Knee pain while cycling

These pedals are rarely used, but they still have their place. The short axle is suitable for cyclists with small shoe sizes who can ride with their feet parallel. The so-called Q-factor is thus smaller. In particular, in combination with a narrow sit bone distance and narrow hip width, it makes sense to stand with your feet as close together as possible.

The standard size, for those who honestly get by with the pedals of the market leaders in this area.

This is important for people whose feet form a V shape when viewed from above. If you place your feet on the pedals parallel to each other, this no longer corresponds to the natural position and can cause discomfort in the knees. So if you experience discomfort, especially on the outside of the knee at the fibula head, you should place your feet on the pedal in their natural position. With clipless pedals, the cleat can usually be adjusted without any problems. But since it is then usually too narrow for the heel and it rubs against the crank or the frame, the longer axle of the SQlab pedals quite simply provides more space for this foot position. Even from shoe size 45 upwards, it often gets cramped and you see smoothly polished cranks.

When pedaling, the foot tends to rotate slightly. That's why we recommend clipless pedals, which allow for this movement. Normal platform pedals should therefore have a surface that is not too grippy, even though slipping off them can be somewhat dangerous. Pedals with a large and grippy surface that often bite into the shoe sole via pins can cause the knee to twist when riding, but also when dismounting.

The contact surface of SQlab bike pedals is always horizontal. For millions of years, humans have been accustomed to walking on flat ground. Even though the pedaling movement is still quite new for the biomechanical development of humans, the foot angle is a very individual value. The best way to align the feet is in the shoe and first with insoles.

It is best to have a bike fitting expert adjust the foot using V-wedges, for example, in the case of a large forefoot angle and a non-axial knee elevation curve.