By Coach Robert Wilhite
Talk about opening up a can of worms. Well, the subject of having float or not in your cleat system, is one sure to stir up the can. For someone who has no interest in being politically correct, my motivation is always to tell the truth with respect. That said, no matter what perspective on float you have chosen to accept or believe, my hope is that you read this article with an open mind. It might surprise you what you may learn.
To start off, let me explain float, as I can’t assume that everyone who reads this will automatically know what that is. Simply put, a cleat that has float allows you to move (or swivel) your heel from side to side, while your shoe is clipped into the pedal. Of course, zero float means when you clip in, that swivel ability is not there; your shoe stays in a static position.
For example, this image above shows cleats for Look Keo pedals. The black cleat is a zero float, the red is a 9 degree float and the grey cleat is 4 1/2 degree float. If you use Shimano SPD-SL cleats, the image below shows your option of cleats. The red cleat has zero float, the blue cleat has 3 degree float and the yellow cleat has 6 degree float.
The Speedplay Zero pedal system below has 15 degree float, allowing you to adjust the float from wide open (15 degrees), down to a fixed position (or zero float).
There are other systems out there, but for the sake of space, I am limiting my spotlight on these three pedal systems because they are by far the most widely used brands for road cyclists.
Back to the float for a minute. Whatever the degree of float a cleat has, means you can swivel your heel half that amount in either direction. For example, if you have the yellow Shimano 6 degree float cleats, that means you can actually swivel your heel approximately 3 degrees to the right and left from a center position.
To Float Or Not To Float
Next, I want to tackle the different perspectives of using…or not using…cleats with float. First, let’s start with zero float cleats. If you google enough, then you will find that the overwhelmingly majority of the cycling industry steers you away from using zero float cleats. Their reasoning is that if you use these type cleats, then the result is that you are locking down your shoes in a static position.
This zero float doesn’t allow you to have any play or swivel in your foot position and therefore affects the position of your knees in the same fashion. Their argument is that if you lock down your feet and knees in a static, repetitive position, then the result will be potential knee injury to the tendons and ligaments that are so sensitive around the front and back of your knees. At first glance, this sounds totally plausible and would certainly lead you to believe that you better choose a cleat that has float, to avoid this potential injury.
Obviously, if someone has had previous knee injuries or surgeries, then the level of sensitivity only rises regarding the protection of your knees, leading many to gravitate to cleats that have the most amount of float. To some degree, I absolutely agree with this perspective.
Now, I am going to share with you, from a bio-mechanical perspective, the very reasons why the cycling industry says you should NOT use zero float cleats. In my opinion, these are the very reasons why you SHOULD use zero float cleats. Sounds crazy, right? Hang with me and I’ll explain my case. Then you decide.
Bio-Mechanics
The next time you walk down a hall, pay attention to how each of your feet strikes the ground, as it relates to a center, straight line. Typically, the majority of us walks in a way that each foot is angled out to the side a bit and the rare few whose feet strike the ground in a perfect parallel position. Obviously, the way your feet strike the ground is what is natural to you…and to each individual foot; there is no cookie-cutter guideline for this. Everybody is different. Every foot is different.
Here’s a little drill for you, but you will need a helper. I want you to start walking towards your helper and find a fixed point to keep your eyes on; this allows you to walk a straight line. When you reach your helper, stop so that each foot is beside each other. Each foot will mirror the same angle they stuck the ground when you were walking, with a slight caveat. When you actually stop, there is a tendency for your feet to slightly adjust, meaning the angle your feet are when you stop may not be the exact angle they were striking the ground when you were walking.
This is why you need a helper to identify if this slight adjustment happens when you stop. By the way, if you look down at your feet while walking, it won’t ensure you walk an actual straight line, so keep your eyes fixed on that point. When I’m doing a cleat fitting, I crouch down to the floor and hold up my fist in the air and instruct Clients to keep their eyes on my fist. Works every time.
Movement Means Power Loss and More
Now, let’s assume that both feet are angled out a bit from a center line position, with your heels being closer together than the opposite end of your feet. Pay attention to your knees. Feel any uncomfortableness or tightness? Of course not, because you are standing in what is a natural position for you.
Next, I want you to purposefully pick up your heels and move them away from each other, so that now your feet are in a perfect parallel position to each other. Pay attention to your knees. Feel any uncomfortableness or tightness now? Though it may be very slight, you should be nodding your head yes. What you feel is your tendons and ligaments in an unnatural position and are now being stretched in such a way that is not natural for your feet alignment.
Again, it may be slight, but it is very significant down the road (pun intended). The way this unnatural feeling translates to your cleats with float (I’m assuming that’s what you have) is each time your shoe swivels side to side, you are literally placing your foot (and knees) in and out of their natural, bio-mechanical position.
The problem is that you are out of this correct position twice as much as you are in, when you are pedaling. Furthermore, it is a power loss because when you are out of your natural bio-mechanical position, you are de-activating certain muscle groups, while transferring the workload to fewer muscles. Anytime you disengage muscles, you lose power. Period.
If that were not enough, you also need to realize that this slight tight feeling is not something that you will easily notice when cycling.
Why? Literally, because the pain is so little, compared to the pain you may feel in your thighs, your hamstrings, your back, your neck or even the ever popular numbness in your hands — it just can’t compete. But, that doesn’t mean that it is still not there and building up over time. I have lost count how many cyclists who I have heard over the years, saying something like this: “I have been riding for years and never had any knee pain. All of the sudden, it is bothering me.” This is not verbatim, but pretty darn close.
Think of it like someone going to the doctor today and being diagnosed with cancer. It’s not that yesterday they didn’t have cancer and today they do. It’s a matter of their symptoms not being severe enough, or noticeable enough until it is overly obvious. The severity of the symptoms is what drives them to the doctor for a testing, and then they get the results.
The same scenario is true with this tightness in the knees. It has just taken a long time to finally get bad enough that you actually notice it. Or, better put, every pedal stroke you take using cleats with float, you are allowing this type scenario to occur — and to build up over time. Then, you will find yourself saying about those same words as others.
Oh, I forgot to mention that every time someone has said that to me and I have done a fitting for them, 100 percent of the time they were using cleats with float. And, after switching them to zero float cleats, along with making other fitting corrections, their problem was eliminated.
Bold statement, but if you really understood the principles of bio-mechanics, then you would realize that that statement is not really that bold. It’s an accurate bio-mechanical statement.
The only time I have ever used cleats with float has been when the cleats were not able to be adjusted enough to mirror a client’s severe angled (natural) foot position. In 17 years of doing bio-mechanical bike fittings, I can count those times on just one hand.
Mounting Zero Float Cleats Is No Cinch
Two more topics I want to share with you on cleats before we end. First, when mounting a cleat, whether with float (which I don’t recommend) or zero float, (what I do recommend) you have to factor in these three components:
- positioned correctly to the ball of your foot
- rotationally, so that it allows the shoe to mirror your feet striking the ground,
- the appropriate Q-factor, based on your physical composition. (“Q factor” of a crankset is the horizontal width of the cranks, measured from where the pedals screw in.)
Get any of these wrong, and you have a power loss and some future potential knee pain.
Second, as rare as me having to use a cleat with float, is about the same number of people who are aware of cleat markings, that allow you to properly adjust your ball position (#1 above) to the center of the pedal spindle. You should know the cycling industry has gone to advocating cleats be backwards toward the arch of your foot; their ‘band-aid’ approach to engaging more of the quad muscles.
However, my approach is bio-mechanical. I don’t compromise the ‘best’ leverage point, (which is the ball of your foot to create power and engage more of your quads), I properly adjust the saddle fore/aft to achieve the same end result. In other words, the industry and my end result is the same; it’s the process of how we both arrive there that is quite different. Theirs? A loss of leverage (or power). Mine? It’s bio-mechanically correct (no power loss).
Even scarier is the fact that many bike fitters out there are unaware of these markings on cleats, which begs the question: “How in the world can a bike fitter properly install cleats without knowing this?” Precisely my point. And, you are paying them. Without this knowledge, there is no way, unless they get a really lucky guess, they could ever correctly install cleats. I don’t know about you but when it comes to safety and pain-free cycling, I will never guess or allow others to do the same.
If nothing else, I hope this topic has caused you to pause and take inventory of your knowledge about cleats with and without float, what perspective you embrace and why. Don’t get caught in the trap of using the cleats that came with your pedals, just because they were included (referring to Look and Shimano here). Do your due diligence on the correct cleat and on correct mounting. Finally, use the the three criteria I mentioned above, to determine if your cleats were mounted correctly.
As I mentioned from the start, this is one topic that is sure to drum up countless perspectives and individual preferences. Now, you have to decide which perspective is right for you. If you have any questions on this topic, feel free to contact me, as I LOVE to hear your comments and feedback.
More from Robert Wilhite:
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Robert,
Thanks for your interesting article on pedal float. I am a 86 yr old cyclist with knee replacements both left and right and have been using Speedplay floating pedals for 20 years. Question? Should I consider non floating and if so do I need to change cleats and pedals or just cleats?
Will appreciate hearing from you,
Thanks, Dave
Thanks for your comment Dave. At 86, YOU are an inspiration to me….and every other cyclist out there. Keep on kickin’ butt out there!!!!
I’d say at this stage, stick to your current setup and keep enjoying the sport we love!!!!
Robert Wilhite
Thank you for your thoughtful article: Should You Be Using Zero Float Cycling Cleats
My long-term experience supports your advice. The majority of my “cleated” cycling has been with the Speedplay Zero brand of cleats. When I initially purchased Speedplay, I considered the wide float range a feature, especially because I didn’t know what float setting might need. When I first started using them, I set the float to maximum, and rode this way for several years, with no knee problems. I did find myself learning to control my foot positions, and found myself using different foot positions when pedaling in different settings: uphill; flats; downhill; against the wind, each seemed to benefit from different foot position. Using different foot positions also required strengthening the appropriate muscles and actively controlling foot position – all of which became instinctive with time. However, over time, I’ve gone from full float to almost zero float on my Speedplay cleats. I’ve found a single location that works for all circumstances, I would set the cleats to zero float, but the Speedplay cleats like to have a very small amount of float for best operation. So, while I haven’t experienced significant knee problems driving me to zero float, I’ve naturally gravitated to the zero float setting – my long-term experience supports your advice.
All my best to everyone.
This is probably an ignorant question, but I didn’t see it addressed in your very comprehensive article so I’m going to ask it anyway.
Does not the float in the pedals allow the foot to assume its natural position? This would seem (to me) to be reasonable. I’ve been riding with SPD pedals for about 20 years and have had no knee problems. I am 70 years old and am not a “high energy” rider, though I do ride long distances (30-60 miles is typical).
Thanks!
Steve
Steve, it does, but it doesn’t necessarily stay there. I found that my heels would move around, especially when I got out of the saddle. As you might expect, it was worse when I was tired. If you’re not having any issues, I wouldn’t push you to make the change, but it’s something to keep in mind for the (hopefully long) future ahead of you.
I forgot to mention that cleat position makes a big difference. I found that moving my cleats back by just 3mm improved foot stability noticeably with floating pedals, particularly Speedplay, because the pivot point is centered on the cleat. I gave up on Look/Shimano pedals a long time ago because the pivot is up by the toes, which creates an inherently unstable platform.
Thanks, Brian. I will keep this in mind. Pursuant to your comment about cleat position, I will say that I have moved the cleats as far rear-ward as possible on my shoes as I find this minimizes Achilles tendon discomfort and calf cramps. I figured this out on a century ride when I had to unclip both feet and ride with the pedals under my arch.
Maybe someone said this already, Steve, but I don’t think anyone mentioned that Look and Shimano clipless pedals are sprung systems. In other words, the cleat may float or may not float, it doesn’t matter. Because if you pressure the cleat against the locking jaws of the pedal you will get float out of the sprung jaws.
You can actually ride with a fixed cleat and hold your feet at an angle other than they are fixed at. Yes, the cleat is not really floating, but you are essentially moving your foot into the position you need it.
So, by default in a way, lots of riders will not stay in a fixed position even with fixed cleats if they are set up incorrectly for their knees/biomechanics.
Thanks for commenting, Steve!
Jim
Hey Steve,
Thanks for your comment. In short, it is physically impossible for you to hold each foot in it’s natural, bio-mechanical position, while pedaling. Yes, at some split-second spot, each foot will be in that position, but you cannot statically hold it there.
My article lays the groundwork for why I use the center of metatarsal bone to position over pedal spinal.
Thanks!!!!
This is interesting, as I’ve had the exact same experience. I used Speedplay X pedals for~20 years and was very happy with them. However, I started having foot stability issues – especially when out of the saddle – as I got older (I’m early 60’s now). I switched to Speedplay Zero pedals nearly a decade ago, went immediately to zero float, and liked it better. I’ve recently switched to Speedplay Syzr pedals set for zero float on my my gravel bike and MTB for the same reason and it’s a big improvement (I had been using Crank Brothers Candy pedals).
Anyone want to buy some used X-Pedals, Frogs or Candies? 😉
When your foot lands walking down a hill, that’s one spot. The range of motion of pedaling is more than one spot. An easy way to check your biomechanics is to track your knee as you pedal, you knee should not move laterally through the range of motion. Most of us do not have perfect biomechanics which results in slight foot movement through the range of motion so your knee tracks correctly. You will have more power if your knee tracks correctly and this offsets slight movement in the foot.
Also, regarding fore/aft cleat position. Your ankle is a lever where there’s power loss the less stable this lever is. The closer your cleat is to your toes the more power you lose because you have to stabilize the lever with your calf muscles. From a power perspective, you want to be closer to the joint so calf muscles are not required. Obviously, that may create handling issues and front wheel overlap. So I would recommend closer to mid-foot or somewhere between the ball and mid-foot. In studies, the calf muscles provide negligible power. Also, if you’re a triathlete you want to save your calf muscles to when you need them, when running.
I think the fore-aft cleat position issue must vary a lot from one rider to the next. For some reason, I have extremely strong calf muscles, and when I’m hammering or climbing I can generate an extra 25 watts or more by flexing my calf muscles and using the lever of by foot to increase the speed and/or force of my stroke from the 3 o’clock to the 6 o’clock position in a way that makes it feel as if my toes were forcefully scrubbing the bottom of a bowl. With the cleat under my arch, I reduce the effectiveness of this technique because I’m shortening the lever or my foot, which reduces the contribution from my calves and increases the required movement of my thighs to complete a pedal stroke.
And then there’s the issue of foot fore-aft position affecting overall riding position. By positioning your feet further forward on the pedals, you are making a change in bike fit equivalent to moving your bottom bracket forward, which reduces the effective angle of your seat tube. This would either close up your hip angle or force you to add spacers underneath your stem and/or buy a shorter one. In the extreme aero position I prefer to assume in races, my knees are already almost thumping my chest, and I’m losing power as a result of this. I wouldn’t want to exacerbate this problem.
So, I find the classic pedal spindle under the ball of the foot the most effective position. Humans have been using the ball of their foot as the primary power transfer spot to the ground for as long as there have been humans. In fact, I suspect that’s what it’s there for.
I am a Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapist who has been doing Bike Fittings since 1986. I invented Kneesavers pedal extenders/adapters when I saw that the Q factor was a largely ignored and misunderstood aspect to proper bike fitting, and still is to this day.
The cyclists I see range from casual to serious recreational riders on up to RAAM racers. In my experience fixed cleat systems can cause medial or lateral cycling related biomechanical knee pain. I realized this was because the heel has a natural movement from in and out movement over the course of a pedal revolution, and when the foot is fixed, this rotation translates into tibial torsion that will sooner or later produce soft tissue irritation and pain on one or the other the side of the knee.
The invention and use of Speedplay pedals set in the open position has resolved that issue in every fitting I have done. The Look and Shimano pedals that allow some float seem to work well, but do not have as much “free float” as Speedplays do, which has and still is my go to pedal recommendation as I prefer to let the foot move as freely as it needs to.
There are four factors that contribute to cycling related biomechanical knee pain:
1.) Intensity of training and mileage
2.) Anatomical structural issues (pelvis width, knock-kneed or bowlegged, foot pronation vs supination with standing and gait and the degree toe in/out positioning.
3.) Saddle height and fore-aft position, cleat fore-aft position, the Q factor, forefoot pronation or supination and the degree of free float in the clipless pedal system.
4.) Underlying knee joint pathology (arthritis, history of menicus injuries, arthroscopic surgeries, total knee joint replacements, ligament laxities, etc.)
Over the years I have seen less cyclists coming to me for knee pain issues and more with neck and shoulder discomfort, numb fingers or burning feet and occasionally saddle comfort issues. I believe that is due to the fact that most riders have clipless pedals that allow float, hence less knee pain.
Here is a Power Point presentation of my approach to Bike Fitting I put together about 10 years ago:
https://www.kneesaver.net/assets/kneesaver_powerpoint.pdf
You state that free float pedal systems cause “loss of power” yet cite no studies proving that. If they have been done I would like to see what amount of wattage is lost and at what power output. This would have to be a study of a group of cyclists performing ergometer tests with fixed cleats vs Speedplays. This would be most important for the Pro cyclist who makes his living racing if true.
For the vast majority of cyclists (99.9%) going the distance in comfort is the goal whether it be a training ride, a Century or Double Century ride, multi-day touring event or even RAAM. I have found free float pedal systems like Speedplays offer the most comfort from the standpoint of prevention of knee pain pain. I have not had anyone complaining about “loss of power” with these types of free float pedals.
Thank you for adding your advice here, Randy.
I don’t think that there is any one-size-fits-all solution. We have two diametrically opposing views here (your and the author’s), but there’s a lot of “gray area” in between. My own experience with both systems has shown that my needs have changed over time and I’ve literally gone from one extreme to the other, with some experimentation with limited float as well. It’s good to have this discussion, but there’s no point in being dogmatic about it, because there is no absolute right or wrong.
Randy, I use your pedal extenders quite often instead of wedging to an un-natural position. My daughter is also a DPT and bike racer and we both agree with you 100%.
Hey Randy,
How’s the spiz biz doing? Love that stuff. I’m a bow legged duck footed rider that was advised to go full float after my lateral meniscus surgery and it seemed to get rid of all the tension I had in my lateral tendons when I was zero float. It’s been about ten years and no complaints from the knees.
The only thing I will say about this article is that his conclusions actually are in direct conflict with what the world tour pros are doing. Most have already gone to a Shimano yellow cleat. Even the current hour record holder and top sprinter viviani.
I’ve been road riding for a few years, I have clip pedals w shoes, the last two years I have been road riding more seriously and my shoes are getting beat up, I read the article on the different float and looking for something new that will help me become a stronger rider, what would you suggest.?
Thanks
Les, reading the comments above, you will get an answer of 0 degrees to 15 degrees and anywhere in between. 🙂
Your zero float choice seems to assume that one’s foot strike (when walking) would always be identical. I have yet to see anyone who walks that consistently. I would assume that some float would allow most of us to minimize the repetitive stress on specific spots and, actually, more accurately duplicate our foot position in normal walking where we are free to make tiny shifts in position without thinking about it.
In fact, we are supposed to shift positions in all body parts, in all activities (unless, I suppose, one is performing as the Statue of Liberty in a touristy location) in order to maximize both short term and long term comfort.
I realize that my own experience is of no statistical value, but it does support the idea that float helps. I ride long distances, but don’t go for great speed or power, and my cleats have some float. The knee issues I had before the fitting that put me where I am now have almost entirely disappeared. I am 68 and have stage 4 arthritis in one knee. That knee totally agrees with the “Motion is Lotion” idea.
Hey Winnie,
unless you experience an injury or surgery that results in your natural body alignment (on your knees or feet), then your body’s bio-mechanical alignment doesn’t arbitrarily change; that’s not how bio-mechanics works.
Regarding knees and feet, we can ‘manually’ move our knees into a position and hold the foot stable….but that creates un-natural resistance to the knee. In reality (speaking from a bio-mechanical perspective), since you are using your foot to transfer all the torque in your pedal stroke, your foot becomes the leader…and then the knee follows the foot, as it relates to body alignment. This is easily confirmed when you change how you apply pressure to the pedals. If you use the inside of your foot, the knee follows suit and the center of your knee lines up directly over your big toe…..which engages muscles on BOTH sides of your legs. If you pedal (what I call ‘flat’), applying pressure with the middle of your foot to the pedal, then your knee (again) follows this change and now lines up over the middle of your foot…..which typically dis-engages muscles on the inside of your legs.
Anyway, appreciate your comments and here’s to continuing to enjoy this crazy fun sport.
Coach Robert
I am still to be convinced. Considering there is movement of feet within the shoe and movement of the shoe material itself, I would have thought that the float or no float is negated by such factors. Our feet are not fixed like blocks of concrete. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t try to stabilise our position on the pedals, but IMHO these micro adjustments are in reality of no great significance. Really hard to pitch either way without proper research and as someone engaged in multiple fits you have my respectful attention, but many older riders I know still use MTB cleats without any ill effects over their lifetimes. Would be interested to know what the pro riders do in this regard.
Thanks for your answer, but I guess I didn’t express myself clearly enough. I was simply saying that a person’s step pattern (what one would see in a video of the walking-in-a-straight-line drill you describe) has at least as much “float” – although I am sure that is not the technical term in that setting – as do many of the pedals you describe that do offer float. In other words, if you were to have a record of the position of each step taken – on a flat, steady surface – you would find at least some slight variance among the steps. I did not in any way mean to suggest that an individual’s bio-mechanics undergo arbitrary change.
One’s natural steps include some variation – slight – from step to step. My experience suggests that allowing for that variation is more likely to be comfortable over long periods of time than will a more rigid system.
Thanks for going out on a limb on this.
I always used Look red cleats. However arthritis in my right foot caused a lot of pain.
I tried using Speedplay thinking more float would help. It didn’t
I got a custom insole made which improved things
That improved things a lot but I still suffered some pain. Just in the right, left was fine
Then I watched this video from Leomo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrHLQlxWuVE&list=PLlGdXmyLgzNuR9FZ6FJ4bb5h7Y2eEuCDZ&index=7&t=0s
A light bulb went off in my head.. doh of course lots of little movements over time may lead to pain!!
So I swapped my red cleat for a black, just on the right foot.
No pain since.
I’m keeping red on my left foot. My knee is shot due to football and I have had ACL surgery. Never had any problems on the left side so if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
But if I was starting all over from scratch with a healthy body my advice would be to get fitted with zero float. Even if you relax and actually use some float for real it will give you a baseline to refer to for later.
I always question the bike fitter ability to line he foot up over the cleats to correspond to a particular anatomical position. Unless you have x-ray vision it’s a guess. As a podiatrist I am able to take an x-ray of he foot with the shoe and with absolute accuracy determine the clear placement. Also, no float…that’s painting the biomechanics with a broad brush…age which comes with decreased flexibility through the entire pedal stroke, in particular the lower back and hip flexors. The abduction abduction of the foot can compensate. Also heel strike subtalar joint pronation and propulsion of the foot during gait Is designed to absorb impact, create a rigid lever and result in motion….spinning is non weight bearing, the two just don’t correspond in my opinion…a small amount of float, i.e. 4.5 degree should be adequate for most recreational cyclist.
Equating cycling motion to walking and where the foot hits the ground is taking 4 dimensions (including time, i.e. the pedal stroke) and reducing it to 2 dimensions. Pedaling is not walking. The body is in different position and the force and loads are different. Without solid empirical evidence this is just conjecture. There’s at least as much anecdotal evidence to support pedal float. Likewise for cleat position.
OK: Don’t care about biomechanics in relation to energy. Is zero float faster? how much?
sorry: Don’ t care about biomechanics in relation INJURY. Just want to know if Zero float is faster. Intuitively, it is faster cuz side to side slippage MUST be power loss, eh?
I recently switched from Time Xpresso to standard Shimano SPD pedals, primarily because the bearings on the Xpressos last barely more than a year of hard riding and the cleats must be bought be the dozen. After the change. I immediately noticed much more pain in both my feet and my knees, and I’ve been micro-adjusting the cleat position frequently to get it dialed it in. I have it to where it’s perfect for riding in the saddle, but I’m back to pain when I do low-cadence hill climb repeats out of the saddle. It’s bad enough that I can’t get through a big session.
So, I’ve been researching online, and what I’m reading leaves me more confused than edified, and I have a few questions. What really is float? My Xpressos had usable float that allowed a small amount of rotation of the foot with little to no discernable resistance. My SPDs do not, despite having the yellow cleats. Sure, I can twist my foot a certain amount before disengaging, but this requires consciously twisting rather hard against the resistance of the spring. Furthermore, there is no progressive resistance–as soon as I reach the force required to overcome the resistance of the spring, my foot is pretty much headed for full disengagement, whether I intend it or not. And yet, the reports all talk as if these SPDs with yellow cleats allow the foot to rotate within a 15-degree range throughout the pedal stroke if the rider has a tendency (whether good or bad) for this to happen without consciously forcing it to. I have set the tension in my SPD pedals to the lowest setting. Is there something I’m misunderstanding?
Also, I wanted to raise a question specific to your article. You argue in favor of not allowing rotation of the foot at any point in the pedal stroke, on the observation that, while walking, people’s feet generally come into contact with the ground at a consistent angle. Would it be possible that, when people pick up their feet to bring them forward, they might naturally rotate them while not in contact with the ground? I don’t know the answer to this question, but I thought you might be interested to make a careful observation from sl0w-motion video footage to see whether your theory is correct that people’s feet remain in the same orientation around the axis of their shin bone throughout each step they take. My subjective impression is that my feet are happy pressing down on the front of the stroke at a consistent angle (except while out of the saddle) but I feel as if they are constricted at about the 9-12 o’clock position of the stroke. Any thoughts?
Well written article and highlights the misinformation that is rampant in the industry.
Thank you so much for teaching me about “float” and writing such a perfectly detailed and informative, yet interesting article. As a teacher, I totally appreciate your grammar. Pedal on!