Myth #8 - Adjusting bicycle shoe SPD cleats correctly is hard/confusing/frustrating/impossible and should be left to professional bike fitters or the guy at the local bike shop.
This actually wasn't a myth (as far as I was concerned) up until yesterday. Properly adjusting cleat position can be a maddening process to get right. So I wouldn't have included this in my 10 myths of Indoor Cycle Rider Setup / Bike Fit, but I can now after the UPS guy delivered this amazing $25.00 Ergon TP1 Bicycle Pedal Cleat Tool yesterday.
If you've ever tried to adjust the cleats on your own shoes you're probably nodding your head in agreement to how difficult this is to get right.
- First; with your shoes on, find the joint of your big toe it's under the fleshy bump on the inside of your foot - the widest part - and mark it's location.
- Then loosely attach the cleat.
- Move the cleat to what looks like the right position and then tighten the two screws securely.
- Clip the shoe into the pedal to see if you got it right... you didn't?
- Note the change(s) needed and un-clip.
- Flip the shoe over and prepare for the inevitable confusion; I want the shoe to go forward and in and rotate out a bit more... but everything is backwards so I should move the cleat back, out and rotate it in... but this is the left shoe so it goes; down, over and in?
- After a dozen or more attempts you throw up your hands and declare; this just isn't so important and call it good, wherever it ends up. You then vow to ignore any feelings that your feet aren't quite right while riding, choosing instead to get used to it 🙁
So it would make perfect sense that you would shy away from offering to adjust one (or both) of your participants cleats.
After trying out this new tool last night, I found myself rummaging around the house for every old pair of shoes I could find, so I could adjust their cleats. It was so easy (and efficient) to use that it became like a sort of therapy for me. I was actually enjoying adjusting cleats! In mere minutes I was able to adjust both cleats properly; ball of the foot over the pedal spindle, Q Factor and rotation all perfect - and perfect mirror each other's settings.
Notice in this before picture how both Amy's shoes are rotated inward = her knees would need to move out to compensate, not good.
Here's a short video showing how simple this tool is to use.
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John…..I thank you for this.
I’m thinking it’s going to be of more value for *me, myself, I* than being able to use it in the cycle studio…….where the folk who need most help always seem to arrive late and dart out of class early (BodyPump and Yoga are waiting!)
The best ideas are the simple ones.
Vivienne
And a quick Heads-Up! for anyone whose *buy with one click* trigger finger has a mind of its own……there are different models for different cleat patterns.
I use SPDs on my road bike also so I’m good with the one purchase but they have models for LOOK etc.
There’s another New Years Resolution busted!!
Vivienne I agree this could be a “for me” tool.
But a studio could easily have one and offer cleat adjustment as a special service, with an attached value of say $20.00. This $$ amount wouldn’t appear excessive considering how frustrating this is to do on your own and don’t sell your time short to really fine tune a rider’s cleat position.
And yes be sure to check your shopping cart to ensure you are ordering the proper tool.
I never actually thought of a potential income stream but, now you mention it, i got charged to have my cleats but on my new shoes and ended up having to do a trial and error adjustment myself.
I just like to know how stuff works though and this is a modest cost just to help me do a job a bit better (which is what I say everytime that “buy with one click” finger lets rip)
I tried an Amazon Prime trial (no shipping costs)- which I allowed to convert to a paid annual subscription ($80) because I found how much it reduced my stress level. I’m forever thinking; “I need a new one of such-and-such, so I need to remember to stop and get one before I need them.” But I’d never remember – until the day I needed it 🙁
Now when I notice; “I need a new filter for my shop vac.” I did the one click thing and two days later is came. No stress and no additional car trips to a store, only to find they don’t have what I need.
It comes down to convenience vs. $$$ and often making something easy is more attractive than cost.
If your studio is selling bike shoes, offering a full solution (shoe/cleats & proper install) if you make it easy and stress free people won’t care that they can maybe save $10 buying them online.
I use the same system and also I print the foot outline to have exactly the position of metatarse or ball feet and I combine with the ergon tool I found myself diference between both feets in many casesv , so I prefer always use both methods,and is a service we charge $25 and is part of the fitting service for any bike we sell , and a cleat properly adjusted makes a big difference as a well a fitted bike too.great post Jhon
Hi, Roberto…..are you providing this sort of cleat fit service in the context of an add-on to an IDC class venue or something with a bit of a difference?