Shoes rubbing cranks (squeak, squeak)

[zigzag]

i'm an overpronator so my inner side of shoes tend to rub the cranks slightly. it wasn't a problem with lidl shoes - due to the type of material on the inner side there was no noise when they rubbed. my recently purchased specialized sport tr shoes have smooth leathery-type material which makes squeaky noises when pedaling. i have thought of few possible solutions for this problem:

glue some soft fabric to the shoes
glue some soft fabric to the cranks
get different type of cranks (would need to test before buying, so not easy to do)
grease inner side (arch area) of shoes from time to time
carry on using lidl shoes instead..

any other ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[tatanab]

Kneesavers http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/kneesavers-pedal-adaptors-prod14725/ although they may be a bit extreme if you only need a slight amount of spacing.  You could put a washer behind the pedal to achieve that.

[Karla]

Put a bit of oil on the inside of your shoe, this should stop it squeaking.  It saved my partner from several hundred km of 'squeak squeak' on a 600km ride once.

[It was me who was squeaking, it saved him from the annoyance of riding with my squeaks for hours on end.]

[rafletcher]

Are you "clipless"? Have you moved the cleats toward the inside edge of the sole as far as practicable?

[zigzag]

thanks for replies! in order not to rub i would need my feet moved away from cranks by about 5mm. rafletcher: i use speedplay frog cleats and time alium cleats on another bike (no squeak due to a different type of shoes, but still rubbing a bit). they both don't have lateral adjustment. i didn't get on with shimano spds, had them unclipped unexpectedly and didn't use since.
looks like the simplest solution is to install 1mm washers between the crank and the pedal spindle and put some grease/oil on the inner side of the shoes. the spacers suggested by tatanab would be great if they were 5-10mm, but understandably this can not be done. top solution would be 5mm longer pedal axle.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Some pedals offer optional axle lengths, Keywin is one.

[Biggsy]

thanks for replies! in order not to rub i would need my feet moved away from cranks by about 5mm.

Yeah but I wouldn't be surprised if moving the feet out by only 1 or 2mm would help, as the shoes would be rubbing less hard.

I think ultimately the best answer will be to use less bulky shoes, but also look into alternative pedals.  Yes multiple pedal washers might help - though it's important to ensure a safe amount of thread is left to engage sufficiently.  Thread length varies.  I suspect sometimes the threaded parts of axles are kept short to save weight (like with Look Keos).

[zigzag]

Yeah but I wouldn't be surprised if moving the feet out by only 1 or 2mm would help, as the shoes would be rubbing less hard.

I think ultimately the best answer will be to use less bulky shoes, but also look into alternative pedals.  Yes multiple pedal washers might help - though it's important to ensure a safe amount of thread is left to engage sufficiently.  Thread length varies.  I suspect sometimes the threaded parts of axles are kept short to save weight (like with Look Keos).

1-2mm might be enough but 5mm would clear even with overshoes on. i can barely feel it's rubbing now, only the squeak sound gets annoying. another option is to wear lycra overshoes. i have some fsa pedal washers at home, will try tonight and see if it makes a difference. i don't really want to get another pair of pedals; i find speedplay frogs are suitable for the type of riding that i do.

[Biggsy]

I gave up on thick overshoes when getting warm and waterproof shoes (Shimano Winter Boots) instead.  #goodidea!  Tight thin overshoes could be used when you just want some shower resistance.

[zigzag]

just tested with 1mm pedal washers installed. both shoes still rubbed, but only the right one squeaked. then i applied some teflon grease and the squeak has gone away. if it stays quiet for few hundred km i'll be happy.

[Ian H]

...i didn't get on with shimano spds, had them unclipped unexpectedly and didn't use since...

I suspect you were using the multi-release kind of cleat. I've never had a problem, even on fixed, with single release SPDs.

[zigzag]

...i didn't get on with shimano spds, had them unclipped unexpectedly and didn't use since...

I suspect you were using the multi-release kind of cleat. I've never had a problem, even on fixed, with single release SPDs.

they were indeed multi-release ones. later i've found out that single release are more secure, but i've already bought "time" pedals instead (and later - speedplays).

[Ian H]

...i didn't get on with shimano spds, had them unclipped unexpectedly and didn't use since...

I suspect you were using the multi-release kind of cleat. I've never had a problem, even on fixed, with single release SPDs.

they were indeed multi-release ones. later i've found out that single release are more secure, but i've already bought "time" pedals instead (and later - speedplays).

That's a shame, because SPDs do give a good degree of lateral adjustment.

[Greenbank]

I ignored mine and it eventually wore away about 3mm of my crank. It never squeaked though.