POSITION OF CLIPLESS CLEATS ON A RECUMBENT

Mat 1, 2006

    I have an EZ Tour Recumbent and switched my pedals to the Look pedals I had on my road bike. I did not change the position of the cleats on my shoes from the balls of my feet.
    Should the cleats be in a different position for a recumbent? I have been experiencing a slight pain in my right Achilles and have been experiencing some cramping in my right calf. Thanks in advance for considering my question.

Michael J.

Michael:
    We could all too easily proceed from a false assumption: that all road bike riders position their cleats the same way.
    It turns out that, while many folks do position their cleats on the balls of their feet, some put the cleats in front of the balls, and some behind. No, not cuz they don’t know their extensor from their tarsus; they claim that they actually get more power, comfort, or mobility from these positions.
    The same holds true for ‘bent cleat positions. Some riders position their cleats exactly like they do on their road bikes, while others prefer going (horrors!) to platform pedals—cuz they say they wanna change foot position during the ride, depending on terrain and how fast they spin.
    Having said all that, I can tell you what I hear most often from road riders who position their cleats so the ball of the foot centers over the pedal axle: For 'bent riding, they move their cleats to the rear. Some slightly, others well into the instep. So you might try moving the cleats back a little at a time.

Mr Bike

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