Pedals for arthritic feet

slomtbr said:

How much farther forward do you want your foot? Shimano AM7 for reference. View attachment 1966552

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I had forgotten how far back the Shimano cleat could be pushed on the shoe, and this is very helpful, thanks! I think my question was wrong and you have put me right - the question would be what compatible shoe allows the cleat to be put closer to the heel. It might work as you have it, but a half inch further toward the heel would hit a more stable part of my d**n feet. Shimano makes SPD pedals which can be ridden with regular shoes as well, don't they? Years back, I used pedals SPD which clipped in on both sides, and I liked them, but I suspect my electric bike adventures will be less aggressive and some rides would be better with regular shoes.

mwisch said:

I have arthritic feet and the big toe is amputated on both. I am getting an electric bike. I used to use the Shimano system for my mountain bike but they put the pressure of the stroke too far forward for my feet. Is there a clip system which uses shoes which work for walking and which allows the foot to be further forward on the pedal?

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My experiment with moving cleats around created toe overlap with some bikes so I'll offer this. My best friends for age, balance and pain issues have been flats type shoes and pedal profiles like OneUp. I will use cleat/clip type for some riding but not very often with MTB and performance doesn't seem to suffer for it.

Good luck and best wishes for keeping at it.

Have you considered trying platform pedals instead of clipless? You might be a good candidate.

Thanks for the excellent additional advice. Given my age and arthritis I am trying to focus more on safety and not hurting the (remaining parts of) my feet. I remember changing from platform to Shimano SPDs when I was 30 years younger and the power they added. I plan to use the bike almost exclusively on roads and good (easy) trails. The old adage of a little knowledge maybe has led me astray. The bike will come with platform pedals, and it looks like I should try them for a while before I change styles. I'm glad I posted my question.

I think the electric motor will more than make up for any power lost from using a flat pedal.

Nat, I think you are right. I hope this bike will give me a good amount of exercise without stressing the joints, so I do plan to pedal as much as I can. The platform pedal will permit that. Now I just need to find a good trailer for my 60 pound dog!