Shimano SPD Sl Cleats

Kupe

Is anyone using the blue cleats with the 2* float and if so how does compare to the yellow 6* float and has it mad a difference in your pedal stroke?

Answers to any of the above would be appreciated.

matsprt1984

Yes, I use the blue cleats. I have for about a year. No problems with them.

I have a pretty smooth tight spin already but I did not notice any difference or stress (knees or hips) when I switched over.

cloggsy71

Yellow's here

TheBigYin

18 months ago, I was having awful problems with my hip and knee, as results of prior accidents I'd had. The problem only came to light when I became fit enough to ride for a decent duration, and was basically caused by an imbalance in leg length (Left leg is 1 inch shorter than the right after 10 months of stretching it in one of those ilzarov cage things - immediately after the accident it was nearer 4 inches shorter!)

Anyhoo - the physio and the specialist who'd recently operated on my right knee decided on a program of gradual re-tracking and position modification on the bike to address the problems. As my Right leg was longer than the left, if I set the saddle height correctly for the right leg, I was over-stretching with the left and causing back problems. Conversely, if I set the height for the left leg (initially the more comfortable option) my right knee was tracking outwards through the pedal stroke - swinging away from the top-tube. So, the solution was to

a) add a small shim under the cleats on the left leg
b) install a customised orthotic in the left shoe
c) progressively raise the saddle to somewhere mid-way between the two prior settings
d) install a blue cleat on the right hand shoe, set so that the float was all "to one side" so that it constrained my leg enough to prevent the knee tracking problems. The left remained on a yellow, allowing it to move if needed, as the body "re-balanced" itself...
e) lots of kinesio tape to help with the tracking problems.
f) more "core stability" exercises than you could shake a stick at!

It worked, by and large - I've stopped getting knee pains, seldom if ever get any back problems even on 5 hour+ rides, and according to the last wattbike pedalling technique test I took a couple of months ago, I've got something like a 47/53% power balance L to R - where it was something like 37/63% in favour of the right leg - despite the right knee being the one that had been operated upon most recently.

So, yes, the blue cleats made a difference for me, but in a very specific usage of them. Now I'm pretty much back balanced up again, and I have the exact settings for how to align the cleats, frankly, I could probably get away with the red cleats. I've now used up my stockpile of blue's and I'm back riding on yellows both sides - but thats purely because they're what I have in the big box of bike spares.