Cleat positioning

Ooo, I had the same problem. Fixing it was fairly simple. What I did was pay real close attention to where the burning sensation was, and relocated the cleat. I found by locating the cleat to directly UNDER the burning, I made it go away. It's hard to mess us a "fit" with your cleats - they are really only minor adjustments. That's my $.02.

What brand of cleats and shoes are you using?

I don't agree with the sentiment that cleat adjustment has a "minor" affect on bike fit. You only five contact points with a bike. Your right and left foot make up two of those and are the only points that are in constant contact.

Improper cleat positioning can be the cause of knee, ITB, hip and lower leg pain. It can also affect your power output.


scott

SPD pedals are notorious for hot spots. Combine them with shoes that likely don't have a very stiff sole and you're asking for problems on longer rides.

Personally this is an area where I wouldn't skimp on quality. But shop around and you can find some good deals on shoes and pedal systems that will be an upgrade to what you're currently using, and will likely eliminate the hot spots.

Pedal systems get significantly more expensive as they get lighter. The benefit of titanium spindles over stainless or cro-moly is marginal. Regarding shoes I suggest a carbon sole, but there are some non-carbon sole shoes that are pretty good. Again the price goes up exponentially as the weight of the shoe goes down. The buckle/bindng system also affects the cost of a shoe.

scott