shoes and cleats

[Jon_H]

I have cycled for about 6 months now with cycling shoes and look cleats,
they are fine when i'm sat down pedaling away and are easier than just a
pair of shoes.

the trouble I have is uphill, I have a tendancy to want to lift my heels and
push down with the ball of my foot which is imposible with cycling shoes as
the soles are too stiff. I can climb hills faster and smoother on my
mountainbike with panniers fitted and ordinary pedals than i can with the
road bike and aforementioned shoes and cleats.

are their any shoes that have a bit of flex in them that will fit a look
cleat.

cheers
Jon_H

 

[Peter Clinch]

Jon_H wrote:

> the trouble I have is uphill, I have a tendancy to want to lift my heels and
> push down with the ball of my foot which is imposible with cycling shoes as
> the soles are too stiff.

I don't really understand the problem. As long as your ankle is flexing
there's nothing stopping your heels coming up relative to your forefoot
even with a rigid bar under your foot.

> I can climb hills faster and smoother on my
> mountainbike with panniers fitted and ordinary pedals than i can with the
> road bike and aforementioned shoes and cleats.

This suggests to me you either have a very odd pedalling action, maybe
your cleats are set too far forward (so the pivot point allowing your
heel to rise is in the wrong place), or some combination of the above.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Jon_H]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jon_H wrote:
>
> > the trouble I have is uphill, I have a tendancy to want to lift my heels
and
> > push down with the ball of my foot which is imposible with cycling shoes
as
> > the soles are too stiff.
>
> I don't really understand the problem. As long as your ankle is flexing
> there's nothing stopping your heels coming up relative to your forefoot
> even with a rigid bar under your foot.
>
> > I can climb hills faster and smoother on my
> > mountainbike with panniers fitted and ordinary pedals than i can with
the
> > road bike and aforementioned shoes and cleats.
>
> This suggests to me you either have a very odd pedalling action, maybe
> your cleats are set too far forward (so the pivot point allowing your
> heel to rise is in the wrong place), or some combination of the above.
>
> Pete.
> --
> Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
> Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
> Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
> net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
>

If i do felx my ankle then my toes will be pointing down which makes it even
more awkward to pedal. The cleats are set as far back as they can go. If you
can imagine bending your toes back fully so that only the ball of your foot
and toes touch and pushing down. a bit like standing on tip toes. the
inflexability of the cycling shoe does not allow for this movement thats why
i find it uncomfortable.

I used to sprint on my toes when i was at school and i was pretty fast then
(not now) but it is a bad running style to adopt.

cheers
Jon_H

 

[Peter Clinch]

Jon_H wrote:

> If i do felx my ankle then my toes will be pointing down

and...?

> which makes it even more awkward to pedal.

Well, if that's what you find then that's what you find, but that's
completely normal for people who ankle through the pedal stroke, which
isn't exactly unusual. The power should be transmitted through the sole
of the shoe, not through your toes which are basically irrelevant for
pedalling.

But if you don't get on with stiff soles you may be better looking at
MTB shoes and compatible pedals. Looks are aimed at roadies, who
generally consider stiff soles to be a /good/ thing.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Pete Biggs]

Jon_H wrote:
> If i do felx my ankle then my toes will be pointing down which makes
> it even more awkward to pedal. The cleats are set as far back as they
> can go. If you can imagine bending your toes back fully so that only
> the ball of your foot and toes touch and pushing down. a bit like
> standing on tip toes. the inflexability of the cycling shoe does not
> allow for this movement thats why i find it uncomfortable.

I think I know what you mean, but you'd loose more overall than you would
gain with more flexible soles. Stiff shoes are more efficient because
less energy is wasted in flexing the shoe and more force in total is
transfered to the pedal. Professional racing cyclists wouldn't use them
otherwise.

It's possible to press the balls of the feet down firmly enough for strong
pedalling without raising toes. In any case, there should be room inside
the shoes for a little bit of toe raising if that's what you want to do.

I don't know of any Look-compatible shoes with relatively flexible soles.
You could consider SPD type shoes if you do want more flexibility.
Alternatively, just use a lower gear and take the hills more gently (if
not racing).

~PB