Little Things that make a difference: Introducing FORM Products!

Egan Bernal had been suffering throughout the Year 2020 from back pain, severely impacting his performance. He revealed in an interview that a disc in his spine had “punctured a nerve.” The reason for this, according to his medical team: One leg was longer than the other. Since then, Bernal has not yet returned to his previous form, but we all hope he eventually will.

Bernal is not the only cyclist who has experienced pain; most cyclists at one point experience hip, knee, or back issues. There can be many reasons for this, and it can get complicated, but one thing is sure: When you ride around 10,000km a year, you move through the same leg rotation somewhere between 1 and 1.5 million times. It seems likely that foot position matters for removing a source of pain and possibly increasing efficiency and performance.

In research for this article, I reviewed the literature (there are some research papers and meta-studies, but not many), and the result is inconclusive. Biomechanics are complicated with many factors influencing posture and motion: A test setting indoors is not the same as outdoors riding; benefits or drawbacks of a new foot position might only show over time; and every cyclist is built differently and has different pre-existing conditions (such as slight imbalances, power differences between left and right leg, weak or strong glutes, different foot arches, and the list goes on). We are all not the same machine.

If you are experiencing any discomfort on the bike, or feel that there might be room for maximizing your efficiency, then a wise decision is to consult a bike fitter and get properly set up on the bike and the bike set-up for you. But even without getting a proper fit, and also when you have been fitted already, there is a lot of value in trying different settings yourself. Give it some time, several rides over a couple of weeks or longer, and observe how you feel. You feel better; keep the change. You feel worse; go back. The good thing is that experimenting with foot position does not cost you much, and there is one company that provides you with all the products you will ever need to make adjustments to the angle and position of your foot.

FORM Bikefitting Products

Before I met Ronan Descy of FORM at Eurobike, I knew of different products that adjust your foot angle and position. However, FORM not only provides a complete set of products, but these also look very well-engineered and have some unique and useful features that other products lack. I have received some of FORM’s products for testing, and I will write about them in detail in following posts. With this post, I aim first to give you an overview of all their products and let you know they exist.

FORM Bikefitting Products was founded in 2016 as an extension of the FORM bike fitting studio in London to create a range of practical and high-quality products that would improve the functionality of fitting products, offering them at prices accessible to everyone. Over time, FORM has expanded its reach from catering primarily to local UK-based fitters and cyclists to making its products available internationally through its website and regional distributors. Their range of products all work at the foot/pedal interface and allow the following adjustments, expressed in my layman’s terms: Inward and outward shift of the cleat (adjustment of the stance width, some say Q-factor), fore and aft adjustments to the cleat, foot tilt (to compensate for sub-optimal tracking of your knee and enhance proprioception), and finally leg length difference compensation.

Wedges:

Wedges indirectly alter knee angle to reduce lateral or medial knee pain associated with bad leg tracking. In addition, wedges increase the proprioception signals our brains receive from the feet, amplifying the brain’s awareness of that area.

The most common misalignment among cyclists is overpronation. FORM has several products that alter foot tilt and, thus, knee tracking: cleat wedges, in-shoe forefoot wedges, and in-shoe heel wedges. All these products can also be used independently, without the presence of knee pain, to enhance proprioception.

Cleat Wedges:

These wedges go between the cleat and the shoe. They are available for the 3-hole system (Shimano SPDSL, Look style 3-hole cleats, and Time/Mavic pedals), Speed play (all Speedplay road systems including Nano, Zero, Comp & Aero), and for MTB (2-hole SPD type cleats). Each wedge offers 1 degree of tilt, and multiple wedges can be used to achieve the desired angle (Except for the MTB kit). They cost between GBP 9 and GBP 13 for a kit of 4 wedges and screws (2 wedges and screws for MTB). The MTB wedges are unique: They are the only anti-rotate MTB-specific cleat wedges on the market since two downward-facing teeth insert into the cleat retainer slots, preventing wedge rotation on the shoe sole.  

In-Shoe Wedges:

Heel wedges are used between the insole and the shoe to tilt the rear of the foot and directly correct and support rear foot valgus/pronation. Similarly to cleat wedges or forefoot (in-shoe) wedges, the heel wedge lifts one side of the foot, increasing stability and control. However, unlike the cleat wedge (which tilts the entire shoe) or the forefoot wedge (which tilts the forefoot directly and the rearfoot indirectly), the heel wedge adjusts only the heel. Featuring a 1-degree tilt, the heel wedges can be stacked together to achieve a steeper angle or stacked at opposing angles to achieve a heel lift if required. They come in one size and can be trimmed to fit. Forefoot wedges provide 1.5 degrees of varus tilt directly to the forefoot. Unlike other designs on the market, the FORM in-shoe wedge is toe-less. This has several advantages: It leaves more room for the toes, it gives extra presence to the portion of the wedge under the ball of the foot, leading to better proprioception, and because it does not have to be placed against the front of the shoe, it can be placed more accurately below the ball of the foot. A kit costs between GBP 9 and GBP 10 and includes two wedges. A benefit for bike fitters is that one size of trimmable wedges means they don’t need to buy multiple SKUs.

Shims:

Shims are designed to adjust for different leg lengths. While almost all of us do have different leg lengths, assessing your need for a shim with a bike fitter is important. The reason is that most of our leg length differences might not be structural (bone length) but rather functional, caused, for example, by a previous injury or other imbalances in posture. Trying to correct posture would be the suitable approach in such cases. Signs of a leg length discrepancy can be:

• Overreaching on one side at the bottom of the pedal stroke
• Pelvis tilted or rider leaning to one side of the saddle in order to retain connection with the pedals through the bottom of the stroke
• One leg feeling under-extended while the other feels just right
• Over sensitive / tight glutes on one side
• One-sided saddle and shorts wear

If you suspect that your legs are of different lengths, or you know they are but are not sure of the cause or know what that means for your cycling, physiotherapists or osteopaths can make an initial assessment, and orthopedic specialists can make a structural diagnosis via x-ray or CT scan. Your bike fitter will eventually translate these results into the world of cycling.

If you have determined that you need shims, then FORM provides you with shims for 3-hole road, Speeplay, and MTB. The 3-hole road shim is modular, pin-able, and curved. It allows the user to create their own “stack” height, which, when pinned together, becomes one piece; and because of this and its curve, it is straightforward to fit to the shoe (compared with standard flat multi-piece shims, which are pretty challenging to fit). The MTB shim is a patented product and the first of its kind in the world, being “walkable.” This is a godsend to anyone who has ever used a non-walkable MTB shim and tried to walk on it. All kits provide options for different heights. For details and compatibility with your cleats, please check their website. Prices range from GBP 14 to GBP 30 (for an MTB custom kit for those that have non-standard requirements).

Extender Plates

Extender plates can adjust your foot sideways (in a medial or lateral direction, as physiologists would say), forward and backward, or a combination of both. FORM is the first company to offer medial & lateral adjustment from extender plates. With lateral and medial adjustment, your general goal is to position your knees over your feet when you are pedaling. That said, to a great extent, it’s trial and error, and some reading up might help (for example, some say that a wider stance, the Q-factor, can help with IT-band issues). With forwards and rearwards adjustment, you have additional flexibility over the standard method today to set cleats in the area of the metatarsal-phalangeal joint (MPJ) of the third toe. Sprinters might want to move the cleat forward, whereas triathletes and long-distance cyclists prefer a more rearward position. Finally, your physiology and preferences matter as well. Again, trial and error is your friend!

Currently, FORM is developing two new extender plates for standard 3-hole road shoes, and these will partially replace the current XPU as shown on their website (the plate as seen on the far left in the above picture.) I will provide an update here once the new plates are out. The three other plates they currently offer are for the Speedplay system.

• Of the three plates the R20 is the most popular, offering up to 20mm of additional rearward cleat placement. 
• The MLR618 is the most versatile plate offering both medial/lateral and rearward adjustment. This is ideal for riders wanting to experiment. 
• The ML9 offers just medial and lateral adjustment and is a more cost-effective way of extending the pedal axles.

The adjustment ranges are too many to mention here, but FORM has all the details on their website, so head over there to check them out! The plates are made from titanium for its anti-corrosive properties and light weight. The price is GBP 39 for any of the three extender plate options.

Final words

Considering all the power that gets transferred through your feet to the pedals and the repetitive nature of your leg movement, it seems obvious that a good foot position matters. Our body is great at compensation for less-than-ideal positions, and that’s why we all can enjoy cycling, even though our set-up is likely not the one that is most natural and biomechanically efficient for us. However, I believe it is worth experimenting, especially if you are experiencing discomfort, other cyclists tell you that your position or knee movement looks awkward, or you just feel that you could improve your pedaling efficiency. A bike fit is always a good start, but even if you can’t afford one, there is good literature available. With the relatively low cost of the FORM products, you can still experiment. Just give it some time when you do; your new foot position might feel unnatural at first. Observe changes in how you feel over time, and choose whatever feels best. Likely, what feels best is also what is best.

Head over to the Form website: https://www.form-bikefitting.com

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