Q&A: Adjusting cleats, tubeless slow leak, creaking

Q: I'm installing cleats on my new bicycle shoes and don't know how to get them in the right position. Can you help?

Thanks,
Dennis

A: Thanks for the question. It's important to get cleats right to prevent knee injuries and also to ensure you can get in and out of your clipless pedals easily. The diagram on the right shows the correct placement for cleats. It's from a page I have on my website where I explain how to find the right cleat position and give easy instructions that help you align and position your cleats in the right position. Click to learn more about cleat placement.

Hope this helps,
Jim
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Q: Hi Jim,
I recently purchased a set of Dura Ace 7850-SL wheels to use with tubeless tires in part because of your positive reviews. I've noticed that the only criticisms are from those folks who haven't ridden them - you, Zinn and others who know their stuff seem to like them a lot. So far, I've been very pleased, but I have a couple of questions that I'd greatly appreciate your advice on. I weigh 165lbs and the Hutchinson website indicates the following: 65 - 75 kg / 140 - 165 lb = 6 - 7 bars / 87 - 101 psi. That strikes me as higher pressure than I would have thought. What do you recommend (especially for someone who places a high emphasis on cornering grip)? Also, my rear tire seems to have a very slow leak. It always seems to lose 10 - 20lbs of pressure overnight. Should I use the Hutchinson Protect'Air? If so, how much (ml) should I use for a 700x23 tire?

Thanks in advance!
Mark

A: Thanks for the email, Mark. I'm about the same weight as you and I run 90psi in the front tire and 95 in the rear. I have run them lower on really bad roads, approx 87 in the rear, 85 in the front. Note that gauges are usually inaccurate so it's hard to know the exact pressures, but according to my gauges, that's a ballpark setting you could try that should work nicely. And, you can certainly experiment with lower pressure to see what's right for you and your roads. I would think you wouldn't want to run too much below what the company recommends, though. Usually if a tire is run too soft it tends to crack sooner but you could try it and see if you have any problems, too.

To figure out the slow leak, I would put water around the valve and see if that's what's leaking. I had trouble with one of mine. The little O-ring wasn't sealing well. I finally replaced the valve, which wasn't easy because I had to special order it from a bike shop and it took a long time. They don't seem to be available yet so the shop could only order them from Shimano direct instead of from their usual distributors.

You could also dip the wheel in a sink to try to spot a slow leak, but the only problem with this is that there are holes in the rim and the rim will take in some water and it's a pain to get it out. So, you should seal the holes first with little pieces of tape.

I'm assuming that you haven't run over a tiny piece of glass or wire that's causing the slow leak, too.

Some feedback I've gotten from others riding these tires is that theirs lose air overnight, too. I have only had this with the tire with the bad valve. The other tires hold air overnight but need a little air every few days like regular clincher tires with tubes.

I believe if you use Hutchinson's aerosol inflator you're supposed to use one per tire. That's based on them sending me 2 with 2 tires. They told me that there's a light sealant in there that will help seal the tire. I used it on one tire and didn't notice any difference, but some people swear that sealants fix flats and are worth using. I can't tell if it made a difference or not in sealing the tire or preventing flats. I have checked that tire and rim and haven't noticed any issues with sealant eating the rim (as I mentioned in my RBR article can be caused by Stan's sealants - or so Shimano says).

I hope this answers your questions and you enjoy riding tubeless as much as I do. Last week I flatted my front tire in a race and was able to ride 10 miles on it to the neutral support tent to get a spare wheel while keeping right up with the lead group I was in. I don't think I would have dared try that on my old regular clinchers. There was no damage to the rim.

Thanks again,
Jim
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Q: Jim,
I am not sure how much of a problem I am having with my bottom bracket. When I stand to climb I hear an awful lot of creaking noise. I have an aluminum frame Cannondale CAAD 4 with a Shimano Dura-Ace crankset. I am by no means a bike mechanic. Just like my car, I know where the gas goes and how to turn it on. So I don't know if this is just stress noise or if something is loose that can be tightened.

Thanks for your time and consideration,
Rob

A: Hi Rob,
Your crankset shouldn't make noise when you're riding. You probably have a loose crankarm or a loose bottom bracket, or if you wear cleated cycling shoes, you might have a noise coming from your pedals or cleats.

This article on my website goes into great detail on noises and you'll find a lot of common noises and solutions here including bottom bracket, crank and cleat noises.

Of course, you could also take your bike into any bike shop, describe the noise, ask the mechanic to take a test ride and he should be able to hear it and tell you what's needed right away and maybe fix it right away, too, for not too much money, even.

I hope this helps,
Jim
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