cleat position and leg extension

[sugarfyed]

Hi folks ,
I am ready to clip in and I was hoping for some advice on the optimum cleat position for a cruzbike (sofrider).Also what is the best amount of knee extension for recumbent riding eg. for power and injury prevention . I will be using shimano MTB shoes and spd's .
.

 

[Charles.Plager]

HI sugarfyed,
For what it's

HI sugarfyed,

For what it's worth, I mount my cleats as far back (towards the heal) as they will go. There's certainly no good reason (that I know of) to have them past the ball of your foot.

As far as I know, you want the same knee extension on a 'bent as you do on a DF. (Ya know, slightly bent at full extension...)

If you haven't clipped in before, I recommend find a pole, holding on, and practicing clipping and unclipping for 20 or so minutes. Works wonders...

 

[jimbo3b]

+1 on Charles' advice

I ride with the cleat as far back as it will go. On my Keen sandals, I had to cut the rubber down to the plate around the cleat so I could get the cleat that far back and still click in. This puts the cleat under the ball of my foot.

I rode about 150 miles on my Cruzbike conversion before I put clipless pedals on it. About a third of the mileage was on trail rides, the rest was on my 9-mile (round trip) commute. For me, this was a good thing to do, learning to start and stop and turn the bike without worrying about my feet stuck on the pedals. I ride on the ball of my foot whether clipped in or not, so I didn't have to adjust the boom when I put the SPD pedals on the bike.

 

[hurri47]

Careful with leg extension

I also use SPD cleats on MTB shoes, and I echo Jimbo3b's comment about carving down Keen soles to get the cleats rearward.

I've noticed that some people named Parker extend legs a lot more than most folks. On the other hand I have historically felt better with knees more bent than even other recumbent riders.

When I started on the Cruzbike, I gave some longer boom lengths a try, but after some familiar knee pain, I started shortening the boom again 1/4 inch at a time until I was comfortable again. Apparently there is nothing magical about MBB/FWD that allows or demands straighter legs.

The best news is that adjustments are easy - I don't even have to get off the bike.

-Dan

 

[seemark]

couple of thoughts

To find the approximate length for me, I put my heel on the pedal (with shoes on) and adjust so my leg is locked. With my .
cleats as close to my heel as possible that works pretty good for me. In normal cycling I have a slight bend in my leg at full extension.
If pedals are too far away I get groin pain after about an hour, not fun.

 

[sugarfyed]

Thanks guys

Thanks Guys ,you have covered exactly what I was looking for . No doubt I will have some trial and error
but you have given me a good starting point . I am looking forward to taking on our local hills clipped in .From what I've read in he forums there is more power ..I like climbing hills and I have set my goal to be able to climb as well as my DF friends.

I will report back when I am bit further down the road .

Thanks Again