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Conference noted::bicycle

Title:	Bicycling
Notice:	Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:	JAMIN::WASSER

Created:	Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3214
Total number of notes:	31946

368.0. "How to adjust LOOK cleats?" by ANTARE::AJAI () Mon Jun 29 1987 13:15

Note 362  was  all  about  Look pedals (and some on recumbents), but did not
discuss cleat adjustment!

I have  been  riding  in sneakers, toe-clips and loose straps (no pulling on
the  pedals for hill climbing or "scrape mud off the sole"!) and have logged
2300  miles  this  year  without any problems, so my two-stroke engine is in
great shape.

I decided  to  increase  my pedalling efficiency "instantly" by getting into
the  cleated  world,  with  Look pedals and Look-compatible Duegi 303 shoes.
Like  others,  I  figured  the  convenience  of being able to get out of the
pedals  without  using my hands (in a panic stop situation, what the hell is
the  hand  doing unstrapping the foot? It should be on the brake lever!) was
well worth the price.

Since the  distance  of  the  top of the sole of my sneaker to the old pedal
axis  was more than that in the Look-Duegi setup, I lowered my saddle height
by 5mm.

Advice I  have  seen for adjusting conventional cleated shoes is to keep the
bolt  snug,  go for a ride while your foot gets into the position it is used
to,  and  have  a  friend  tighten the bolt while you are still on your bike
after your ride.

The Look pedals don't allow access to all 3 screws anchoring the cleat, so I
used  a  trial-and-error  method,  which has met with little success so far.
The  feedback I get from my foot is inconsistent. For instance, on a 15 mile
ride  with  the  cleat  adjustment  being  FIXED, the same foot tells me the
adjustment  is  perfect,  and  then  that  it should be angled outwards, and
finally,  that it should be angled inwards! Sometimes, the knee/leg that was
complaining  a  moment  ago  feels  just  great,  and  the  other leg starts
complaining! 

Shucks! They  are  so hard to please! Do I have a " wandering foot" problem?
What gives? Any advice much appreciated!

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
368.1	Again, the Fit Kit	DEBIT::FISHER	P-B-P qualified	`Tue Jun 30 1987 06:54`	3
	Go to any bike dealer who has the fit kit and get RAD'ed. He should have the needed stuff in his fit kit. Some shoes are not compatible with the fit-kit tools for radding looks but that's another matter.
368.2	LOOK maintenance?	IAMOK::WESTER		`Mon May 15 1989 16:35`	19
	I have a question for any LOOKers out there. What, if any, maintenance is needed to keep them working in top condition? I'm now into my 3rd season with LOOK Sport's. The black piece at the rear of the pedal is starting to loosen up, making it difficult to disengage from the pedal, and a bit of side to side play when I'm locked in. The only adjustment I see on the pedal is for increasing or decreasing the tension release. Adjusting the tension doesn't make any difference, it seems to require about the same force to click in or out. My main concern is that the pieces of the pedal are starting to loosen up. As a result, my foot can vary its angle, and eventually I may end up with knee troubles. But then again, isn't that what the TIME system does? Allow your foot some side to side play? Anyway, is there any way to tighten, adjust the pedal itself? Dave
368.3	Shimano/Look Pedal	ODIXIE::RRODRIGUEZ	Sign Here X__________	`Fri Sep 24 1993 10:36`	6
	Where is the pedal spindle supposed to be in relation to the ball of your foot? I recently changed cleats and strained the arch of my foot. The cleat is well _aligned_, but now I suspect whether I'm too far forward... r�
368.4		WMOIS::GIROUARD_C		`Fri Sep 24 1993 11:21`	3
	The axel is supposed to intersect the ball of your foot. Chip
368.5		ODIXIE::RRODRIGUEZ	Sign Here X__________	`Fri Sep 24 1993 11:27`	6
	Thanks Chip, I had it just behind the joint of the "big toe". r�
368.6		NOVA::FISHER	US Patent 5225833	`Sun Sep 26 1993 05:15`	7
	Bill Farrell explained it as "forward of the ball for sprinters, behind for mashers" THose of us well balanced fold put the ball over the axle. Another description he used was that forward of the ball of the foot put more strain on the calves and back put more strain on the quads. ed
368.7		GAUSS::ROTH	Geometry is the real life!	`Sun Sep 26 1993 20:06`	11
	Re .-1 Something I notice (since I have trouble with my knees, especially my right one) is that if I have a cleat adjusted behind the ball of my foot it makes my knee hurt. It feels more comfortable to be on or in front of the ball of my foot. The same is true of going up or down stairs - it's easier on my knee to put weight on the ball of my foot mainly, and not my heels. - Jim
368.8	for pain in ball of foot move feet forward on pedals	LASSIE::ZIELONKO		`Wed Sep 29 1993 12:41`	7
	i recall reading that lon haldeman found that setting his feet more forward (that is, the axle coming farther behind the ball of his foot) helped relieve chronic pain in the ball of his foot. i have had problems with this and now have myself set up with a position like this. i haven't had the foot pain (which had gotten really bad BTW) in quite a few years. however i don't know if that's due to the stiffer shoes they make nowadays, fewer miles on my part or the new position. perhaps it's all three.