Cleat position

I don't know where this belongs but i'll ask here.

I have a nice new pair of shoes & can't get my left cleat into the right position. ( I can't remember how i had them on my old shoes..) I don't know if last night was just a bad night for cycling but the left side of my left knee hurt so much that I had to take the train :mad: :( Right leg is fine..

I am picking up my new saddle tomorrow and am wondering if I should see the same person who set up my bike to help me out..

I'll keep playing with the cleat position whilst doing some spin stuff on my bike inside..

Thoughts?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

I am picking up my new saddle tomorrow and am wondering if I should see the same person who set up my bike to help me out..


Thoughts?

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Getting your cleat position right is important (as you can tell from the pain that has appeared). I would get your bike fitter to check it out for you.:)

I tried to adjust mine on a long ride because I'm having a problem with hotfoot and numbness. I had to eventually go with having the cleat in the middle, just under the ball of the foot. Even though it still hurt my foot, it was a better position for my left knee.

You have to watch front to back alignment and the angle at which the cleat puts your foot on the pedal. You want your foot to be pointed forward, not in a direction that would stress your knee. I concur - if you have someone who can watch you pedal on a trainer, it may help. Good luck!!

It really should be well fitted or the injuries will become chronic. My coach tightened my cleat recently for velodrome practices and locked it into "correct" position, but it started to hurt and then on the street I couldn't get out quick enough and fell over at the light (actually this happens to me a lot, I can't quite figure it out, have been using them for 7 mos and still falling over). A friend loosened it for me and told me to leave it "floating" so that my foot would naturally choose its best position instead of locking foot, knee and thigh/hip into place. The knee pain went away right away and I am conscious about concentrating on my positions.

Hey crazycanuck: I'm not quite sure what type of cleats you have. Do you have the "Ritchey"(small & narrow) type cleats? or the "Look" wide/with 3 screws-type of cleats?
If it's the small "Ritchey" type you may be limited as to how far forward or backward you can move these types of cleats.

If you have the wider platform cleats, start out by;
1. Loosen all the screws, move the cleat to the center. Tighten your screws back up. Go for a ride or use your trainer to pedal for a while.
Move your cleat forward or backwards until your pain goes away.

A: Note: Since your left leg is the only thing hurting your seat may be too low.
In my case, my right leg is shorter than my left leg so I made this neoprene rubber spacer about 1/8" thick and placed it under my right cleat. This helped me out, I stopped rocking in my seat.
I wrote about cleats verses straps on my blog:

http://wwwspinngblogsandgear-spinnerrater.blogspot.com/

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Greg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

I don't know where this belongs but i'll ask here.

I have a nice new pair of shoes & can't get my left cleat into the right position. ( I can't remember how i had them on my old shoes..) I don't know if last night was just a bad night for cycling but the left side of my left knee hurt so much that I had to take the train :mad: :( Right leg is fine..

I am picking up my new saddle tomorrow and am wondering if I should see the same person who set up my bike to help me out..

I'll keep playing with the cleat position whilst doing some spin stuff on my bike inside..

Thoughts?

---

Ummm..tis a bit late to reply :rolleyes: 7 months later!!! I figured it out on my own thanks.

If we're rehashing old threads, have a look at the date!!!

Sit up on something high and let your legs dangle naturally. You want to mimic this position. I had a professional fitting done and he caught things like my left leg swinging out and corrected it by moving my cleat over. It really helps to have a second pair of eyes. Also, Andy Pruitt's book is great for explaining cleat placement.

Maybe this will do the trick.:p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

Ummm..tis a bit late to reply :rolleyes: 7 months later!!! I figured it out on my own thanks.

If we're rehashing old threads, have a look at the date!!!

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Ta SK :cool: