Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

our SPD road shoes have a little play fore/aft and sideways when installing cleats.

is there any difference if you position your cleats in such a way that when you look at your RIGHT shoes while attached to your pedal from topview:

1. your shoes are at the north east most corner (cleat near to ball of foot)
2. your shoes are at the south east most corner (cleat further front of foot)
3. your shoes are nearest to the crank (cleats near outer side of shoes)

i wanted to build my leg and calf muscles (i have skinny legs/calves), i wonder if there is any particular cleat position that i should use?

To fiddle with cleat positions is to possibly invoke the wrath of the knee-pain god "PatelloFemoral".

I'm not aware that altering cleats will selectively build up your soleus/gastrocs. Calf implants will

ValleyForge wrote:To fiddle with cleat positions is to possibly invoke the wrath of the knee-pain god "PatelloFemoral".

I'm not aware that altering cleats will selectively build up your soleus/gastrocs. Calf implants will

i was looking for sheldon brown's website but could not find any. instead i found this.

http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/cleats.html

it did discuss a little bit of the dangers/pain of an incorrectly fitted cleats.

The pedal axles should be directly under or slightly in front of the ball of your foot. The cleats should be positioned left/right so that your thigh is as close as possible to parallel with the top tube. To build muscle swap your cassette for a straight stack of 11s and climb hills. Alternatively, just do weights.

Myddraal wrote:The pedal axles should be directly under or slightly in front of the ball of your foot. The cleats should be positioned left/right so that your thigh is as close as possible to parallel with the top tube. To build muscle swap your cassette for a straight stack of 11s and climb hills. Alternatively, just do weights.

Actually I was told during my bike fit that the ball of your foot should be 3-5mm in front of the pedal spindle when everything is parallel to the ground (foot level with crank level).
The theory is that when you are riding you naturally drop your heel so it is then slightly lower than the ball for most of the power side of the downstroke. It is this dropping of the hell which effectively lines the ball of your foot right over the middle of the spindle.
Get on a stationary trainer and drop your heel at the 3 o'clock position and you'll see what I mean.