I’m not sure if this is in the right category, but I’m essentially looking for guidance on how to duplicate my cleat position from the old shoes to the new ones. I’m using SH12 SPD-SL 2-Degree (Blue Shimano) cleats, which were fitted by a bike fitter. I can probably replicate the distance from the heel to the bottom of the cleat, but I’m unsure how to adjust the angle. Any tips?
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What is a two step kind of thing and very low tech. I put a shoe on the edge of a table or some other surface so that the cleat hangs off the surface. I push the shoe so that the back of the cleat is tight against that edge ( I use the edge of my office desk). I place an object against the back of the shoe. I use a book or some other weighty object. I make sure the part of the book in contact with the back of the shoe is parallel to the edge of my desk. With the shoe still in that same position, I have a tool used in machining and carpentry that used to copy an angle. It’s just two pieces of metal joined with a thumbscrew. I loosen the screw and put on of the metal pieces against the desk edge and the other against what it contacts on the shoe when I turn that edge of the tool toward the show. All of that allows me to copy the position of the cleat to pretty high accuracy. As for the lateral position of the cleat on the shoe, I just try to replicate the lateral position of the bolts in the cleat on the new shoe and/or cleat.
It’s also worth noting that there are a number of cleat alignment tools on the market. Ergon’s got a tool that comes in different versions for a lot of the cleats out there. TP1 – Ergon Bike
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Are the new shoes the same model as the previous ones or completely different shoes?
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Oh yeah minor detail. They’re just the newer version of the same shoe. No difference to thickness of the heel from my understanding
This is one of my better AliExpress purchases:
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Unfortunately that is a blatant copy - I suggest purchasing the original from Ergon.
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I’m also very interested in a solution!
Purchased the Ergon TP1 but I’d say it can do more harm than good. Alignment depends on the sticker position you place yourself. The stickers are so thin that they bend and can easily cause a huge discrepancy. I do not recommend it.
By the way, in my case it’s also about just moving cleats to a new model of the same shoe I already have.
I can get the position close enough just by putting the old and the new shoe next to each other and just eyeballing it (I’m mostly doing it Sidi to Sidi so the bolt positions will be the same anyway). The angle is a bit more work (plus I use black Keo cleats so there’s no margin for error) but I have found that my (old) phone is the perfect tool for this: put one end of the phone centered against the rear of the cleat, use the power port at the other end as a reference point for measuring the position against the centre of the heel (on Sidis there’s a rivet right there that is even about the same width as a USB-C port).
I use the Ergon tool and mark it with pencil to outline locations on the shoe.
However, I also often do a refit where I mark the place of my big and little toe knuckles, align this line with the centre of the cleat, point my right shoe slightly heel on (to replicate walking stance) and then put myself as near to the cranks as possible to mimic my narrow pelvis.
I also have the Ergon tool and have also had mixed results with it.
The Sablona Cleat MultiTool was recently released and looks really promising https://fitkitsystems.com/product/sablona-cleat-multitool/?utm_source=Fit+Kit+Systems&utm_campaign=5596eace32-Aug-2024-Newsletter--2024_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4954517260-5596eace32-459994681&mc_cid=5596eace32&mc_eid=e7d7c3bf1a
My very cheap way of duplicating my cleat position is I buy two green floral arrangement blocks. I press my old shoe and cleats into the block and get a impression. I then use the impression to do the alignment on the new shoe.
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