If you're too busy to surf the web on your own, you might have missed the last three or four posts on Joe Friel's blog. No matter what you think of Coach Friel (and I happen to think much more highly of him than I do most of the so-called "coaches" with a shingle on the web), the articles are short and worth a read. I'm not sure what to think of the mid-sole cleat idea. When I first started riding seriously, the conventional wisdom of positioning the cleats way forward under the ball of the foot felt all wrong to me. If I'd been left on my own, I think I'd have gone with a setup that's much more mid-sole. That's natural; the way we all rode our bikes when we were kids.
At this point, I'm not sold on changing. Your entire position would need to change quite a bit, and there would be so much for the body to get used to, I'm afraid to take the leap. It's not even something you could casually test. For someone starting out though, without a big cycling base, I'm not convinced that this wouldn't be the best way to set up their first set of cleats. I haven't seen anyone else other than Joe giving it much attention. There are some other noted authorities who have observed many riders pushing their cleats back as far as they will go, and getting good results though.
In Andy Pruitt's Medical Guide for Cyclists, he makes note of this issue. I've been doing some of this light research due to continuing issues with tendonitis around my right knee. Again, going back over twenty years to when I started riding, I noted my left knee tracking much closer to the frame than my right knee. Over the years, I've always tried to "correct" this, and I don't think I've done myself any favors. I hate the feeling of my foot "rolling" to the outside under pedal pressure, but that's the way it wants to sit (forefoot varus). It's almost like pedaling on the outside of the ball of the foot, rather than the "beefier" part just behind the big toe. I'm still messing with cants, but I think pushing the cleat further back may help neutralize the issue. Stay tuned. Right now I just want to be able to train through the winter without interruption. Too much to ask? Thanks for reading.
I guess I don't get it... the midsole cleat thing. I'd need to see a lot more info on why this is supposedly good before I'd buy into it. I think part of my hesitation is that it seems as of you're putting all the pressure on what is not the strongest part of your foot, but then again the pressure is somewhat distributed by the sole of your shoe. As you said, it also would be a radical change to position and that's a big jump for most.
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