Foot Position on Roadbike Pedals

Thargor

When you push down on roadbike pedals like these:



Do you find that most of the pressure is on the balls of your feet? Ive cycled with the same standard flat MTB pedals all my life and I think Ive been putting most of the pressure on my arches.

These pedals seem to be designed to place the balls at the point of maximum force because you obviously cant push any further forward due to the plastic clip.

Im getting good speed and power out of it and definitely noticing the extra power in pulling up as well as pushing down especially starting off and theres no pain or numbness like the guides tell you to watch out for or anything it just feels a bit odd to be honest, like I want to push my foot another inch or 2 forward but cant. Is it just a matter of getting used to the new technique or am I doing something wrong?

**Timbuk2**

As far as I know, the balls of your feet are where you get maximum power output from. It feels a bit weird when you're starting out, but you get used to it.

You could change to clipless pedals if you wanted (where there are no clips, but a cleat stuck to your shoe that engages into the pedal). The cleats are supposed to go under the balls of your foot, but you can slide the cleat backwards a bit if you'd prefer the balls of your feet to be slightly forward of the pedal.

kumate_champ07

can you get larger clips? also besides pushing down and pulling up you can push forward, it uses different muscles and can be a nice change.

Thargor

Well it was only my third ride on them and its better every time so Id say its just a case of getting used to it, I just wanted to be sure I wasnt doing something completely wrong, Ill see how it is in a weeks time.

victorcarrera

Ideally the pressure should be on the inner and outer balls of the feet as in your pic. I have toe clip pedals on a hybrid that I regularly use with a pair of rigid soled cycling specific shoes. The shoes were 70 Euros to buy but well worth it for the comfort compared to runners which is what I was using previously.
If the toe clips are tight there is not much difference between them and clipless unless you are sprinting or pulling hard on climbs.
If you were cycling on your arches up to now I would say there was something wrong with your set up.

zil

Has there actually been any studies done on the effectiveness of cleat / pedal positioning? I know I run my clips way back on my mountain bike as I feel more stable standing on the pedals and I certainly remember reading some stuff when I was first positioning the cleats that said there was no conclusive evidence as to whether positioning cleats on the balls of your feet increases power. Can't see to find the article now though

Billycake

Check out Joe Friels blog, he has a piece on it that makes interesting reading. The link to the particular post is http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/03/midsole-bike-cleat-running-performance.html.

ozzy jr

Thargor wrote: »

When you push down on roadbike pedals like these:



Do you find that most of the pressure is on the balls of your feet? Ive cycled with the same standard flat MTB pedals all my life and I think Ive been putting most of the pressure on my arches.

These pedals seem to be designed to place the balls at the point of maximum force because you obviously cant push any further forward due to the plastic clip.

Im getting good speed and power out of it and definitely noticing the extra power in pulling up as well as pushing down especially starting off and theres no pain or numbness like the guides tell you to watch out for or anything it just feels a bit odd to be honest, like I want to push my foot another inch or 2 forward but cant. Is it just a matter of getting used to the new technique or am I doing something wrong?

How are you getting on with these clips after a few months? I went for a short spin on my new bike today and this is exactly how I felt. Like you I've on Mountain bikes for years. Should I perservere?

Thargor

Yeah I dont even notice it anymore, it feels totally natural now. Loving this bike, best thing I ever bought.