the results (in combination with replacing my 20 year old Duigi shoes) was getting new shoes. They positioned the cleat exactly where you mention. It feels a little odd but I'm going to trust their judgement and ride it for a few hundred miles to break in the new placement - then maybe make changes if necessary. Thanks!

They probably told you, but I found that moving the cleats a fair way back, I had to muck around with the seat position for a few rides to get comfortable. I had to drop the seat slightly, and move it a bit forward -- but this is not a "rule".