# Shoe rubbing on Crank arm



## austincrx (Oct 22, 2008)

so i bought some new shoes (specialized) last weekend. I've noticed that even though I moved the cleats so that the shoes are as far away from the crank arm as possible, but the shoes still rub on the crank arms and make a squeeking noise. I am using Look Delta pedals (old), should i get new pedals, or should I modify the cleat washers so that the shoes can move a little farther out? I don't want a hole in the shoes, they've only been VERY lightly used before I got them.

Can't seem to find any info. on the distance that the pedals stick out.

TIA!


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## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

There is always the trick of the washer spacer between the pedal axel and the crank..
How much more do you think it needs to move? if it is just a squeak and you can ride, then we are only talking a mm or so right?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I'd worry more about my foot position and whether I'm treating my knees right. My feet naturally toe out, and my right heel normally rubs the crankarm. When the shoe got a little worn I put a thin coat of epoxy on the spot, and I'm good to go for a few thousand more miles.

After a while the shoe and the crankarm will polish one another up nicely and the squeak will go away. You can put a washer on the pedal thread, as fasteddy suggested, but you can't go too far that way, as it reduces the amount of thread contact. There are spacers made for folks with an extreme toe-out situation, but it doesn't sound like you need that much movement.


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## austincrx (Oct 22, 2008)

yeah, it's just squeaking. I thought of putting a washer in, but also thought it might just make the pedal come loose, or would it...aren't the pedals threaded so that normal pedal motion is going to tighten them (if not they should be)?


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)




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## Loraura (Jun 30, 2008)

I'd also double check your cleat alignment and make sure your heal is not pointing in unnecessarily.

When I changed from FSA to Ultegra cranks, all but one of my pairs of shoes hits when I pedal. The Sidi's don't hit.


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## DeLuz (Aug 1, 2008)

I had the exact same problem when switching from Sidis to Specialized shoes.
I was also using the old style look pedals. Now that I have switched to the Keo pedals the problem seems to have gone away. You can get a pair of of the KEO pretty cheap if you order from the the UK (probikekit). I think they are way better than the old Look pedals IMHO. You could always try the washer trick.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

An aluminum washer or two (dont put more than 2) will do the trick 90% of the time. Barely adds any weight for the weight weenies and costs less than 50 cents.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Red or black cleats??

Even if you have red cleats, you should be able to set them so your feet don't contact the arms. If your feet flop around when you pedal, you might need black cleats, to control this flop.


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## Sojourneyman (Jun 22, 2007)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> Red or black cleats??
> 
> Even if you have red cleats, you should be able to set them so your feet don't contact the arms. If your feet flop around when you pedal, you might need black cleats, to control this flop.


I had that problem when I switched from Grey to Red. The extra float was nice, but not worth scratching up my crank arm.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> Red or black cleats??
> 
> Even if you have red cleats, you should be able to set them so your feet don't contact the arms. If your feet flop around when you pedal, you might need black cleats, to control this flop.


Yeah - it's always a good idea to trade knee health for a shoe squeak. 

If you have the cleats all the way to the inside of the shoe, a 2mm pedal washer should cover you, unless you are very duckfooted. If that's not enough, spindle extenders like FatTireFred shows are the next order of business.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*not always true*



MR_GRUMPY said:


> Red or black cleats??
> 
> Even if you have red cleats, you should be able to set them so your feet don't contact the arms. If your feet flop around when you pedal, you might need black cleats, to control this flop.


If your feet toe out naturally because of the way your knees and hips work, you can do yourself some harm by failing to accomodate that. If your feet "flop around" (i.e., rotate) while you're pedaling, it may be because that's the way your legs want to go. Locking them in by using a non-float cleat can be bad news. Some people just need to find the right combination of pedal q-factor and crankarm heel clearance to accomodate their body geometry. Shims can be another way to do at least part of this compensation.

And scratching up my crankarm gets zero priority, if that's the setup I need to function efficiently and safely. I use red Look cleats, but that's not why my crankarm gets polished by my shoe. If I used black cleats I'd set them that way, too. It's the way my knees want to go. .


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## merckx_rider (Aug 20, 2008)

new pedals, extensions, or just lube the side of the shoe...


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## Bacco (Feb 19, 2002)

Speedplay Zero cleats/pedals allow you to adjust the "float." I adjust mine so that my heels don't hit the crankarm.


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