Just read this long article about cleat positioning and am wondering if anyone here has tried the mid-foot cleat positions Steve describes in Method 3? Seems pretty kooky to me, but I’d be interested to hear anyones stories on shoes/cleat positioning woes and triumphs.
I had a frame fit for a new bike done by Steve. He has some pretty wacky ideas with regards to just about everything, but he was spot on setting me up on the fitting bike. He spends just as long looking at your feet and bone placement, rotation, leg length, hip rotation etc as he did with just about everything else.
What I got out of it was that some people need really precise positioning of their cleats and will suffer if it’s not right. Others (like me) don’t seem to have too much trouble with joints etc and have a pretty wide range of positions that will serve them well. That’s not to say that there isn’t a “perfect” position for my cleats to be in, but that I really didn’t notice much difference at all between the different positions.
He recommended me to have my cleats back as far as possible, and as close to the instep as I could get them. Also, to put a wedge under my right cleat to compensate for a short leg/over-rotation of my hip. I could barely tell the difference with all these changes, and don’t suffer with my regular setup.
this is relevant to HLC’s interests…after ballooning his knee due to poor cleat adjustment!
chyeah, got it sorted went for a ride yesterday, but got a slight bit of pain after 30km’s and the last couple of kays home was agony 
(only did 40km all up) didnt swell anything like the weekend though! so i think im close!!!
i have my cleats all the way back otherwise i feel like i am pedalling with my toes
if i could go back further i would def try it out
I’m going to try Method 2 I think. Seems pretty close to Method 1 however more accurate. Will have to get some larger Toeclips as well for when im not riding clipless!!!
I used to run mine all the way forward, because I read somewhere this was great for sprinting. On the track it was ok because I only do short events, but I’m in trouble now.
Just lowered my seat today and put my right cleat as far back as possible, and I have no pain. I need a proper fit so bad. But I also need a license for next year, a haircut, food for the week…
Based on that article (Method 2) I’ve moved my cleats pretty much all the way back on my SPD-SL’s. feels so much better when climbing out of the saddle! I’ll probably move my other shoes back too, but toe overlap might become an issue on my cx bike if I do. Hmm.
this may be a stupid question, but will a sidi dominator/time ATAC combo allow cleat orientation to be adjusted? Kinda feels like my heel has been tracking inwards… for like 3 years that I’ve been riding Time pedals… and my knee is sore. Had no such issues with Spuds. Had lots of other issues, like general shitness, but no tracking issues.
Do time ATAC cleats have the two bolts, or three?
^2 bolt
I thought this may have been the case. Balki, I’m not sure you can adjust the float with these at all, but with some designs if swap the cleats from one shoe to the other it will give more or less, depending on which way you already have it.
PS love the Perfect Strangers nick/avatar, I used to love that show.
Cleats way back works for me, but I have weird stiff feet and short achilles. I re-drilled my current carbon-soled Northwaves & moved the cleats back a further 12mm or so from the back-most factory setting. Happy feet.
What about lateral positioning? This article doesn’t mention it. Should it just point your foot directly forward? Does it not matter so much if you have a bit of float in your system?
You should be able to adjust the horizontal angle of your Time Atac cleats when you adjust the position. There’s usually a bit of slop in the sliding bolt carrier thing so you can twist it each way.
When I set up new Time Atac cleats I measure the distance of each bolt from a particular spot on the tread, to make sure the angle is identical for both shoes. Atacs give you a kind of “springy float” each way, but they still tend to centre themselves. Swapping the cleats over increases the required release angle, which I haven’t found necessary.
I have my cleats just a bit behind the ball of my foot (10mm?) which works for me. Spinning vs mashing/forward vs back.
this. interesting article.
Thanks… Unless Im misunderstanding the terminology, float isnt the problem. I can move my heels laterally as I pedal to just before the point that they unclip. Gettiing to that point my heel tracks ergonomically but its not sustainable to try to hold my heel out. I think reversing the cleats will exacerbate the problem as I have to unclip inwards and there really no clearance between heel and chainstay.
Yeah, i noticed the “slop” i think Ive used it all up… maybe try again.
Thanks for the replies.
It’s all in the dialling in the best set-up for you - just loosen the cleats, twist them in the desired direction (with big pliers if necessary) and re-tighten. There’s enough give in the 2 bolt system to allow you to force a few degrees of twist on the cleat relative to the shoe. I’ve done it a couple of times with my ATACs to get my foot in the right spot. Holding your heel out manually will defo end up hurting something. For the record mine are set up quite far back and my heel “defaults” to about 5-10mm from the crank arm. Once Rode 100km a day for a month like this and never had any issues but everyone’s a little different.
Are you saying you have to unclip inwards now, or that reversing the cleats would require you to unclip inwards?
So, if you move your cleats back how does this change your saddle setback and or seat post offset?
Or do you just leave them so your knee sits way back?