Shimano patents an automatic and electronic cleat adjustment

Once again, the patent office anticipates the new products and ideas that brands are developing. The latest is an automatic cleat adjustment system that Shimano could be working on, which would prevent any hint of error in a simple but highly precise operation to prevent discomfort and injuries.

The new Shimano cleat adjustment system that will make life easier for biomechanics

Changing the cleats on a shoe is often a trivial gesture that most of us do in just a few minutes without realizing its importance. In reality, replacing cleats is simple because, in road cleats, you just need to mark the position of the one you are replacing, and in mountain cleats, it's even easier as they usually have small teeth that leave marks on the sole when they bite into it.

Of course, all this assumes that the cleats we remove are properly placed, something that doesn't usually happen unless we have had a biomechanical study done. The same goes for when we change shoes, where it's not uncommon for them to be placed, as we have seen, by eye by the shopkeeper or by the cyclist who doesn't consider measuring the position of the first and last metatarsals and drawing lines to achieve the most precise adjustment.

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This often leads to the appearance of characteristic discomfort, including the famous problem of hot feet that affects many cyclists because the pressure of the pedal falls on the part of the foot where it shouldn't. Additionally, cleat placement also has biomechanical implications as it influences the setback of the saddle we should use, its height, or the ankle flexion capacity that will make our pedaling more or less efficient.

That's why Shimano seems to be working on an automatic cleat adjustment system as revealed by the US Patent 12059058 B2 that the brand has registered. The device would be placed on the cleat and in turn on the shoe itself, allowing adjustments to be made directly while the cyclist pedals, with this information being transmitted wirelessly.

An invention that will likely be an evolution of the Bike Fitting biomechanical system that Shimano acquired several years ago, and a useful tool for the biomechanic who, just as they can modify the different measurements of the bike or simulate each model and size on the market using a motorized frame with a simple click of the mouse, will now also be able to adjust the cleat position on the fly to analyze in real-time the influence on position and force application of the cleat position.