Shimano SPD + Shimano XC902 cleat float

[smul]

Hey all,

Wondering if anyone has a good idea to help this..

With the Shimano XC902 shoes, the tread on either side of the cleat is not thick enough to engage with the SPD pedal, therefore there ends up being maximum play in the cleat..which coming from the road..I absolutely hate.

Any ideas on how to tighten up the slop? Glue some rubber on? I'm pretty mindblown the top of the range shoe has this problem

See the video of it on youtube you will see what i mean - https://youtube.com/shorts/NAoHxox21r0

Cheers

[6fu]

Rubber contact with the pedal won't decrease amount of float, only slow it down a bit. I've seen guys on world cup put zip ties around pedal spindle (below where the center of the cleat would sit). That might help to remove a bit of play.


Btw same thing happens with my XC901, cleat is too exposed compared to rubber sides. What annoys me more is I end up walking on cleats instead of rubber when off bike.

[DanW]

This happens on virtually all MTB shoe/ XC pedal combos.

I think out of all the various brands I have had, only my most recent Lake shoes have the float impeded by the tread (with Look X Track pedals). But as the other poster says, the float is just slowed down a bit rather than a nice solid connection like a road pedal.

Light weight XC pedals are not designed to have any real support from the tread. As well as pretty much free float you will also experience side to side foot rocking vs road pedals.

Unfortunatley you can't expect XC pedals to every ride like a nice road setup IME (in fact I actually rode Look Keos for XC in a period of really bad knee issues irritated by the side to side rocking on XC pedals- it wasn't as bad as it sounds even in the mud, but definitely not an option if you are doing any walking in mud).

[smul]

Hmm well good to know. I know it wont decrease float, but it will make it feel more stable. The S works recon for example have shims to adjust the height of the tread..which is very smart.

I think im gonna get some 1.5mm hard rubber, and glue it on to the tread, so it takes away the air gap, and gives some more "solid" feel. It would at least reduce the side to side rocking

On that note, are there any other brand MTB pedal/cleat combos that have less float? (I know float is kinda good on MTB for obvious reasons, but just interested if anyone has other experiences..)

[DanW]

Float is mostly handled by different cleats or orientation of cleats.

MTB pedals with low float cleats don't provide any better support, it is more about reduced angle of exit from the pedal. So you may find you slop around exactly the same and unclip when you shouldn't with lower float cleats. Sure you can crank up the tension but you still won't have a road feeling pedal-shoe combo.

MTB pedals are quite different in what they are trying to acheive compared to road. If you have a lot of tread interference then you may not be able to unclip when you need to put a foot down and MTB riding is a lot more dynamic in body positioning... so it is more of a balancing act of practicalities compared to road pedals where the goal is pure power delivery.

There's nothing to stop you using road pedals on a MTB if you really wanted and if your riding conditions allow. A lot of the gravel guys are switching to road pedals on bastardized drop bar mountain bikes

[joebusby]

Also see - space for the bloody mud to clear. If you don't need that then run road pedals?

[simoncx]

I use time and shimano and I've been using look x track cleats with xtr pedals and they seem to have less rocking on the pedal. I also always file down the cleat, side that faces the shoe which also helps getting rid of alot of the play feel.

[DanW]

Also see - space for the bloody mud to clear. If you don't need that then run road pedals?

Very great point that is so obvious I overlooked it

On that note, are there any other brand MTB pedal/cleat combos that have less float? (I know float is kinda good on MTB for obvious reasons, but just interested if anyone has other experiences..)

Shoes don't have such an influence unless you find something with thick tread like my last Lakes (plus the tread will wear down quickly anyway so I wouldn't be looking at the tread as a way to acheive stability)

Look X Track are as good as it gets IMO, for stability on an MTB pedal.

The previous generation XTR pedals had what I would describe as a very "icy" float feeling. Really horrible, especially when wet. If yours are anything like that then you'll notice a difference going to the Looks

[smul]

For those wondering, this is how I fixed it, and yes it works

[Packs]

Looks good nice work. What glue did you use?