road shoes for clipless pedals

[Davosaurus Returns]

What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.

My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.

I can't affort to have custom shoes made so I need to find something off
the shelf that may not be perfect but I can at least work with.

I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy ones.
Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Davosaurus Returns) wrote:

> What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>
> My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.

Well, leaving aside the questions of whether this is the right solution,
any shoe with an SPD-based cleat (two-hole mount) and the typical
mounting plates will have about 1" of fore-aft adjustability.

3-bolt mounts (Look, SPD-SL) put the adjustability in the cleat itself,
and I don't know of any of those that have more than about 1/2" of
adjustment.

If you are worried about the suitability of SPD-type cleats for road
riding, don't be: I have done a few years worth of racing in SPDs and
Crank Brothers pedals with no problems and considerable benefits. Jobst
Brandt here has ridden a ridiculous number of fast, hard miles on SPDs.

As for particular pedals, I'd commend the SPD design as cheap, durable,
and practical. I use Crank Brothers pedals only in an effort to reduce
mud-packing during cyclocross season, the major (and rather particular)
weakness of most SPD designs.

That said, Crank Bros pedals look nice, work nice, and they have some
road-specific pedals (if that makes you feel better about the choice).

Avoid the one-sided SPD designs. They are an annoyance with no purpose.

> I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
> rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy ones.
> Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

"Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>
> My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.

Two different sized feet per se doesn't require modification of cleat
positioning. For example, if the distance from the heel to the ball of your
foot is the same for both, I would place the cleat in the same place for
each foot (because there's no difference in leverage applied as there's no
reason to "count" the part of your foot that hangs over the front of the
axle... it's not really doing anything).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>
> My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
>
> I can't affort to have custom shoes made so I need to find something off
> the shelf that may not be perfect but I can at least work with.
>
> I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
> rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy ones.
> Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.
>

 

[webhead]

On Dec 9, 6:01 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> > matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>
> > My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> > to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> > the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> > back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> > to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> > there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
>
> Two different sized feet per se doesn't require modification of cleat
> positioning. For example, if the distance from the heel to the ball of your
> foot is the same for both, I would place the cleat in the same place for
> each foot (because there's no difference in leverage applied as there's no
> reason to "count" the part of your foot that hangs over the front of the
> axle... it's not really doing anything).
>
> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>
> "Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> > matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>
> > My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> > to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> > the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> > back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> > to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> > there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
>
> > I can't affort to have custom shoes made so I need to find something off
> > the shelf that may not be perfect but I can at least work with.
>
> > I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
> > rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy ones.
> > Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.

Just out of curiosity, why are almost all road riders sticking to Look
like cleats ? To be honest I've ridden with Time ATAC pedals and Look
pedals and I find that I have some more support with the Look cleats.
Might be my imagination but I'm not sure if either would have an
advantage.

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article
<[email protected]>,
webhead <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Dec 9, 6:01 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > "Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> > > What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> > > matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
> >
> > > My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> > > to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> > > the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> > > back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> > > to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> > > there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
> >
> > Two different sized feet per se doesn't require modification of cleat
> > positioning. For example, if the distance from the heel to the ball of your
> > foot is the same for both, I would place the cleat in the same place for
> > each foot (because there's no difference in leverage applied as there's no
> > reason to "count" the part of your foot that hangs over the front of the
> > axle... it's not really doing anything).
> >
> > --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com
> >
> > "Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> > > What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> > > matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
> >
> > > My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> > > to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> > > the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> > > back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> > > to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> > > there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
> >
> > > I can't affort to have custom shoes made so I need to find something off
> > > the shelf that may not be perfect but I can at least work with.
> >
> > > I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
> > > rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy ones.
> > > Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.
>
> Just out of curiosity, why are almost all road riders sticking to Look
> like cleats ? To be honest I've ridden with Time ATAC pedals and Look
> pedals and I find that I have some more support with the Look cleats.
> Might be my imagination but I'm not sure if either would have an
> advantage.

Well, the Look cleat works, but it's not walkable. Whatever theoretical
advantages it offers aren't enough to compensate for that annoyance, in
my opinion. As a result, I use Crank Brothers pedals (which, if you're
picky, offer a very nice 3-bolt road cleat option) on my road race bike,
my commuter, and my CX bike.

The only reason I use those instead of SPDs is for CX mud clearance.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing

 

[Kerry Montgomery]

"Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>
> My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
>
> I can't affort to have custom shoes made so I need to find something off
> the shelf that may not be perfect but I can at least work with.
>
> I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
> rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy ones.
> Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.
>
Dave,
A few years ago Nike would provide mis-matched athletic shoes for free.
Don't know if they still do this, or if they do it for bicycle shoes. There
was often quite the wait, as I think they would create the requested
mis-matched pair from pairs of shoes that had had the other half damaged in
production, or something similar. Probably not good for your immediate need,
but you might want to pursue it in parallel.
Kerry

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> Just out of curiosity, why are almost all road riders sticking to Look
> like cleats ? To be honest I've ridden with Time ATAC pedals and Look
> pedals and I find that I have some more support with the Look cleats.
> Might be my imagination but I'm not sure if either would have an
> advantage.

The advantage to larger-platform pedals is a more-secure feeling to the
shoe/pedal interface. The further apart the contact points are, the less
wobble in the system (assuming the same clearances). We're not talking about
rotational play, but rather the sloppiness of the fit. Off-road, this isn't
noticed much because there are so many clicks & clunks & noises in the
normal off-road environment. And even when used on the street, it's not at
all bothersome to many.

However, it's generally accepted that it's more-difficult to accidentally
disengage from a Look/Speedplay/SPD SLR-style pedal than from an SPD.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"webhead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Dec 9, 6:01 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> "Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> > What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
>> > matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>>
>> > My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
>> > to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
>> > the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the
>> > cleat
>> > back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd
>> > like
>> > to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
>> > there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
>>
>> Two different sized feet per se doesn't require modification of cleat
>> positioning. For example, if the distance from the heel to the ball of
>> your
>> foot is the same for both, I would place the cleat in the same place for
>> each foot (because there's no difference in leverage applied as there's
>> no
>> reason to "count" the part of your foot that hangs over the front of the
>> axle... it's not really doing anything).
>>
>> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>>
>> "Davosaurus Returns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> > What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
>> > matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>>
>> > My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
>> > to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
>> > the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the
>> > cleat
>> > back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd
>> > like
>> > to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
>> > there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
>>
>> > I can't affort to have custom shoes made so I need to find something
>> > off
>> > the shelf that may not be perfect but I can at least work with.
>>
>> > I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
>> > rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy
>> > ones.
>> > Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.
>
> Just out of curiosity, why are almost all road riders sticking to Look
> like cleats ? To be honest I've ridden with Time ATAC pedals and Look
> pedals and I find that I have some more support with the Look cleats.
> Might be my imagination but I'm not sure if either would have an
> advantage.
>

 

[Sir Ridesalot]

On Dec 9, 10:57 am, [email protected] (Davosaurus Returns) wrote:
> What road shoe offers the most fore / aft cleat adjustment? It doesn't
> matter what cleat and pedal they're compatible with.
>
> My problem is that my feet are two different sizes. I'd like to be able
> to buy one pair of shoes to fit the larger foot and make an insert for
> the other shoe. One the smaller foot I need to be able to move the cleat
> back far enough so that it's actually under my foot. That's why I'd like
> to get something with a little extra adjustability and, yes, I know
> there will have to be some compromises made in the positioning.
>
> I can't affort to have custom shoes made so I need to find something off
> the shelf that may not be perfect but I can at least work with.
>
> I realize one answer would be to buy two pairs of shoes but I'd much
> rather have one pair of really nice shoes than two pairs of crummy ones.
> Money is an issue for me right now because I'm disabled.

Hi there.

Another option is to go to the hardware store where you can buy the
female nut (just like the ones in your shoes) the bolts from the
cleats thread into. You can then remove the liner of the shoe, drill
new holes where you want to bolt your cleat, place the female nuts
through the sole of the shoe from the inside, and reglue the liner.

Cheers from Peter