Being lazy here not using the search function so apologies. I’m recovering from a broken heel bone and damaged ankle… 4 mths on, I’m just getting back on the bike. I was off one leg virtually 10 weeks.
I’ve uses a t/trainer a few times and felt ok seated. Actually got on the road bike proper last weekend and the pain in the outside of knee after just 20 mins was unbearable. Could this just be down to lack of use up to now or should I be altering the cleat on one side to put less leverage on the ankle. Failing that, what’s the best place to start with good cleat poitioning ?? I’ve looked on the net but there’s differing opinions.

Time {MTB] pedals have a float so you can move about as you pedal

not sure if they will help but help me out as i have dodgy left knee from a bad [ motorbike] crash in my youth.

Failing that I would try and move it and see what happens

http://www.bikejames.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ManifestowithLinks2.pdf

http://www.bikejames.com/strength-training/barefoot-pedaling-flat-pedals/

Time {MTB] pedals have a float so you can move about as you pedal

All cleats have float. It is rare to need more than 3 degrees or so rotational float. Needing more suggests something isn’t right with the setup.

Could this just be down to lack of use up to now or should I be altering the cleat on one side to put less leverage on the ankle.

It is always hard to say without knowing more details but 10 weeks of little activity on one side will more than likely require a fair bit of rehab to get back to normal.

Moving cleats backwards reduces the amount of work the soft tissues around the ankle have to do and may help make things feel a bit more stable. I’d be nervous of changing one foot and not the other and getting out of balance. You’ll also need to change saddle height and setback so it potentially gets a bit complicated.

Personally I wouldn’t stress too much about the bike stuff, but get the body back in good working order first. It is quite tough to compensate for large strength/ coordination imbalances and you may well end up aggravating other parts tinkering with the bike and cleats. Just my 2c, good luck with a solid recovery!

Shimano have rotational float, as you note, but they dont have lateral float

You can get a certain amount of extra movement on SPD’s depending on spring tension and pedal-shoe interface if you really wanted. I subscribe to the theory that the cleats should be correctly positioned and float shouldn’t be used to accommodate poor fit. If you see enough people pedaling with instrumented pedal that measure naturally occurring float from a mean line, then you can see most people use less than 3 degrees rotational float with cleats correctly set and there isn’t need for medial-lateral float. You don’t need a sloppy pedal to have comfortable knees and very often the instability can actually irritate various soft tissues that have to work hard to stabilise the pedal stroke. SPD cleats also allow adjustment of medial-lateral positioning which Time MTB don’t- all helping to get the cleats in the right place in the first place. The other school of thought is of course that lots of float in all directions allows the foot to settle in a comfortable position but I’d personally go toward correct positioning and a stable pedal stroke.

All of this is quite irrelevant as I’d have thought if the OP has underlying problems from a long time of inactivity which should probably be addressed first

Cheers gents, looks like the build up slowly approach is the way forward… Had a sit on the turbo tonight and all feels natural with some light and fast spinning. Will try a steady 10 miler at the weekend and see if it’s improved…

I broke my left ankle a few years ago and was in plaster for 6 weeks and off the bike for about 10. I got on fine with SPD’s but I found flat pedals were, and still are quite unpleasant.

I had what sounds to be exact same injury about three years ago – shattered calcaneum, various metal bits put into my foot and ankle including fusing the subtalor joint. I have lost a lot of mobility in that ankle in all dimensions – but once back on the bike I did not feel any need to change my cleat or seat position. It all seems to be mostly working, on- and off-road.

Interestingly I do have Garmin Vector pedals on the road bike, and with the new Pedal Dynamics stuff I see that my right foot applies most of the force well off (outside) the center line, but again – doesn’t seem to have any impact on my overall left-right power output, or comfort.

So – one data point for you anyway. Feel free to contact me (email in profile) if you want some more advice on how I got back on the bike, and experiences to date.