Going Clipless

[Howard Hughes]

Is there any special way of setting up the cleats on my shoes? As I have heard if its not done right they can wear your knees out.

Or should I just fiddle about until I find what feels comfy? The guy in the bike shop wasn't much help.

Gracias.

[TheMunn]

Well you can only move the cleat on the shoe further forward/back of your toes a little and just be sure that they are straight then you should be fine.

[narrowbars]

What you need to do is:

Walk along then stop with your feet level but not together and try and notice if you feet point slightly inwards or outwards. When setting up a cleat up trying to replicate your natural foot position.

For example if your feet point slightly outwards the cleat should point slightly inwards (towards the crank) in order for your foot to still be in it's natural position.

You can also move a cleat forwards and backwards, This is to locate the ball of your foot.

If possible when learning adjust the spring tension on the pedal wich holds you in to a loose setting till you get used to them.

Another important thing is to grease the threads on the shoe before screwing in your cleats.

[Tomm]

Shimano SPDs have loads of "float" so your foot will twist easily when you're clipped in. This is especially true when you have the springs fairly loose - as you should when learning. Other pedals (Time ATAC, Crank Brothers) have much less float and I guess could hurt your knees if set up wrong.

As for shoe positions, I have my cleats as far in and as far back on my shoes as possible. I.e. this means that your foot will be as far forward and as wide as possible. Obviously this depends on the shoes you choose (and riding style), but I find most of the shoes will put your feet in a really aggressive toes-on-pedal position, rather than having the pedal in the middle of your foot more. I think it's supposed to be more powerful/efficient but I don't like it.

I would say as long as you're not getting any abnormal aches in your knees (especially at the sides) then there's nothing to worry about. Just have a play.

Oh, and one more thing: The shoes come with a sticker to stick over the cleats on the inside to waterproof your shoes. Once this is in, you can't adjust the position of the cleat, so get it right before you go sticking the sticker on

[F-Stop Junkie]

Definately grease the threads, I've lost track of the number of cleats I've had to cut off due to seized or rusted threads...

The way I've heard of doing it, is to sit on the edge of a table or counter with your feet hanging over the edge, then looking at how your feet hang.

On a tweaking note, I've found that if the cleats are properly aligned, you can easily clip in, but if they're off a couple of degrees then you have to locate the pedal, twist your foot slightly, and then clip in. Also when you're riding, if the cleats are off then you'll feel like you're about to clip out on one side of your foot, but with loads of float of the other.