ITS vs Cleat Wedge

First of all this is not one wedge against another – as long as you are talking about BikeFit branded wedges. Both of the Wedges offered from BikeFit.com work very well. Each wedge however has its place.

In most cases it is my preference to use the Cleat Wedge. In fact this is what most bike fitters should also find when they approach this issue at the foot. Bike fitters more and more should be able to assess this area and find the preferred product to be the Cleat Wedge.

So when should the ITS be used?

The ITS often is a “fill in” product for types of cleats that are not compatible with cleat wedges like Crank Brothers – however Cleat Wedges under the Crank Brothers shoe shield is often a good cleat wedge solution.

Perhaps more of a hyper mobile foot would be a good place to use an ITS in combination with the Cleat Wedge. This type of foot needs more support. A stiff or rather a more rigid foot tends to be more responsive with less wedging and the Cleat Wedge is really a better solution for most rigid feet (this is important to know so please keep this information in mind when you are doing bike fits)

ITS wedges are also great for diagnostics. Throw it in and see how it affects the cycling mechanics.

When you are short on time you can quickly get some needed wedging in place (probably only a temporary solution) for the foot.

ITS wedges are also good to have in your arsenal for situations when a cyclist is “in-between” or it is tough to tell if 2 cleat wedges or 3 cleat wedges is the better solution. In other words the cyclist looks good with 2 or 3 cleat wedges. Let the cyclist go with 2 cleat wedges installed and give them an ITS as the 3rd wedge. Instruct them to spend some time with the ITS in the shoe and some time with it in their back pocket. Over a period of time you will usually find the preferred amount of Cleat Wedging to settle on for the cyclist.

Bike Fits recent growth in the industry is a good thing. However with growth we must also be careful to grow properly. There is a huge amount of misinformation that is floating within the bike fitting world. Be aware of this and learn the difference. Many people have been mislead on this issue.

Just like pedal platforms got wider with world leading companies does not mean their approach was the correct one. Perhaps it was needed but it was done so with complete disregard to the reason “why” outer pedal wear was occurring. Think about this when you look at other leading companies with other products….are they really steering us in the right direction?

Happy Cleat Wedge Pedaling

Swifty

Can you think of some well known names in the bike fitting world that are a big fans of the Cleat Wedges?? An example of one is John Cobb

Arkansas' amazing experience

... once I arrived in Fayetteville at 11:00pm where the temperature was a balmy 26 degrees and dropping, it was time to rest-up for the next 2 days of training. Needless to say that watching Paul in action and his thinking process for each "outside the box" situation that was presented in each fit during the 2 days was just incredible; we saw drop shoulders, skogliosis, leg length discrepancy, strange pressure points on saddles, limited ROM in lower backs and much more.

I am now a convert to Speedplay pedals, sorry Look but our 24 year relationship is over. The simplicity to get them dialed in is just way too easy from a bike fitter's view.

As a rider I have heard in the past that people did experience "hot spots" under their feet when using Speedplay pedals, but the more I learn from fitting individuals, I can tell that those hot spots are caused not by the pedals but from improper foot/cleat/pedal interface. All of the subject being fitted suring this training required a change in the spindle length to achieve a perfect position on the bike, with 6 needing longer spindles on 1 or both pedals and 1 subject needing to go with shorter spindles.

Back to the fits ... as mentioned before every subject that was fitted presented our group with some challenges however everyone of them left a happy cyclist! The common underlying theme was too long of stems!!! If you are experiencing lower back pain or shoulder pain make sure to revisit your reach! If your hands do not gravitate to the hoods, revisit your reach! There are some great handlebars out there available in shorter reaches and shallower drops which should be considered when building up your new bike or upgrading your old bike.

Until next time ... ride in comfort!