# Cleat Rotation (Foot Rotation)



## LiveStrong (2 Jul 2011)

Hey All!!


Lately I have been having ITBS problems and I have put it down to cleat rotation, as soon as I got my shoes I rotated the cleats as far as they would go inwards (so that my toes are pointed more inwards). My feet naturally rotate inwards (Foot in), I beleive that this is causing my ITBS issues.


My question is:


If my feat naturally point inwards or "toe in" does this mean that I should position my cleats to rotate slightly outwards, straight forward or slightly inwards?


Thanks in advance!!


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## ColinJ (2 Jul 2011)

If you want the foot to move one way, rotate the cleat in the opposite direction.

You should set up your cleats so there is the same amount of float either side of your preferred foot position so the spring tension isn't affecting your foot placement during the pedal stroke.


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## cyberknight (2 Jul 2011)

Excessive toeing in can lead to ITBS

Maybe you have toed in too much and need to reduce the cleat angle.

Try this ... from Bottom Bracket ...


[size="-1"]If you are anatomically perfect, the cleats should point at the front of your shoe.
This method worked for me (Ed);
Sit on a table, high enough to dangle your legs.
Look down at your feet and imagine a front to back straight line running through them. This is the alignment your cleats should take. Fit 'em & tighten 'em _real good_.
Go for a _gentle_ ride and pay close attention to how you feel in the first 5-10 minutes of riding. Warm legs are more forgiving of the bad positioning that can cause sore knees. Stop and adjust if you have to.
I carried the alan key in a pocket for the first few rides and gave them a little tweak at cafe stops until I was happy! [/size]

And you can also try some stretches+ exercises for the ITB symptoms.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6099


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## mercurykev (2 Jul 2011)

Your cleats should be set to match the natural alignment of your feet - in your case to allow a 'foot in' position when clipped in.


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## LiveStrong (2 Jul 2011)

cyberknight said:


> Excessive toeing in can lead to ITBS
> 
> Maybe you have toed in too much and need to reduce the cleat angle.
> 
> ...





Great Advice!!

1 thing, this may be me being a bit dull but what do you mean by imagine a straight line running through the feet?


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## 2Loose (2 Jul 2011)

cyberknight said:


> Excessive toeing in can lead to ITBS
> 
> Maybe you have toed in too much and need to reduce the cleat angle.
> 
> ...




Great idea to carry the allen keys and stop frequently to make small adjustments at the beginning of a ride while your legs are cold. 

I have been doing this since adjusting my saddle position and it took three sub 2mile rides to get them to feel normal (perfect). Previously I just carried on and would wait until I got back after a longer ride, by which time I had adjusted...until the next day when they felt wrong again for a mile or two.


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## cyberknight (2 Jul 2011)

LiveStrong said:


> Great Advice!!
> 
> 1 thing, this may be me being a bit dull but what do you mean by imagine a straight line running through the feet?


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## LiveStrong (2 Jul 2011)

cyberknight said:


>




Thanks for the graphic! . So I would:

1.sit on a table

2.Dangle my feet off

3.Imagine a straight line running through my feet

4.Angle the cleat

I kinda get lost on the last step when rotating


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## cyberknight (2 Jul 2011)

Yes .

The go for a ride and see how it feels.

Micro adjust as you go till your happy.

1st time i put cleats on i had really bad knee pain till i got the cleats set correctly.


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## LiveStrong (2 Jul 2011)

thank you I PM'ed you


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## HLaB (2 Jul 2011)

This is an article I found good when I was suffering ITBS, IHIH :-)


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## Tyke (3 Jul 2011)

Never using clipless before i backed off the peddle tension as far as it would go fitted the cleats leaving the bolts slightly loose and went for a ride. feeling that things didn't feel quite right it was easy to move the cleat in out back and forth until i found things felt right. 600 miles on I now have them on both bikes and can't see going back to normal peddles but I do ride to work in boots ok on M424 SPD's.


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## HLaB (3 Jul 2011)

Tyke said:


> Never using clipless before i backed off the peddle tension as far as it would go fitted the cleats leaving the bolts slightly loose and went for a ride. feeling that things didn't feel quite right it was easy to move the cleat in out back and forth until i found things felt right. 600 miles on I now have them on both bikes and can't see going back to normal peddles but I do ride to work in boots ok on M424 SPD's.



Very occasionally I've cycled in boots on my M424 and a few times in shoes with a boot like sole, the pop up cleat always guides my foot forward so I'm pedalling with the arch of my foot rather than ball of my foot. It depends if you are comfortable with that.


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## Tyke (3 Jul 2011)

HLaB said:


> Very occasionally I've cycled in boots on my M424 and a few times in shoes with a boot like sole, the pop up cleat always guides my foot forward so I'm pedalling with the arch of my foot rather than ball of my foot. It depends if you are comfortable with that.



I don't get that problem but as I said it's only a short ride. I do like the double side peddle rather than single and having to turn from cleat to flat as I ride.


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## HLaB (3 Jul 2011)

Tyke said:


> I don't get that problem but as I said it's only a short ride. I do like the double side peddle rather than single and having to turn from cleat to flat as I ride.



Yeah I put up with a minor imperfection because like you I prefer having two clips and I like having a cage so I can clip in away from traffic :-)


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