Cleat setup like the pros

If your cleats are setup incorrectly you could end up with “hot foot” or numbness in your feet. This is because the pressure exerted on the foot by the pedal axle is not in the correct place and cutting the blood circulation through the foot.

A basic jig is used to determine the correct cleat position

Setup
Draw a line on the ball of your foot so that when you lift up your big toe, the line is pulled into a V-SHAPE. Once this is done place the feet in the jig and line these marked lines up with the lines on the plastic. The feet must be pushed together and the heels placed firmly against the back of the plates.

No place the shoes in the jig and set the measurement back five millimetres to compensate for the thick sock and heel of the shoe.

Using a correction pen (TipEx) draw a line across the bottom of the shoe. This marks the point at which the pedal axle should run.

Take the cleats and look for the little lines or markers on either side and line them up with this line you’ve just drawn. This is shown in the picture

Push the cleat towards the inside of the shoe so that the crank arm stays well clear of the shoe and does not rub the riders’ foot while pedalling.

 

 

Arran Brown is a professional cyclist with team MTN Qhubeka and is a past winner of the Pick n Pay Cape Argus, the Momentum 94.7 and the Amashova. He also held the South African U/23 time trial title. Arran is the owner of Cycle Fit, a bicycle set-up laboratory.