Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted September 12, 2018 Share I'm not sure how you can claim to know his "ideal foot positioning" unless you're the doctor or physio administering the rehab program. Sounds like shooting from the hipBecause he messaged me and said thanks for the help, also giving me additional info. More, I cannot say. Not my place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted September 12, 2018 Share I don't mean to derail this thread, but is there a "correct" (read ideal) position when riding with flats? I ride with cleats normally due to the type of riding and races I do, but have in the last few months bought five tens and flats which I swap to on occasion. However I sometimes feel if I keep my foot in relatively the same position (ball of foot) on the pedal as when riding with cleats that my foot want to slide off the pedal when I drop my heels. Common sense tells me to pedal with the middle of my foot to prevent this, but I am so used to pedal with the ball of my foot that it feels weird and I am scared that I might develop some knee pain due to this. Interesting question. there is a guy in Germany who promotes a mid foot cleat position and builds cleated shoes to work with pedals in this way.I too find that when riding flats I want to pedal with my arch which I find uncomfortable.However my cleated shoes do have the cleat positioned such that the ball of my foot is about 6mm to 8mm ahead of the pedal axle centerline. I find I engage my leg muscles more effectively with this set up. Look at Pedalinginnovations.comthey offer the catalyst pedal that uses a massive platform to support the foot, especially the arch. Essentially these work like clipless pedals coupled to stiff soled mtb shoe with arch support but doesn't have a clip in mechanism. I'll try to find the German dudes website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted September 12, 2018 Share Because he messaged me and said thanks for the help, also giving me additional info. More, I cannot say. Not my place. ok so you've said to much already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted September 12, 2018 Share ok so you've said to much alreadyYeah. More info would not have been appropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted September 12, 2018 Share Interesting question. there is a guy in Germany who promotes a mid foot cleat position and builds cleated shoes to work with pedals in this way.I too find that when riding flats I want to pedal with my arch which I find uncomfortable.However my cleated shoes do have the cleat positioned such that the ball of my foot is about 6mm to 8mm ahead of the pedal axle centerline. I find I engage my leg muscles more effectively with this set up. Look at Pedalinginnovations.comthey offer the catalyst pedal that uses a massive platform to support the foot, especially the arch. Essentially these work like clipless pedals coupled to stiff soled mtb shoe with arch support but doesn't have a clip in mechanism. I'll try to find the German dudes websiteYeah, someone I've ridden with had a set of em. Interesting, but a little narrow for me, personally. I like a wide pedal, so that I can get support on the outside of my foot as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted September 12, 2018 Share I don't mean to derail this thread, but is there a "correct" (read ideal) position when riding with flats? I ride with cleats normally due to the type of riding and races I do, but have in the last few months bought five tens and flats which I swap to on occasion. However I sometimes feel if I keep my foot in relatively the same position (ball of foot) on the pedal as when riding with cleats that my foot want to slide off the pedal when I drop my heels. Common sense tells me to pedal with the middle of my foot to prevent this, but I am so used to pedal with the ball of my foot that it feels weird and I am scared that I might develop some knee pain due to this.I like scootching my foot forward slightly when I go down, sorta midway between the arch and ball. As long as you g3t your heels down, and are comfortable and supported in your position, it's okay (in my opinion) I find that it feels very weird if I'm smack bang in the middle of my arch, and I can't get my heels down as much as I can when I'm inbetween the arch and ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted September 12, 2018 Share Interesting question. there is a guy in Germany who promotes a mid foot cleat position and builds cleated shoes to work with pedals in this way.I too find that when riding flats I want to pedal with my arch which I find uncomfortable.However my cleated shoes do have the cleat positioned such that the ball of my foot is about 6mm to 8mm ahead of the pedal axle centerline. I find I engage my leg muscles more effectively with this set up. Look at Pedalinginnovations.comthey offer the catalyst pedal that uses a massive platform to support the foot, especially the arch. Essentially these work like clipless pedals coupled to stiff soled mtb shoe with arch support but doesn't have a clip in mechanism. I'll try to find the German dudes website* * www.joefrielsblog.com/2014/11/midsole-cleats-and-pedals.html Joe Friel of the "training bible" fame is the guy advocating it for endurance athletesStill looking for the German show manufacturer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieterJvR Posted September 12, 2018 Share Interesting question. there is a guy in Germany who promotes a mid foot cleat position and builds cleated shoes to work with pedals in this way.I too find that when riding flats I want to pedal with my arch which I find uncomfortable.However my cleated shoes do have the cleat positioned such that the ball of my foot is about 6mm to 8mm ahead of the pedal axle centerline. I find I engage my leg muscles more effectively with this set up. Look at Pedalinginnovations.comthey offer the catalyst pedal that uses a massive platform to support the foot, especially the arch. Essentially these work like clipless pedals coupled to stiff soled mtb shoe with arch support but doesn't have a clip in mechanism. I'll try to find the German dudes website I like scootching my foot forward slightly when I go down, sorta midway between the arch and ball. As long as you g3t your heels down, and are comfortable and supported in your position, it's okay (in my opinion) I find that it feels very weird if I'm smack bang in the middle of my arch, and I can't get my heels down as much as I can when I'm inbetween the arch and ball. Thanks Gents, some food for thought... Guess I will also play around a bit more with different foot positions when using my flats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted September 12, 2018 Share Remember that (and I have played with this) max power will come with the ball of your foot closer to the axle. More control will come with the arch over the pedal axle. For marathon or xc we're more interested in power. For enduro or dh control is more important. The happy medium is somewhere in between then there is also the clipped in vs free foot aspect to consider. All of life is a compromise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porqui Posted September 12, 2018 Share Fr0st - that's the whole thing about being on flats is that you can change the position of your foot as the conditions require or as it suits you.I change the position of my foot a lot during a ride depending on conditions and orientation of trail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 24, 2018 Share Specialised will have their 2FO Flat & Skitch shoes in all their branches. Just bought a set of 2FO flats and they're comfy AF. Feedback - I visited the Spez dealership around the corner from our office. Those 2FO shoes look GOOD !! Sadly they did not have my size in stock ... immediately offered to order it for me. While back I bought a pair of Scott Sticki shoes. Looks like tekkies, but can take cleats. I was hoping to use these on the flat pedals. This weekend I took it out for two rides. YES - the stiffer sole structure certainly helps ! BUT - these were never intended for use with flat pedals !! My feet slipped off the pedals 2 or 3 times .... Time to ask Spez to order in a pair of 2FO's for me. thanks for the input gents. Much appreciated ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 24, 2018 Share Feedback on the Spark 940 - Saturday's ride just did not "gel" .... trying new shoes with 8mm thinner soles messed with my setup, and just could not get comfortable on the trail .... Monday morning was a whole different story !! Saddle set at the correct height for the Scott shoes, front shock pressure dropped just a tad to soften the feel up front, tire pressures just right, weather perfect. And so we set of on our ride. Everything just "clicked" ... I was pumping out a steady pace on the level sections, a good 6km/h more than my normal, without straining. Hills are hills .... but I managed to at least keep my pace. Downhills the setup tweaks helped and I could go just that tadd faster .... Actually did a second run of most of the trail, and still clocked in 1,6km/h faster than my previous average time. only issues :- the Spark is much more prone to pedal strikes than the Trek ! Need to be more alert for this ..- the dropper post is NICE, but also a dangerous item ! So nice to drop the saddle and zoot down the single tracks ... BUT, better be sure to raise the saddle on the level .... not good for the knees to power along on a lowered saddle ... okay, user issue ! Already went a lot better today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABrooks Posted September 25, 2018 Share Glad to hear that you are enjoying your new bike! What brand pedals are you using with the shoes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 25, 2018 Share Shimano flat pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebob Posted September 25, 2018 Share Monday morning was a whole different story !! Saddle set at the correct height for the Scott shoes, front shock pressure dropped just a tad to soften the feel up front, tire pressures just right, weather perfect. And so we set of on our ride. Have a look at removing a volume spacer from the fork. I did so on my 940 and the fork is a lot plusher and eats up the trail trash a lot better than with the stock setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 25, 2018 Share Have a look at removing a volume spacer from the fork. I did so on my 940 and the fork is a lot plusher and eats up the trail trash a lot better than with the stock setup. Thank you for the tip. now to youtube the how-to of this .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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