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Mid Foot Cleat position

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  • March 16, 2014 at 8:18 am #20952
    smuggers

    Just interested to hear if anybody else is using a mid foot cleat position & their reasons for doing so? I’ve had terrible knee problems for years, due to over pronation & basically faffing with cleat positioning & different pedal systems.. I have seen a guy twice over the past year & he recommended cleat wedges & orthotics, along with a bike fit, which I went ahead with. I’ve had my bikes on the turbo & been trying to fine tune my cleat position for about two weeks now & I’m getting fed up with being unable to get a comfortable set up. So I’ve been doing a bit of googling & come across quite a lot of information about mid foot cleat positioning & this link in particular is very interesting & seems quite in depth. https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/04/power-to-the-pedal-cleat-position/ . I use shimano mtb, spd’s for all my bikes & I’m thinking of putting the cleat as far back as it will go. My thinking is, if I have the cleat set further back, will this mean I should eliminate the over pronation in my feet? & I will have to drop my saddle to compensate for lack of heel drop in a mid foot cleat position? Any advice would be appreciated thanks.. 🙂

    smuggers..

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  • November 17, 2014 at 8:50 am #780811
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    Hammer

    Hey Smuggers,
    How is the
    Hey Smuggers,

    How is the midsole cleat thing working out for you?

    I have been using midsole cleats for three years now due to an old leg injury and it is the only thing that allows me to ride.
    Works great on the road bike, but can be a bit of a back jolter on the rigid mountainbikes on rough terrain. (just have to remember to keep the old knees bent).

    As for the comment about no pros using midsole cleats… Susanne Ljungskog from Sweden won the World Championships using midsole cleats…

    I just got a pair of custom shoes delivered from luck.es for 113 euro with midsole cleat attachments. I run an extreme midsole, 62-63mm behind the normal position….

    March 16, 2014 at 10:05 pm #780809
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    BBB

    Pros don’t use it so it can’t
    Pros don’t use it so it can’t be beneficial (just like 25mm tyres a few years back) 😉

    Let’s not confuse assumptions with evidence.

    March 16, 2014 at 5:47 pm #780807
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    Nick T

    Under the big toe joint is
    Under the big toe joint is best, but most people are spectacularly wrong at judging where that point is when they’ve got shoes on. So, too far back being the lesser evil than too far forwards, try sliding them back. I don’t buy this “mid foot” position theory though, any more than I buy into padded trainers that encourage runners to heel strike.

    March 16, 2014 at 5:18 pm #780805
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    mtbtomo

    I have the cleats pushed as
    I have the cleats pushed as far back as they will go on every set of shoes I have – road or mtb. It seems the only way to get the cleat just behind the centre of the ball of my foot. I just can’t imagine having cleats further forward and feeling like I’m pedalling with my toes

    I’ve recently been having knee problems (well, right knee only) with the road pedals, which I’ve only been using for about 6 months. Gone back to mtb spd’s seems to have alleviated the problem, so I can only presume the increased float is what I need. I’ve got some Speedplays to try.

    I would have thought a comfortable cleat position would help you ride further and faster, regardless of what the pro’s do.

    March 16, 2014 at 4:57 pm #780803
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    smuggers

    Thanks for the replies guys..
    Thanks for the replies guys.. I know lot’s of Triathletes use the mid foot cleat position, because it’s been proven to beneficial for the run after the effort on the bike. My situation is different & relates to my over pronation at the forefoot, my right foot being quite bad and I have three wedges under this cleat.. I’m just thinking if I set the position further back, I would eliminate some of the over pronation I get from a more traditional cleat position? I no longer ride competitively, so I’m not to fussed about the pros & cons of the mid foot cleat position..I just want to be able to ride more regularly without knee pain..I’ve not ridden for 5 days, due to pain in both knee’s..I’ve not been pushing that hard really, concentrating more on cadence due to the stop start nature of my cycling at the moment.. Thanks for the link kcr.. It certainly gets you thinking..

    Smuggers…

    March 16, 2014 at 11:41 am #780801
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    kcr

    One of my club mates did a
    One of my club mates did a lot of work on this (modifying shoe soles to fit cleats mid sole, etc) and he was convinced he got an advantage from it. Joe Friel has investigated it as well, and uses it himself:
    http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/03/midsole-bike-cleat-running-performance.html
    The conventional cleat position is used by most people because that’s just how shoes are made, and mid sole might cause front wheel toe overlap for some people.
    No harm in having a go, but you will probably have to do a bit of DIY on your shoes.

    March 16, 2014 at 10:46 am #780799
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    Jezzag

    I haven’t gone quite that far
    I haven’t gone quite that far but did follow Steve Hogg’s advice and shift the cleats further back than I had before. It certainly feels beneficial but you need to measure carefully and ensure you get it right.

    March 16, 2014 at 9:53 am #780797
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    Welsh boy

    It does not seem very
    It does not seem very convincing to me for 2 main reasons. The first is that you only have to look at the professional riders who will try anything to give them a slight advantage over the competition, do you see ANY of them using that position? No. That tells me that it cant be beneficial in any way or in any given condition. The second reason is that if you jump on your bike with non cycling shows on, where do you naturally position your foot? I doubt very much if it is in the mid foot position (unless you ride like the local drunk coming home from the pub after a skinful). But, if it works for you, go with it.

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