BikeShoes

[BIKEAWAY]

What is the difference with recessed clets and outer clets in terms of knee problems ? I have recessed clets on my bike right now as they also work for spin class too. I have had these Lakes for over 5 years and even though they have seen some wear, I still like them.
I had a pair of outies last year and never got into them at all. Both bike and shoes are gone but reading this forum I wonder if that was the right thing to do????

[DeniseGoldberg]

It really doesn't matter - both recessed cleats (on mountain bike shoes) or non-recessed cleats (on road shoes) can be set up so that your knees will be happy. Whether your cleats are recessed or not is dependent on your choice of pedals. And there are pedals that lock your foot into place, and pedals that allow your foot to float.

I use Speedplay Frog pedals which use a recessed cleat and are totally free float. This is what my knees are happiest with. Other people's knees don't like free float pedals. (And yes, I'm a roadie who uses mountain bike pedals!)

I'd recommend getting a pedal/cleat fitting at your LBS to make sure that your cleats are placed in a good position for your knees. (At least when you initially get the pedal system...)

--- Denise

[Etincelle]

Hi,

I am currently shopping for a pair of shoe clipless (mountain style). It will be my first one. In order to install the cleap, should I have my bike & pedal with me???

Thanks

[JanT]

When I bought my shoes, the guys at the LBS put the cleats on the shoes, then had me pedal a bit on the trainer so I could check how they felt, and so they could look to see that things looked OK to them. So, yes, if it's your first clipless experience, take the bike, pedals, and cleats with you. Hopefully your LBS will be as helpful as mine.

[KSH]

The SpeedPlay pedals saved my knees!

I was in cleats before, clipped into a specific position... which was not the right position... for the 1st 300 miles on my bike.

That, coupled with mashing my pedals = acute knee pain.

After switching to the SpeedPlays... and learning how to spin... and dropping my speed down for about a month... my knees are just about 100% again!

I still have some aches and pains... but NOTHING like the acute knee pain I got before!

[Jo-n-NY]

Glad to hear you are doing better KSH. I was reading about your knee pain in previous posts. I also switched to Speedplay Frogs as recommended to me on this forum and cannot be happier with them. I didn't have any knee problems, just really nervous about clipping out fast enough. All my jitters went away.

Again, happy to hear your knees are feeling so much better.

~JoAnn