My heels won't stay down

[crazycanuck]

I've noticed lately that my heels won't stay down all the time when i pedal..

Is this specifically a shoe cleat thing or an actual bike set up issue.

Other than reminding myself to keep my heels down, is there anything else i should do?

[OakLeaf]

It took me over a year to retrain myself. You'll need to gradually lower your saddle as you learn not to ankle. Saddle too high forces you to ankle ... but if you're ankling, then lowering your saddle could hurt your knees.

[crazycanuck]

Ah, so it's a balancing act then..I thought it might be!

Often when I make small changes on my bike i just end up with one unhappy knee .

I seem to have my cleat position at different places on each shoe-(not a huge difference but just a weeny bit)-and struggle...

Thanks

[Blueberry]

I'm in the process of retraining. My saddle is at the correct height (assuming I don't ankle) - set by my PT. It's hard and slow - I'm not ready to say I have progress yet....

[HillSlugger]

It's my understanding that we are not all equally designed for heel down pedaling and that it's not necessarily good for everyone. True?

[KnottedYet]

It's my understanding that we are not all equally designed for heel down pedaling and that it's not necessarily good for everyone. True?

Yes.

I'm sorry, but I am amused by this thread because not too long ago everyone was TRYING to keep their heels UP when they rode. There were careful diagrams in magazines, analyses of how much more efficient it was, testimonials from riders who'd retrained themselves and found the heavens opened up and the angels sang. "Ankling" was the hot and sexy trend of the moment because some racer at the time did it. (Just like how crazy-high RPMs were the hot and sexy trend of the moment for a while because Lance did it.)

Do what feels best for YOU. If your saddle feels too low and you are spending the whole ride trying to drop your heels instead of riding your bike, raise the saddle.

20-30 years ago, everyone wanted me to raise my saddle and point my toes. That was just as wrong for me as pedaling with heels down is for someone else.

If it feels wrong, change it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.