How To Fit New Cleats To Your Cycling Shoes

Setting up new cleats on your cycling shoes can be quite a fiddly process. Getting it wrong can lead to inefficiency, discomfort, and even injury. But it doesn't have to be this way! In this video, Manon shows you a simple technique to make fitting new cleats to your cycling shoes easier. There are many methods out there, but this is a great place to start.

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What top tips do you have for setting up your cleats? Let us know in the comments below!

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[gcn]

What top tips do you have for setting up your cleats? Let us know in the comments below!

[Zegswijze]

With my size 50 feet, other factors come into play when fitting cleats. Things like not hitting chainstays or the front wheel when cornering. Maybe Conner can do a video on fitting cleats for riders with big feet.

[VéloAcoustic]

When GCN uploaded a video that you litteraly need right now. I'm starting to think there watching us! Lol

[jascollinscork]

Great been putting on my own cleats with years but when I was new to cycling and needed them I asked them and I never had ANY knee problems then or now!!! But this just speeds up the whole process for me!!! Thanks 😀

[saifulazlin]

thank you! this is sooo much easier to understand than those in writing blogs i've found so far

[endurancesweat]

Check out the position of cleats on your current cycle shoes - fore/aft and angle. Use this as a guide to the placement of the cleats on your new shoes. And here's another tip: I've done a lot of long distance cycling, and have found that moving the cleats farther back relieves "hot foot" by transferring the contact point to the widest part of the foot and reducing pressure on nerves in the foot.

[JeBaSIINGH]

The nice thing with SPD cleats is that it leaves a mark on the soles of your shoes so you can position the new ones easily :)

[davenet]

Actually very helpful, just tried fitting myself for the first time a few weeks ago. Didnt know i could get so much wrong!

[jackmason]

I have just never felt like the fit is quite right so I am going to give this a go! Thanks for the simple explanation and easy to follow video GCN!

[rustyash]

A great video for someone who has never worn cycling shoes before (Don't tell anyone but I used toe clips for years). The advice given in the video is perfect. Everything was aligned and secured, I was clipped to my pedals and set off to explore this new world only to end up in a heap on the floor having not got more than 2 meters still attached to my bike!! So funny. All the gear and absolutely no idea. :-)

[bobwalsh]

Good tips. Thank you. On the cleat bolts I use thread lock instead of grease. I have had the unfortunate experience of having a couple of bolts drop out of the cleat while riding, leaving me with only one left. Unclipping was impossible because the cleat just spun on the one bolt. Very dangerous and it proved to be quite embarrassing. It caused me to fall over while attempting to unclip and then flail around like a beached fish until I could get my shoe off my foot. Quite the sight.

[craigscott]

Right on time. Just got new shoes, , cleats and pedals. Thanks, Manon!

[zacbenjamin]

This is beyond coincidence I just got new cleats and I am not joking thank you so much GCN

[aberdeenal]

My feet roll in towards the bike due to years of football ankle injuries - to prevent this I now use adjustable insoles to support the bridge of my feet. This has stopped the issues I was having plus my knees now track properly when cycling. One of the benefits of having a proper bike fit session.

[alansmith]

That drawing around old cleats idea is genius thanks :)

[JMcLeodKC]

I have always dreaded this chore thank you Miss Lloyd

[dravindarkcloudable]

Something I didn't hear you say that I would say is more important than anything. Once you have fitted your new cleats if you had no issues with your shoe/cleat position previously then when you mount up and your trainer pay attention not only to the way you look, but do you feel like you want to turn your foot. Or you feel like you need to adjust your foot. Or your knee feels a little tight. I find if you pay close attention to this you will be able to dial both cleats in perfect your legs and knees will tell you exactly where they need to be.

[ladysoapmaker]

I just got my first set of petals that take clips. This will be very useful. Thank you!

[bluestilling]

I thought that all SPD-SL cleats were the same. Boy did I ever find out differently. I bought a pair of Bontrager shoes, had them fitted with SPD-SL cleats which came with the pedals. Fast forward to many rides and countless GCN YouTube videos on just about everything (the answers to all of learning curves), I decided to invest in power meters. I purchased a pair of Garmin RS200 SPD-SL power meters. They arrived yesterday, so I thought I would just be changing out the pedals and off I would be with using them. Not the case. The Bontrager cleat shape is different from the Garmin shape. Which brought me to watching yet another fabulous video for do-it-yourself cleat installation.

[rekenenmetbram]

A pretty good video except 1 thing. The claimed loss in efficiency when bringing the cleat futher back is just false.
Bringing the cleat futher back stabilises the ankle joint, limiting the degrees of movement there. This can benifit the efficiency for some riders, it only limits short jump intervals.