How To Setup New Cleats and Get The Right Position

Setting up new cleats on your cycling shoes can be confusing! Mountain biking requires a different setup than you would see on a road bike and cleat position will vary. Getting it wrong can lead to inefficiency, discomfort, and even injury. But it doesn't have to be this way! In this video, Anna explains how to correctly set up and shows a technique to help make fitting new cleats to your bike shoes easier. There are many methods out there, but this is a great place to start!

⏱ Time Stamps 👇
00:00 - Intro
01:22 - Forward And Backward
06:55 - Float
08:06 - Knee Alignment With Cleats

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Do you ride with clipless pedals? If so, what’s your setup? 🤔💬👇

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For My People - Matt Large
Need It - Duckmaw

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[gmbntech]

Do you ride with clipless pedals? If so, what’s your setup? 🤔💬👇

[mikeschulman]

I recently switch from Shimano to TIME for the added float- not because of knee pain. Rather, the ability to move my feet on the pedals, while clipped in, has allowed me to move my knees and hips more when riding, which has helped with better cornering and body movement.

[ozzz]

That is a VERY good explanation! It covers most of the issues for cleat position.
I was very impressed.
Thank you

[MrCjrodriguez]

This is such a great video! I recently got my first pair of clipless pedals and I learnt so much form this video..

[willieschmeltz]

Brilliant work and very helpful. Thank you!

[johnnylazaro]

Very informative. I enjoyed the video 😊

[better.better]

having the cleats positioned closer to the ball of the foot turns your leg into a longer lever-arm plus it's a natural pivot point for your body, meaning you're more maneuverable, it's easier for you to adjust your balance either forward or back on the pedals by switching between heel-up or down, and twisting left or right as the situation demands.

[Mavrik-]

I found on a road bike posture is very important. My mountain bike I'm all over the cockpit. But with street bike my knee has to be above my foot at all times not out to the side. And i spend much more time dialing in all the adjustments to prevent numbness, pain, and so on.

[karlgreene]

I have my cleats at the bottom and I use my bicycle for touring on the road carrying heavy loads.

[better.better]

I'm not sure anymore how I accomplished it, since I haven't been able to manage it since, but somehow, I managed to adjust my second set of cleats while clipped in by only tightening them *just* enough to prevent them from moving while unclipping, but loose enough that I was able to adjust them by using extra force while still clipped in, while balancing myself on the bike in a parking lot (aka "car park") with one hand on a light pole. i remember adjusting the angle while pedaling until the stroke felt natural, then taking my foot out of the shoe, removing the shoe from the pedal, then tightening the cleats. those were SPDs at the time so maybe I figured out a way to release them without moving the cleats.

in any case, I managed it, and I remember it was insanely easy. but I've never managed to work out how I did it for subsequent replacement cleats... neither SPD nor CB. if anyone can figure it out what I did, it IS possible.

[einundsiebenziger]

This is my third video about cleat alignment, and none have ever mentioned the most important thing to start with. Where are your toes facing when walking and standing? Most people have their toes facing a litte outward when walking, so the cleats have to be positioned accordingly. If you bolt them on perfectly perpendicular to the shoe, your knees will twisted inwards while pedaling which causes pain. Improper angling cannot be compensated by floating cleats, so foot angle has to be factored in.

[VictorElGreco]

I’m no Imelda Marcos 😂 but I have *several* pairs of SPD shoes. I have a “standard” setting that seems to work uniformly well for all of them. I like that “home” position, my reflexes have absorbed it like second nature.

[Kaisersozze]

Is there an easy release equivalent for Shimano pedals? Helpful video. I've had some knee pain in the past, just got some new shoes so hopefully this time around my cleat setup will be perfect and there won't be any knee or hip pain.

[sergimarquez]

ive got a question if ive got crank brother shoes and a different brand pedal, can I buy cleats from a diff brand from crank brother? ones that are steal not brass.

[yorkchris]

Any good hacks for covering cleat holes if not wanting cleats. Filing cheap cleat for walking??

[MrDodidor]

Almost everyone has their cleat too far forward, just putting it as far back as possible is a safe bet for most people. Even xc and road riders should have a far back cleat position, there is no truth to it being more powerful to have it further forward and it puts way more strain on your body. This is pushing bad and archaic advice

[mariusreiter]

Lots of helpful information, however the "knee above pedal axis" is a myth that doesn't have any scientific evidence or logic behind it. If that was true enduro or TT bikes with 78 degree or steeper seat tube angles should be impossible to ride, and recumbent bikes would spontaneously combust your knees within the first pedal stroke. It might give you a rough starting point, but in the end you should set your saddle fwd/aft position so that it's comfortable for your terrain and riding style and not by an arbitrary rule.

[bdubs]

You don't explain why your cleat direction varies.

[MrSupermugen]

this is getting Very desperate, Considering GMBN have several videos on cleats already...

[kaodhanhouston]

Goodmorning from Belfast City Ireland 🇮🇪 every1