Clipless w/float and platform please

[paddleboy17]

Setting up shoe cleats is not supposed to be that hard.
The cleat is perpendicular to a line running through the ball of foot.  The cleat is also aligned with the center of the shoe.  If you need to ride with pigeon toe then you have a foot bed issue.  Fine tweaks are possible after that with cleat wedges.

Danno

[staehpj1]

Also SPD's have always had 6° of float.

Do you have a link that says that?  I checked several listings and... They all said that SPD as 4 degrees and SPD-SL as 6 degrees.

Note that both real Shimano and Wellgo list 4° of float for non SL models which are a different product entirely.

[whittierider]

If you need to ride with pigeon toe then you have a foot bed issue.  Fine tweaks are possible after that with cleat wedges.

No, pidgeon-toed is not what I need, but it's what happens if I have float, and it hurts my knees.  I need to ride the other way (heels in, toes out); and when the cleats hold my feet this way, the pressure I put on the sole of the shoe is rather even left to right, without wedges.

[paddleboy17]

I mispoke, but I still have the same conclusion.

No, pidgeon-toed is not what I need, but it's what happens if I have float, and it hurts my knees.  I need to ride the other way (heels in, toes out); and when the cleats hold my feet this way, the pressure I put on the sole of the shoe is rather even left to right, without wedges.

When your feet a properly supported, you should be able to ride a complete power stroke with your feet parallel to the crank.  I will grant you one exception.  

I have flat feet, and my feet never saw a corrected foot bed until my late 30's.  My calves come out from my knees at a funky angle.  So I will concede that environment may produce feet that defy a corrective foot bed.

I used to ride with my heels in (duck?).  Once I hit 40, I had also sorts of orthopedic issues that youth had masked.  When I had knee pain it was due to one of two problems:
[list=1]

• too slow cadence (too much knee strain)
• Poor foot alignment (correctable with foot beds)

For me with my flat feet, I don't need much of an arch, but I do need a canted foot bed.  My full custom foot beds are too big for my bike shoes.  I got the othotist (aka the foot bed guy), to laminate foam rubber onto an off the shelf foot bed and mill it to the proper angle.  He charges me $40, and all I have to do is leave the shoes and foot bed with him for a day or two.

I am sure that you can do something similar in your neighborhood.

Danno

[whittierider]

Can you explain what you mean by "foot bed."  My cadence is 100-110, I have narrow feet with excellent arches, I don't pronate, the tennis shoes I walk in wear quite evenly, and I've never had any foot or ankle problems of any kind.  I'm 48.  I get a lot of compliments on my riding posture, smoothness, and how easy I make it look.  I walk with toes slightly out (ie, not pointed straight ahead), and I need to pedal the same way, which I think is probably best for most people.  However, one knee has been particularly sensitive to not having the foot held at this angle, due to a string of minor injuries starting at age 6, plus some nutritional errors I made for years.

[DaveB]

Also SPD's have always had 6° of float.

Do you have a link that says that?  I checked several listings and... They all said that SPD as 4 degrees and SPD-SL as 6 degrees.

Note that both real Shimano and Wellgo list 4° of float for non SL models which are a different product entirely.

I just checked the QBP web site and you are correct that they list 4° of float for both Shimano and Wellgo pedals.  However, having used both, I can assure you Shimano pedals have more angular float then Wellgo's.

I wonder if Shimano's have +/-4° of float for 8° total?  They certainly have more than Wellgos and that's the only explanation I can think of.

And yes, I'm well aware of the difference between Shimano's MTB pedals and their "SL" road pedals.

This message was edited by DaveB on 8-15-08 @ 7:55 PM

[staehpj1]

Quality control seems like it might be poor on the Wellgos so maybe they are variable from one set to another, but the Wellgos on my daughter's bike seem to have a bit more float than the spds on my bike.  Both have lots of miles on them and hers feel kind of worn out so I suspect that the extra is from wear despite the fact that the spds have much more mileage on them.

That said I doubt your statement that the Wellgos have less float, at least in the case of the two pairs that I have experience with.  They were both purchased at the same time so perhaps a different batch might be different.

Edit: Forgot to mention...  There is no way that any of the SPDs in my stable have 4 degrees each way for a total of 8 degrees of float.

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 8-16-08 @ 3:57 AM

[paddleboy17]

A foot bed is that insert that goes into your shoes.   Most bike shoes have pretty pathetic foot beds.  Some bike shoes run pretty narrow, so maybe that is the manufacturers way to make volume for bigger feet.

If you live in SE Michigan, I can recommend a good orthotist.  You meet for an examination, they watch how you walk, they take impressions of your feet.  Ultimately they make a foot bed or insert for you.  My orthotist likes to make 3/4 composite inserts.  These won't fit in my bike shoes, which is why I had him modify an off the shelf foot bed.  

Actually you might try an off the shelf foot bed.  Super Feet are pretty good and available from REI.  

You might also look into cleat cants (wedged shims) from Greg Lemond.  Your correction might be very close already, and only need a slight canting of your cleats.  The retailing bike shop is supposed to be able to measure you feet and tell you how much of a cant you need.  Greg Lemond sell the instruments as well as the shims.  You could check out his web site for more information.  I needed 5 layers of shims which is why I looked into foot beds.  

Your higher cadence is not at fault. We all pedal at a high enough cadence that we can suffer from repetitive strain injuries.

Danno