Shabby wrote:
>
> Brad Hubbard Wrote:
> > Etxy wrote:
> >
> > > Brad- I wouldn't suggest trying the blacks (if you want blacks at
> > all)
> > > until you're pretty happy with the cleat positioning of the reds. I
> > > change between black and red as it suits me, but you need to be
> > pretty
> > > careful with the blacks because if they're set wrong they can do
> > some
> > > damage to your knee.
> >
> > Hey Etxy,
> >
> > Why would I want to go to black? What's the advantage?
> >
> > Pardon my ignorance,
> > Brad
>
> You hear this "black ones can damage your knees" argument amongst
> triathletes a lot. It's not proven in any way. Incorrectly set up red
> cleats will cuase pain as well, it's just that with the red ones
> there's more room for error in set up (ie. lack of attention to detail)
> becuasue there is less float.
<snip>
As a triathlete, I almost resent that generalisation... until I think
about how most of the weekend warriors I see and then I think, yeah,
you're pretty damn dead on there. The reason why I use the red ones is
not because my set up is in error, but rather because my body changes
throughout the week therefore my setup needs to allow for that. As a
cyclist you wouldn't notice it so much because you tend to be doing only
the one activity, once your muscles fall into their pattern of tightness
it's always like that. But when you run, you tighten different muscles
to when you ride. And I get massage to relieve that tightness. If I've
had a big run week, my ITB will be tight, my heels get pulled outwards
wrt cleat. If I've had a massage, they won't. If I've only been cycling
for a few weeks, and not running, my setup begins to feel a bit weird,
but if I go for another 25km run after that, it'll feel weird the
opposite way. So I think that it's really important to have that float
if you do a lot of running, and probably not so important if you don't.
(Note, I'm not talking about people who do 5km three times a week, that
shouldn't make a lick of difference). And yep, it's true, if they're
setup wrong, the red ones will still hurt, but because you have the
float, you're less likely to notice it until you've done a bit of
damage, whereas if you had the black ones on, you'd go, that's weird,
it's hard to unclip because I have no strength in that spot, and I can
feel my ankle/knee pulling strangely every time I pedal...
T