# Anyone have trouble getting SPD-SL cleats under ball of foot??



## Herms (Mar 25, 2002)

My road shoes (Northwave) fit me just fine and with SPD pedals I can get the cleat in the perfect position under the ball of my foot. I got new Shimano SPD-SL pedals and the cleats mount on the shoe fine but I can't get them in the right position under the ball of my foot; with the cleat as far toward the front(toe) of the shoe the ball of my foot is still forward of the pedal spindle. From all knowledge I have ever heard, you want the ball of your foot behind or directly over the pedal spindle, never forward of it. When I tried out the pedals with the cleats as close to the front my spin felt horrible and I felt less powerful with the cleats where they were. 

I went to the shop to inquire about this issue; indeed I need bigger shoes in order to get the cleats in the right position, but I will have to deal with some room between my toes and the front of the shoe because the overall length of the shoe will be longer.

Are any shoes listed as LOOK compatible also compatible with SPD-SL. I know the bolt pattern is the same but I was thinking that maybe the center of the cleats(the part of cleat over the pedal spindle) might be in two different positions for look and shimano cleats and therefore the triangular bolt pattern might need to be in a different locations on the sole of the shoe for the two different pedal systems.

Maybe my usual size in shimano spd-sl shoes will be able to get the spd-sl cleat in the right position???

Does anyone have experience with this issue or a similar one?

Thanks all


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## austex (Sep 20, 2004)

I have the opposite problem - SPD-SL cleat as far BACK as it will go, still can't quite get ball over spindle (and I'd like a couple mm forward of spindle). Sidi Genius-4, size 40....


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Better re-state this*

I'm confused by your post:



Herms said:


> with the cleat as far toward the front(toe) of the shoe the ball of my foot is still forward of the pedal spindle. . . . When I tried out the pedals with the cleats as close to the front my spin felt horrible and I felt less powerful with the cleats where they were.


You state that the ball of your foot is still forward of the pedal axle with the cleat all the way forward, and then your spin felt horrible with the cleat all the way forward. Are you saying these were two separate settings, or that in this "cleat all the way forward" position you have both problems? IME (size 46) I typically end up with the cleat all the way back to get the ball of my foot in the right place. You don't say what shoes you're using or your shoe size, so you won't get any specific advice there. Also, you're wrong about the "ball of the foot behind the axle but never forward" advice. Some would suggest the opposite - lots of people solve hot spots by moving the ball of the foot ahead of the pedal axle, and many people find low power, discomfort, and tendon irritation comes from pedaling "just with the toes." 

Shoes should be bought to fit your foot - you don't change shoe size to get the cleat in the right position. Some brands/models of shoes seem to have not sorted out the cleat position options very well, and you may have gotten yourself into such a situation. I'd suggest taking your shoes to a shop that stocks several brands/models of shoes and looking at the cleat bolt holes. You may find that your shoes are at the outer edge of normal (holes too far back) and then be faced with choices regarding pedals and shoes.


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## Herms (Mar 25, 2002)

Kerry Irons said:


> I'm confused by your post:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My shoes: Northwave Sprint 2001 size 47(largest size they made in this model).
When I have the cleat maxxed out as far forward(closest to the toe of the shoe) as it can go, the ball of my foot is forward (ahead) of the center of the pedal spindle. I've never heard of anyone who has preferred their ball of foot forward of spindle but i'm sure they are out there. As I'm sure you could tell me, the cleat placement on your shoe is a somewhat personal preference setting, but in general I think rule of thumb is that either forward of or behind the spindle in any case the ball of the foot should be somewhere rather close to the center of the pedal spindle. My personal preference is directly over the center of the pedal spindle if not very slightly behind it. With the spd-sl cleats I can't get anywhere near that(i've never tried a second setting seeing as any other setting would only put me more forward of the spindle). Further, with my mtb shoes and these road shoes with spd cleats, the cleats are both pretty close to the furthest setting toward the front (toe) of the shoe and the cleat placement with spd cleats on both shoes is perfect-I had a comprehensive bike-fit done before I bought these new pedals and I got my perfect cleat position with my spd pedals perfectly dialed in. I am trying to find this "dialed in" cleat position with my new pedals.

I've been to my shop, I need bigger shoes, two employees told me that, and I am convinced that they are correct because just logically thinking a bigger shoe is going to allow the cleat to go farther forward relative to the ball of my foot.

I hope this cleared things up.


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## BugMan (Feb 16, 2004)

*you might want to re-think your cleat positioning goals...*

Cleat position is another one of those 'can of worms' discussions, but according to Steve Hogg (Cyclingnews.com - see fitness Q&As regarding cleat positioning) you should position the cleats on your size 47 shoes so that the ball of your foot (center of 1st metatarsal joint) is at least 10 mm in front of the pedal spindle. His reasoning for forward cleat position is not without dissent, but it worked wonders for me.


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## Old Reliable (Feb 7, 2005)

*cleat compatiblity*

I just bought some Ekustar road shoes and am shopping for pedals. I'm thinking the Shimano SPD R600s might be the right choice, but am concerned about whether or not I'll have to mickey-mouse around with the cleats to get them to fit. (I've read several threads where the bolts aren't long enough, etc.) Any wisdom on this from anyone? I'm probably stuck with the shoes, so if I have to change to another pedal, I'm looking for something with a big platform, but not a lot of other issues (squeaks, etc.). Thanks.


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