Jan
15
Position Your Cleats Like a Pro
How do I position my cleats? It’s one of the questions we often get following the purchase of a pair of pedals or new cleats. Many customers want to know how they can ensure the best placement. Some customers admit they haven’t adjusted their cleat position in years and question if it could be wrong.
Lateral Adjustment
Let’s start with the lateral position, often called the ‘Q’ factor. A rider should have their legs and feet in a natural position, not forcing their body to pedal in an unnatural manner. Forcing your legs wider or narrower than is natural will elicit undesirable results. For a majority of us this means moving your cleats to the outside of our shoes, to allow them to get as close to the crank arm as possible. Riders with wider hips will benefit from moving their cleats to the center or even as far as the inside of their shoes to push their feet further out.
Angling the cleat
In many cases riders don’t ride with perfectly straight feet. To compensate for this and to take full advantage of the float, the cleat needs to be angled so that when in the natural position the cleat is centered on the pedal.
Heal out (further away from the crank than the ball of your foot) requires the tip of the cleats to be pointed away from the crank. Heal in will require the cleats to be pointed towards the crank. The amount will vary depending on how far off center the foot is while riding and it is likely different on each foot.
Front & Back
Moving the cleat front and back along the bottom of the shoe will allow you to line the axel of the pedal up with the ball of your foot. The ball of your foot is slightly behind where the foot bends while walking and is considered the best place for power transfer. This will improve the power transfer from shoe to pedal. If the front of your knee has been bothering you, it is likely that your cleat is not centered properly.
Small adjustments often translate into big differences in feel. We provide this as a reference to help you place your cleats properly. We recommend adjusting your cleats on short rides to find the optimal position. Please avoid making changes prior to long rides.
About the Author
Rob Poulton originator of wekeepyoucycling.com supplying a complete range of Bicycle tires,Bicycle saddles,Bicycle seats,Selle Italia Saddles,Selle San Marco Saddles,Selle SMP Saddles,Silca Pumps,Look Pedals,Time pedals. If you are looking for Bicycle pedals , visit: We Keep You Cycling
Pedal Pumping in my Mercurial cleats
|
|
Crank Brothers Pedal SHOE CLEAT SET PREMIUM CLEATS $24.99 |
|
|
VP Road Bike Pedals Shimano SPD Comaptible with Cleats Silver $40.00 |
|
|
Shimano Dura Ace 7800 Pedal Replacement Cleat Plates Covers $9.99 |
|
|
NEW KEO 2 Max Pedals in Box with Cleats $85.00 |
|
|
SHIMANO PD-M424 SPD WITH SM-SH51 CLEATS MTB BIKE BLACK/SILVER CLIPLESS PEDALS $60.00 |
|
|
SHIMANO PD-A520 SPORT SPD WITH SM-SH51 CLEAT SILVER ROAD BIKE CLIPLESS PEDALS $60.00 |
|
|
nashbar Nashbar Mountain Bike pedals new no cleats $7.99 |
|
|
Time Atac XS clipless pedal and cleats Campagnolo Shimano Sram track fixie road $9.99 |
|
|
Time Extreme Carbon MTB pedals clipless NOS vintage – with cleats $149.00 |
|
|
Shimano 105 PD-5700 SPD-SL Black Bike Pedals w/Cleats, Brand New $45.00 |
|
|
Shimano PD-A530 Road Bike Bicycle Pedals with SPD cleats PDA530 – Silver $76.95 |
|
|
Shimano PD-A530 Road Bike Bicycle Pedals with SPD cleats PDA530 – Black $76.95 |
|
|
Look Keo Classic Road Bicycle Clipless Pedals with Cleats $14.99 |
|
|
Time ATAC Mountain Bicycle Clipless Pedals and New Cleats $34.99 |
|
|
Shimano Ultegra PD-6500 Clipless Mountain Bicycle Pedals NO Cleats $24.99 |
|
|
Bebop clipless pedals SS stainless steel 197 grams – New in the box, with cleats $159.00 |
|
|
Shimano PD-M540 Mountain Bike MTB Pedals PDM540 with cleats – Silver $69.95 |
|
|
Shimano PD-M540 Mountain Bike MTB Pedals PDM540 with cleats – Bronze $69.95 |
|
|
Time Sprint Le Defi clipless pedals road vintage with box and cleats! $89.00 |
|
|
LOOK Delta Bi Material Red Pedal Cleats w/ 9° Float SPD Clipless Road Bike $20.49 |
|
|
Speedplay X5 Pedals And Cleats $19.99 |
|
|
Titanium / Ti Bolt – Shimano SPD M980, M970, M780,M770, M647, M545, Pedal Cleat $15.00 |
|
|
SHIMANO ULTEGRA 6700G SPD-SL ROAD PEDALS – W/CLEATS – BRAND NEW! $125.00 |
|
|
New Exustar MTB Shimano SPD Pedal Cleats E-C06 Ti 11g $84.95 |
|
|
SHIMANO PD-R540 WHITE SPD-SL ROAD BIKE PEDALS WITH CLEATS DuraAce 105 Compatible $52.90 |
|
|
“Redbike” New Wellgo Cleat set 98A for SPD MTB pedal $13.49 |
|
|
Shimano SPD-SL Cleats Pedal SM-SH11 “New” $9.90 |
|
|
Shimano PD A530 SPD Pedals Mountain Bike Road Hybrid Cleats Silver $2.75 |
|
|
LOOK GENUINE KEO PEDAL CLEATS – GREY (FREE ARC – 4.5 DEGREE FLOAT) $18.74 |
|
|
Shimano SPD PD-A600 Pedal with Cleats $69.99 |
|
|
Shimano PD-A600 Ultegra SPD Road Bike Pedals withSH-51 Cleats $80.00 |
|
|
NEW Look Keo Blade Carbon Pedals // Clipless Road Bike Pair Cleats Covers Pair $33.00 |
|
|
KOOL KOVERS LOOK KEO BICYCLE PEDAL CLEAT COVERS $13.43 |
|
|
Speedplay Frog Stainless Steel Clipless Bicycle Pedals NO Cleats $0.99 |
|
|
KOOL KOVERS DELTA LOOK BICYCLE PEDAL CLEAT COVERS $13.47 |
|
|
Shimano PD-1056 SPD-SL clipless road pedals (Look, Time, Keo) + cleats $25.00 |
|
|
Shimano Ultegra 6610 Pedals // Road Bike Clipless Left Right Pair Cleats Bicycle $19.99 |
|
|
SPEEDPLAY ZERO Ti PEDALS black with cleats $300.00 |
|
|
SHIMANO PD-R540 BLACK SPD-SL Clipless Road Bike Pedals w/ Cleats 105 Compatible $52.90 |
|
|
SHIMANO XT PEDALS WITH CLEATS USED $49.00 |
|
|
Crank Brothers Mountain bike pedals, Cleats included, only used a few times $6.03 |
|
|
Look Keo 2 MAX Pedals in White + Grey Cleats **New** $133.22 |
|
|
Shimano PD-M324 MTB Mountain Bike Pedals + SPD Cleats $30.00 |
|
|
Shimano M505-SPD Pedals – New Cleats Included $9.99 |
|
|
Look Quartz MTB & CX Cycling Pedals w box Papers and 4 pair of Cleats with Shims $12.50 |
|
|
NEW Wellgo W-41 Road Pedals with Cleats plus a * FREE 2oz bottle of Chain Lube * $15.00 |
|
|
NEW CRANK BROTHERS CANDY 3 PEDAL WITH CLEAT SILVER PEDALS BLACK BIKE BICYCLE $74.39 |
|
|
* 2012 LOOK Keo Classic Black Road Bike Pedals NEW clipless clip in grey cleats $79.95 |
|
|
New! Time Pedal Cleats and Sole Adapters 3 Bolt Road Convert to Speedplay $24.99 |
|
|
Shimano PD A530 SPD Pedals Mountain Bike Road Hybrid Cleats Silver $10.55 |
|
|
Shimano SPD-SL Cleats Pedal SM-SH11 “New” $9.90 |
|
|
Flagler EC-30 Lockformer Cleat Folder 20GA w foot pedal $4,999.99 |
|
|
XTR and Deore Pedals with 1 set used cleats $99.00 |
|
|
Shimano ULTEGRA SPD SL Carbon Pedals + Cleats: PD-6700C CARBON. Brand New. NR $51.00 |
|
|
Shimano SPD-SL Cleats Pedal SM-SH11 “New” $9.90 |
|
|
Shimano PD A530 SPD Pedals Mountain Bike Road Hybrid Cleats Silver $10.50 |
|
|
SHIMANO BICYCLE BIKE SM-SH56 SH56 SPD PEDAL CLEATS NEW $15.74 |
|
|
Kool Kover Cleat Covers for SpeedPlay X Series Pedals $15.29 |
|
|
SHIMANO DURA ACE RED PEDAL CLEATS SM-SH10 SPD-SL $23.74 |
|
|
Crank Brothers CANDY 3 SPD Road Bike Pedals – RED with cleats NEW in box $79.90 |
|
|
LOOK DELTA Bi-Materials Cleat Set with Hardware Pedals FREE Shipping $1.04 |
|
|
SHIMANO SPD-R SH-R072 MEN’S SZ 10 BLACK CYCLING SHOES CLIPLESS PEDAL CLEAT $25.00 |
|
|
Crank Brothers Mallet 2 Pedals // Clipless Mountain Bike MTB Cleats Downhill FR $14.50 |
|
|
TIME ALIUM ATAC MTN BIKE PEDALS W/CLEATS $7.49 |
|
|
Speedplay X/5 road pedals with cleats/covers $22.72 |
|
|
Shimano Ultegra pedals – use mtn SPD cleat $22.00 |
|
|
Shimano Dura Ace PD 7900 Road Bicycle Pedals-New-Carbon Composite-Cleats $269.99 |
|
|
Time ATAC XS Pedals Used Cycling Mountain Biking With Cleats $26.20 |
|
|
Look MP 90 MP90 red mountain bike mtb pedal cleats; NIB ARC chic! $0.99 |
|
|
SpeedPlay Zero STAINLESS STEEL pedals w/ ZERO cleats included $91.00 |
|
|
Cleat Sets for MKS EXA Pedal. $39.00 |
|
|
LOT 3 sets LOOK Keo Pedal Cleats unopened packages $5.50 |
|
|
Look Quartz mountain bike mtb pedal cleats; 15° of NIB ballast! $0.99 |
|
|
WELLGO RC-5 CLEAT PEDALS LOOK ARC ROAD 54G PAIR c $14.99 |
|
|
Brand New TIME iClic Carbon Pedals w/cleats NIB $125.00 |
|
|
Shimano Spd M647 Pedals With Cleats New! $59.99 |
|
|
Shimano Deore XT PD-M780 Mountain Pedals include cleats, BRAND NEW $59.00 |
|
|
LOOK QUARTZ BIKE BICYCLE CLIP PEDALS GIANT GT CANNONDALE TREK PRO PEDALS CLEATS $62.73 |
|
|
TIME ICLIC RACER CARBOFLEX ROAD PEDALS WHITE WITH CLEATS BRAND NEW!!!!!!! $103.00 |
|
|
Bell Slant mountain bike helmet and Shimano PD-M324 pedals +cleats – NO RESERVE $13.16 |
|
|
New Xpedo XRF07MC Pedal Road Bike Come With Cleat Set – BLACK $83.50 |
|
|
2 PAIR, Mens Size 10.5-11 SPD cycling shoes with cleats and Shimano Pedals $20.50 |
|
|
Forza Look Pedal Compatible Fixed Float Road Bike Cleats New $8.00 |
|
|
Campagnolo Pro Fit Pedal Cleats Fixed No Float NEW $18.00 |
|
|
Campagnolo Pro Fit Pedal Cleats Fixed No Float NEW $18.00 |
|
|
Used Campagnolo Campy Chorus Pro-Fit Plus Road Bike Cycling Pedals with Cleats $84.99 |
|
|
SHIMANO PD-R540 WHITE ROAD BIKE BICYCLE PEDALS AND CLEATS NEW 2012 $49.87 |
|
|
NEW Shimano SM-SH51 SPD Mountain Bike Single Release Clipless Pedal Cleats $17.99 |
|
|
Shimano DX Mountain Bike DH Pedals Clipless SPD BMX FreeRide No Cleats $9.00 |
|
|
4 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 10mm BLACK For Shimano, Time, Look $1.55 |
|
|
4 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 16mm Stainless Steel For Shimano, Time, Look $1.55 |
|
|
4 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 16mm BLACK For Shimano, Time, Look $1.55 |
|
|
4 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 12mm BLACK For Shimano, Time, Look $1.55 |
|
|
4 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 12mm Stainless Steel For Shimano, Time, Look $1.55 |
|
|
24 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 10mm, 12mm 0r 16mm STAINLESS – Bulk Pack SUPERB VALUE $2.34 |
|
|
24 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 10mm, 12mm 0r 16mm STAINLESS – Bulk Pack SUPERB VALUE $2.34 |
|
|
24 x SPD Pedal Cleat Bolts 10mm, 12mm 0r 16mm STAINLESS – Bulk Pack SUPERB VALUE $2.34 |
|
|
Shimano PD A530 SPD Pedals Mountain Bike Road Hybrid Cleats Silver $10.50 |
|
|
Shimano SPD-SL Cleats Pedal SM-SH11 “New” $9.90 |
|
|
NEW SPD Bike Pedals with Cleats $35.00 |
|
|
Shimano PD-M737 SPD Cleat bolts (M5x11.5-mm) $0.85 Shimano Pedal Small PartsItem SpecificationsUnit of SaleEachFitsSPDCleat Bolt PatternSPDFloat0deg… |
|
|
Shimano SPD-SL 10mm Cleat Fixing Bolt Set/6 $6.00 Shimano Pedal Small PartsItem SpecificationsUnit of SaleSet/6FitsSPD-SLCleat Bolt PatternSPD-SL… |
|
|
5 x 16mm Bolt for SPD Cleats, Bag of 10 $4.68 Various Manufacturers Pedal Bolts for SPD Cleats.Countersunk headUses 3mm hexItem SpecificationsFitsSPD Cleats… |
|
|
Shimano SPD Sealed Bearing Road Pedals Wellgo,Silver $28.80 Lightweight with sealed bearing road pedals 279g/pr. Includes left and right pedal and shimano 98A cleats… |
|
|
Kool Kovers-Cleat covers for Shimano SPD-SL Pedal Systems $10.99 Kool Kovers eases walking and prevents cleat wear. Made from high-quality thermoplastic elastomer providing long lasting performance with greater durability while maintaining pliability in a wide temperature range.Compatible with both fixed and floating cleatsPrevents mud and dirt build-upLightweight, flexible and durableMade from high-quality thermoplastic elastomerEasy to attach, remove and stor… |
|
|
Venzo Mountain Bike Bicycle Cycling Shimano SPD Shoes + Pedals & Cleats 45 $65.00 Cycling shoes Size: US Man: 10.5 Features: the award-winning technology for performance.Upper: Quick-drying, highly-breathable mesh and synthetic.Lining: Textile with removable sockliner.Cut: Low-cut construction for a light, fast fit and feel.Flexible forefoot and a running shoe beveled heel.Compatible with all Shimano SPD pedal systems.Weight: 640g = 22.5oz(Size 44)Place of… |
|
|
Venzo Mountain Bike Bicycle Cycling Shimano SPD Shoes + Pedals & Cleats 44 $65.00 Cycling shoes Size: US Man: 9.5 , Women: 11Features: the award-winning technology for performance.Upper: Quick-drying, highly-breathable mesh and synthetic.Lining: Textile with removable sockliner.Cut: Low-cut construction for a light, fast fit and feel.Flexible forefoot and a running shoe beveled heel.Compatible with all Shimano SPD pedal systems.Weight: 640g = 22.5oz(Size 4… |
|
|
Shimano SM-SH56 SPD Cleat Set $13.00 Shimano SPD cleats can easily be replaced which will keep your pedal performing optimally by eliminating unnecessary wear and tear.Two-hole SPD cleat mountItem SpecificationsColorSilverUnit of SalePairFitsAll SPD pedals except PD-M858Cleat Bolt PatternSPDFloat0deg… |
|
|
Shimano PD-M324 Clipless/Clip Pedals $45.99 Shimano M324 Clipless SPD/Cage Mountain/Road Pedals. SPD clipless on one side, standard clip/strap on otherCup and cone bearingsIncludes SM-SH56 cleatsItem SpecificationsColorSilverUnit of SalePairWeight530gIntended UseRoad,MountainMaterialAluminumPedal Spindle9/16″Material (Spindle)ChromolyPedal TypeClipless,Cage… |
|
|
Shimano PD-A530 SPD Dual Platform Pedal $99.95 The Shimano PD-A530 SPD Road Dual Platform Bike Pedal makes the ideal choice for your around-town bike that sees both long rides to work and short trips to the store. An SPD cleat on one side lets you clip in when you leave the house for your 40-minute morning bike commute, and the platform side lets you hop on with your regular shoes for a quick coffee run.Product FeaturesMaterial: Aluminum, stee… |
