How far forward should my cleats be?

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Krypton

New Member
Location
UK
Just thought I'd ask whilst I was on - how far forward should my cleats be?

Should I be aiming to have the front pad of my foot (the knuckle bit under my toes) directly over the cleat/pedal? or should it be a bit more forward?
 
In general I would think you would want the ball of your foot aligned over the top of the pedal axle and so position your cleats to achieve this.
 

Fiona N

Veteran
WHile it's usual for the ball of your foot to be over the pedal axle, there are good bio-mechanical reasons for having the foot further forwards if you're not a sprinter (they need the full leverage). Having the cleat further back on the shoe reduces the amount of work done by the calf, ankle and foot and increases the work done by the glutes - much bigger stronger muscles.

Having said that, I did experiment and found I preferred the cleat forwards but I do tend to an ankling style of pedalling.
 
Next time you walk up a set of stairs just observe how you take the stairs. If you mostly walk up on your toes, on the front half of the foot, with your heel hardly resting on each step I'd aim to place the cleat right under the ball of your foot. If you're more flat footed, using the whole foot, they'd I'd set the cleat a few mm behind the ball of your foot.
 

Smokin Joe

Legendary Member
Next time you walk up a set of stairs just observe how you take the stairs. If you mostly walk up on your toes, on the front half of the foot, with your heel hardly resting on each step I'd aim to place the cleat right under the ball of your foot. If you're more flat footed, using the whole foot, they'd I'd set the cleat a few mm behind the ball of your foot.
+1
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
I tested mine a)with the cleat as far forward as poss and b) with the cleat as far back as it could go.

b) felt as though I was delivering more power and was more natural so I have stuck with that.
 
I go with the ball of the foot or slightly behind too. IIRC the further forward it is the harder it can be on your knee but the more efficient it is. Relating/ conflicting with the latter point, I once saw a bike coach who had got all his club set up with the cleat not far in front of the heel he reckoned that was more efficient, especially for power transfer :wacko:
 

e-rider

crappy member
Location
South West
WHile it's usual for the ball of your foot to be over the pedal axle, there are good bio-mechanical reasons for having the foot further forwards if you're not a sprinter (they need the full leverage). Having the cleat further back on the shoe reduces the amount of work done by the calf, ankle and foot and increases the work done by the glutes - much bigger stronger muscles.

Having said that, I did experiment and found I preferred the cleat forwards but I do tend to an ankling style of pedalling.

someone has been on sheldon's website recently
 

Fiona N

Veteran
someone has been on sheldon's website recently

Well no - I've hardly ever been to Sheldon's site (first time was when I heard he'd been killed and only about 2x since :blush:) not that it's not a great site but there was a long discussion of this issue by someone on the Q&A forum on Cyclingnews.com about 5 or 6 years ago. The guy gave a really thorough breakdown of the muscles utilised by pedalling according to cleat position, pedalling style (ankling or not), saddle height etc. and looked at what was optimal for racers, sprint specialists and long-distance Audax-style riders. Fantastic article built on a lot of thorough research.

P.S. I may have downloaded the article as it really impressed me at the time. If I find it I'll post it as it's worth a read.
 

yello

Guest
You do commonly read the ball of the foot advice, and various justifications for it etc.

I've experimented too and I personally prefer my cleats as far back as they'll go. I found it easier on the calf muscles, just as Fiona suggests. It is also supposedly better suited, I read somewhere, to longer distances... but I think I read it in the context of the Race Across America, so maybe not too relevant to we mere mortals. I believe some even drill their own holes in their shoes to get the cleats even further back. Not sure I'd go THAT far!

It's easy enough to experiment and find out for yourself though. But, in all honesty, I suspect at the level of most of us here it's probably more a matter of preference than of any ergonomic gain or efficiency etc.
 

rusky

CC Addict
Location
Hove
If you think about it, you pedal with your legs, not your foot. Pedalling with your foot can lead to pulling the Achilles tendon.

I have a pair of Lidl shoes where the cleats sit towards the front of the shoe & DHB shoes that are near the arch & are so far back that the holes in the overshoes only just clear the cleat.

I do find I get less knee pain with the cleats near the centre of the foot.

YMMV!!
 
OP
OP
K

Krypton

New Member
Location
UK
Thanks for the info. I'll experiment with it a bit and see what feels the most natural position.

It's always interesting to see how some of the seemingly minor points about cycling can be discussed in depth to a good degree, and just how many variables and preferences there are for things.
 
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