If you’ve read previously, you know I’ve been toying around with flat pedals on the road bike. There were some pros and cons. I think though that ultimately there is very little difference. Do you want to be able to wear just about any shoes? Move your feet on your pedals? Can you tolerate shifting your foot position – whether you want to or not? How about being able to get off your bike and walk freely and comfortably?
For me, it was close except for one thing – I really need to have my feet in a consistent position.
So, I made a few changes to my clipless system and went back…for now. But I have new cleats – yellows instead of reds, so a lot more float (ability to move the heel laterally while clipped in – reds have almost none, while yellows have quite a bit). I’ve also moved the cleat as far back as possible on these shoes, and next time I’ll shoot for even further back if I can find a good pair of shoes that’ll let me do that (along with a bit wider toe box).
And the results have been good. I did 70 miles today and didn’t have my typical excruciating pain in the ball of the left foot. Part of that may be the cleat position, but I think it’s something else too that I only realized very recently. I’m right-handed.
Now I’ve known that for as long as I can remember, but being right-handed means that I’m pulling the right foot out at every stop. And there the left sits, clipped in. Stuck in one position relative to the pedal – perhaps even worse with the red cleats, clipped in with no lateral movement either.
So I’m encouraged by the results. I did the 70 miles and enjoyed it thoroughly today – mostly because I stuck to river trails and thus didn’t do a lot of climbing (only 1447 feet). I’d also raised my seat a few millimeters (I’d lowered it for the flat pedals) and it was pretty comfortable.
I’m thinking that I may stick with clipless for most of the year, but will possibly change over to flats once the temperatures drop below 40 or so. I’m hoping to be able to wear thick socks and warm shoes in the winter – maybe insulated hiking shoes (I love having warm feet when it’s below freezing). Plus the possibility of being able to bail quickly if I hit ice. In any case, I’m getting closer to solving a few problems and that’s always a good thing, especially at my age…
