Pedals and Cleats

decrrrrrr

Finally invested in them and, apart from falling off once (long story :rolleyes:), they are brilliant...

I have a question though for the experts.

When the cleat/shoe is locked in the pedal, there is side to side movement at the bottom (end closet to heel) of the cleat - about a quarter inch either way. Is this how it should be...?

Pedal and Cleats are Keo and came as a set...

Pherekydes

decrrrrrr wrote: »

When the cleat/shoe is locked in the pedal, there is side to side movement at the bottom (end closet to heel) of the cleat - about a quarter inch either way. Is this how it should be...?

Yes. It's called float. It's to allow individual movement of the knee and ankle joints.

I'm no expert, though.

E@gle.

yes your more than likely using the keo Red cleats

barkar

I too invested in a pair of cycling shoes pedals and cleats , all shimano, thought they brilliant as well unfortunately i fell out on the second or third ride, ended up popping my elbow out , which made me change back to normal pedals !!! . I am keen to put them back on again, but am petrified i wont be able to click out in time and fall over . I think i had them set up to lowest release re tension before , but is there any other way of reducing the tension further or reducing the chances of me doing another act 2!

kenmc

If you had them set to the lowest tension then you should almost fall out of them as you are falling over. Double check the settings.

Ghost Rider

You could try practicing the movement by propping yourself up against a wall or holding onto a pole.

barkar wrote: »

I too invested in a pair of cycling shoes pedals and cleats , all shimano, thought they brilliant as well unfortunately i fell out on the second or third ride, ended up popping my elbow out , which made me change back to normal pedals !!! . I am keen to put them back on again, but am petrified i wont be able to click out in time and fall over . I think i had them set up to lowest release re tension before , but is there any other way of reducing the tension further or reducing the chances of me doing another act 2!

E@gle.

barkar wrote: »

I too invested in a pair of cycling shoes pedals and cleats , all shimano, thought they brilliant as well unfortunately i fell out on the second or third ride, ended up popping my elbow out , which made me change back to normal pedals !!! . I am keen to put them back on again, but am petrified i wont be able to click out in time and fall over . I think i had them set up to lowest release re tension before , but is there any other way of reducing the tension further or reducing the chances of me doing another act 2!

The best thing to do is get on the bike and sit on it in a door way so u can lean against something and you wont fall off and practice clipping in and out a few times. worked for me

barkar

yeah, thought i had done all that , practiced against a wall seemed ok beforehand, tension per the instructions were set at the lowest,would vaseline between the cleats and the pedal make any difference ie likely to slide out quicker ???

kenmc

something other than vaseline - it will attract all sorts of stones and crud and might cause you to actually get locked in!

E@gle.

barkar wrote: »

yeah, thought i had done all that , practiced against a wall seemed ok beforehand, tension per the instructions were set at the lowest,would vaseline between the cleats and the pedal make any difference ie likely to slide out quicker ???

what kind of pedals are you using??

your not using the unio pedals are you??

Danbo!

i changed to cleats about 6 weeks ago now and finding them great. 1 fall but that was due to stupidity.. happened when i was standing at lights, left foot down and a gust of wind pushed me to the right. the only time i ever unclip that foot is when im getting off the bike so i wasnt used to it and fell... say it looked pretty funny.

as well as practicing its good to know when to unclip as well. When im coming to traffic lights (obviously) but if im passing a long line of traffic ill unclip the left foot and keep pedalling with the centre of my foot in case someone opens a door or cuts me off.

barkar

Yeah i have shimano shoes and cleats, for a road bike therefore the triangle cleats, true my fall was when i was practically stationary so i suppose not a lot you can do in those situations , just that i would prefer that if a person pulls out in front of me when out on the road or reverses back on top of me (in this case), i know that i wouldnt end up collapsing again. Most of my cycles are out in the country side with an odd village thrown in between, but surely when in city traffic you wouldnt be clicked in all the time especially with lights and traffic etc. Suppose the only consolation is that if out on open road one would have more time to take preventative action.

giardiniera

i've just started using cleats too, only been out 4 times and fallen over 3. its is all my own fault but i'm hoping to get the hang of it. might try practicing in a doorway tho sounds like a good idea.

doozerie

decrrrrrr wrote: »

Finally invested in them and, apart from falling off once (long story :rolleyes:), they are brilliant...

I have a question though for the experts.

When the cleat/shoe is locked in the pedal, there is side to side movement at the bottom (end closet to heel) of the cleat - about a quarter inch either way. Is this how it should be...?

Pedal and Cleats are Keo and came as a set...

As previous posters mentioned, yes this "float" is normal. The red Look/Keo cleats have that play/float in them, the black cleats don't.

The black cleats are fine if you have no existing knee or ankle injuries and you position them correctly on the shoes - otherwise, the fact that they keep your feet in the same position all of the time can aggravate your knees and potentially your ankles too. The red cleats allow a little movement so that your knees/ankles have a bit of freedom to move about, and they are generally a safer bet.

Other manufacturers typically offer a float option with their pedals too, and they'll probably always sell you the cleats that provide float unless you specifically ask for the non-float cleats.

doozerie

giardiniera wrote: »

i've just started using cleats too, only been out 4 times and fallen over 3. its is all my own fault but i'm hoping to get the hang of it. might try practicing in a doorway tho sounds like a good idea.

Also, when on the road, test clicking in and out in various positions on the bike e.g. while sitting on the saddle, while standing on the pedals (making sure that most of your weight is on the foot that you are not clicking out!), etc. Ideally, you'll want to be used to clicking out in all situations.

It is also worth practicing on both feet. Chances are, as we cycle on the left hand side of the road in this country, you'll be more used to putting your left foot down when you stop, but you'll be safer if you are also comfortable with putting your right foot down should you ever need to.

giardiniera

thanks for that all advice is much appriciated. i know i'll get the hang of it with more practice any excuse to get out sure.