how to fit mtb cleats
Animation of a bicycle pedal
A bicycle pedal is the part of a bicycle that the rider pushes with his or her foot to propel the bicycle. It provides the connection between the cyclist's foot or shoe and the crank allowing the leg to turn the bottom bracket axle. Pedals usually consist of a spindle that threads into the end of the crank and a body, on which the foot rests or is attached, that is free to rotate on bearings with respect to the spindle.
The Velocipede, a predecessor to the bicycle, lacked pedals but allowed the crank to be operated by means of a treadle. Pedals were initially attached to cranks connecting directly to the driven (usually front) wheel. The safety bicycle as it is known today came into being when the pedals were attached to a crank driving a sprocket that transmitted power to the driven wheel by means of a roller chain.
How to Prevent Knees Injuries While Cycling
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately EasyThings You’ll Need:
- Bicycle
- Properly fitted shoes with cleats
- Plumb line
- Electrical tape
Prevent knee pain with measurement and fit
Step1
You will need help mesuring bicycle fit.
The first step in the process is a series of personal measurements. Start with measuring your inseam. This is done to ensure both legs are the same length. It's not uncommon to have one leg linger than another. You will also use this length to position your saddle. Next you need to note the position of your cleats with regard to the position on the shoes and float. The last measurement is the rate at which you turn the pedals or your cadence measured in RPMs. The easiest way to measure this is to count the number of times your knee comes level with the top tube of your bicycle for thirty seconds and multiplying by two.
Step2
The right fit provides a balance of power and comfort.
Next you need to take measurements of the current fit of your bicycle. Start with the crank arms and ensure they are the correct length. The general way to approach this is taller riders with longer legs need longer cranks, but that's not universal. The longer the cranks are the more leverage or gain is achieved. Next measure the height of your saddle and the position of the seat relative to the seat post. The non-bicycle measurement you need to note is the position of your cleat relative to bottom of your shoes and the amount of float which is the amount of movement the cleat has relative to pivoting front screw of the cleat.
Step3
Cycling shoe components.
Avoiding pain in your knees starts with verifying and adjusting your bicycle fit. There are more detailed articles on this within eHow, but here is a quick summary. The height of your saddle should be set so your legs are at a 25-35% angle at the bottom of your pedal stroke as in the image on step one. You should make sure you set the height based on your shorter leg, not your longer one. Using a plumb line adjust the position of your saddle so your foot is directly over the pedal and there is a directly line from your knee to your pedal when your knee is at the 3:00 position of your pedal stroke. Your cleats should be positioned over the balls of your feet. You should also account for float. Float is defined as the degree of movement offered by the cleat within the pedal before release begins. This can be highly important to prevent damage to knees, as most peoples' pedal stroke does not occur along a single axis. Many standard road pedal systems ship with a 6 degree float cleat. Wedges might be needed if your feet don't normally hang parallel
Correcting knee pain if it occurs-by location of the pain
Step1
Knee, anterior view
Anterior pain results from: 1) pushing big gears with too low average cadence; 2) an out of position saddle that is either too low of too far forward; 3) shoes that are too far forward on the pedal; 4) the bicycle's crank arms are too long for the rider; and 6) the rider has one leg longer than the other and the leg is set for the shorter leg. The solutions are: 1) riding at a cadence of over 75 RPM; 2) move the saddle higher unless than 5 mm increments and move the seat back in small increments until the pain is alleviated; 3) move the rider's cleat forward 1-2 mm forward; 3) shorten the crank length by 2.5 mm; 4) adjust the seat height for the longer leg rather than shorter:
Step2
Knee, posterior view
Posterior knee problems arise from: 1) the rider's saddle being set too high and or too far back; 2) too much float in the rider's cleats; 3) differences in leg length with the seat height being set to the height of the shorter leg. The solutions are : 1) lower the height of the seat in less than 5 mm increments at a time and move the seat forward in small increments; 2) lint float of the riders cleats to between 6 and 8 degrees; 3) adjust the seat to the height of the rider's shorter leg.
Step3
Knee, medial view
Medial (inside) knee problems are caused by: 1) the rider's cleat being set too wide on the pedal 2) the toe of the shoes being rotated externally-toes out; 3) excessive knee frontal plane motion; 3) too little pedal float. The fixes are: 1) Narrow the foot position by moving the position of the cleat to the outside of the foot-moving the riders foot closer to the bottom bracket; 2) orthotic or wedge to change or correct alignment; 3) change pedal float to between 6-8 degrees..
Step4
Knee, lateral view
The sources of lateral (outside) knee pain are : 1) a cleat position that is too narrow, feet too close to the bottom bracket or toes are pointed inside; 2) not enough pedal float 3) excessive knee frontal plane motion: Alleviating these problems is accomplished by 1) widening the foot position away from the bicycle's bottom bracket; 2) increasing pedal float to between 6 to 8 degrees 3) using orthotics or a wedge to correct foot alignment.
Step5
Over training can also cause knee pain these include: 1) A dramatic change in distance trained and an increase intensity training and 2) excessive climbing training. Steady increasing training regimen and varying training distances, intensities and needed rest days are important to avoiding knee pain.