I need to fit cleats on my new shoes …

I purchased a new set of fi’zi:k road shoes a month ago. They were an early Christmas present to myself and are waiting patiently on my bookshelf.  They need cleats. They are on my Christmas list.

In the past, I have had a professional fit. This time, I am going to fit them myself. This GCN video explains how it is done. It’s not difficult but, then again, I don’t want to have knee or ankle problems.

The last time I had a fit, I did have a right knee problem. After a 50 km ride, I could hardly move. The fitter advised me not to make any adjustments just yet. It was early in the season. He was confident they were properly fitted and that I had over taxed myself on the ride.

He was right.

I have been cycling with these shoes and cleats for 2 years now without any difficulty. Long rides. Steep climbs. You name it. All types of conditions.

I can use the positioning of the cleats on my Shimano shoes as a starting point for the fi’zi:k shoes. And, while I am at it, the cleats on the Shimano shoes need to be replaced as well. And, for that matter, so do the cleats on my commuting/spinning shoes.

Santa, if you are listening, I need 3 pair of cleats.

Shimano make 2 types of cleats. The SPD models which use a 2-screw mount and are used mostly on mountain bikes. And, the SPD-SL models which use a 3-screw mount and are used on road pedals. This is the type I use on my commuter, the Kuwahara.

The SPD pedals come in 2 flavours. Silver cleats (SH56) which have a multi-directional release and are preferred by beginners. And, Black cleats (SH51) which only release when twisted (not lifted) and are preferred by road cyclists because they do not release as easily and deliver more power to the pedal. This is the type I use on the Garneau and Roberts.

The Shimano SPD-SL cleats come in 3 flavours – yellow, blue and black – supporting different amounts of lateral movement of float. The Yellow cleats have 6 degrees of float and are generally recommended for most road cyclists. The blue have 2 degrees of float and, the red are fixed (no float).

So, Santa if you are still listening, I need 1 pair of the SPD Black (SH51) and 2 pair of the SPD-SL Yellow cleats.