Brian Stacks
Active Member
- Location
- Chelmsford
What is the difference between fixed and floating cleats?
Cleats
- Thread starter Brian Stacks
- Start date
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Floating cleats allow you to twist your foot a few degrees before you hit resistance and remove the shoe from the cleat. With fixed ones, you can't swivel your foot, so you have to be pretty precise when fitting the cleats to get a comfortable position. The floating ones therefore have a bit of tolerance, but you have to twist the foot a little more to release the shoe.
With look, the grey and red cleats have float and the black are fixed. I usually use red or grey.
With look, the grey and red cleats have float and the black are fixed. I usually use red or grey.
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Racing roadkill
Guru
The 'float' degree, is pretty much an acceptance angle for the bind. The greater the 'float' the less accurate you have to be with your foot, to re clip / clip in. So higher degree float cleats are better for the unaccustomed. The down side is that there is a bit more lateral movement of the foot when clipped in, so it's easy to waste energy / not have the leg aligned / at the cost of efficiency.
Accepted wisdom says that cleats with a bit of float are better for you knees. Many cyclists will have a little bit of "twist" is their pedalling form. If your foot angle is effectively fixed by the cleat, some of the twist will be applied to the knee joint, whereas a cleat with float will allow the twist to occur between the foot and pedal.
Having said all that, It probably comes down to personal preference unless your knees are obviously playing up or you find a fixed payout ion uncomfortable.
Having said all that, It probably comes down to personal preference unless your knees are obviously playing up or you find a fixed payout ion uncomfortable.
Racing roadkill
Guru
Citius
Guest
What is - being wrong about cleat float? Someone with your experience should be able to explain how a few degrees of lateral movement translates into power loss in a completely different angular plane.
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outlash
also available in orange
- Location
- ice station zebra
If there was power loss WRT float, then off road racers with their SPD's and the relative tons of float would be losing power hand over fist no?
Citius
Guest
And everyone on Looks in the pro peloton would be switching to black cleats...
Racing roadkill
Guru
Just no. Off roading is totally different to road riding.
outlash
also available in orange
- Location
- ice station zebra
In what way?
Racing roadkill
Guru
You need float on SPD / off road cleats, or you'd spend most of your time getting unclipped unintentionally. The nature of off roading (sharp / steep climbs, and bursts of acceleration) mean that any losses due to movement of the feet really don't matter. You don't want your legs mis aligning on a steady state road ride, it is energy wasteful, over the sorts of distances covered in road riding. You do need a fixed SPD / SL etc. cleat setting up properly, or you'll suffer on a long road ride.
Citius
Guest
Right. That must explain why very few riders use floating cleats then. Oh, hang on...
Top trolling, by the way. At christmas, too...
outlash
also available in orange
- Location
- ice station zebra
That is the biggest load of tosh I've heard in a while. I'll stick with my SPD's for all my bikes and keep my knees thanks.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Floats are useful
