Right, so last year I bought some clippy shoes (Shimano AM41) and pedals (Shimano M530) because I thought it might improve my confidence in riding corners. It did, to some extent, but it’s only after going back to flats have the new skills appeared.

Now, I went beck to flats predominantly as a test, just out of interest. Also, I had a skills day coming up and was told flats were preferable. Once I was back though, I couldn’t stay away. My feet were in a far more comfortable position and I instantly felt more confident.

My problem with the shoes was that I couldn’t get the cleats far enough back. I felt like I was riding on my toes all the time. The pedals were great for going up and along, but coming back down just wasn’t the same. So, first question…

Has anyone taken a Dremel to their shoes to to set the cleats further back? I know it’s been done, but I’d like some encouragement/guiding words/pics.

Second question….

I did wonder if the pedals were the problem. Are other brands preferable for those looking for optimum descending? I notice very few DH riders use Shimano pedals and favour Crank Bros. Is it worth borrowing some Mallets for a week or 2 to give the clips another chance? What are the main differences?

Long winded, for that I’m sorry. Cheers!

I think Fabien Barrel modified his shimano SPD shoes (the old DX ones) to run the cleats farther back. If you google for Fabien barrel SPD dowhill video or something along those lines I’m sure you will find it..

As to the second point- Lots of WC downhillers use Crank bro’s pedals because crank bros pay em to.. There is some differences, mostly that CB pedals have 4 entry position as opposed to 2, but in terms of cleat position there isnt any difference.

Cheers catfish, I think I might have seen that Fabien vid at some point. I’m just a bit tentative on taking a Dremel to a relatively new pair of shoes.

Hmmm, you’d think that a lot more would use Shimano though, as they’re a pretty major sponsor. I hear tales of more “float” but I don’t really know what this refers to.

Yeah, it involves a good bit of dremeling / stanley-knife-ing from memory. Shimano don’t really make a “Downhill” marketed SPD pedal thou, they have the DX (m647) pedal, which a few pro DHr’s use, like Ben Reid, but I think it was originally designed as a BMX racing pedal (still works fine for downhill & everything else thou) Where as Crank bros have 3 different models of one downhill pedal..

5:10 Greg Minnaars allow you to get the cleats pretty far back. But with the GF’s DX shoes had to be modded slightly with a Stanley knife and drill. Was pretty easy to do.

Tom Kp

I have Mallets of various ages on all 3 bikes but don’t clip in that often. New ones are quite grippy unclipped like a flat so best of both.
You might be able mod the shoe using a internal clamp plate from an old pair to offset the cleat onto the shoe.
The CBs looser float v Shim is meant to be better for your knees etc. Setting cleats right back might effect that. You won’t get the same power pedalling either.