Bicycle Shoes

On Mar 28, 5:15*pm, Bill wrote:
Need help! * I am still trying to find a good pair of shoes. *I have
definitely eliminated Specialized. *Stay away from those shoes.

Then I have no useful recommendations for you...I have 5 pairs of
Specialized, and they're my favorite shoes.

Just goes to show how, like everyone else is saying, it's a highly
personal thing.

In article
,
Dan O wrote:

On Mar 28, 11:21 pm, Hank Wirtz wrote:
On Mar 28, 7:09 pm, Dan O wrote:

On Mar 28, 5:15 pm, Bill wrote:

Need help! I am still trying to find a good pair of shoes.

snip

I am still having problems. The cold weather has seemed to
intensify the problem.

http://www.lakecycling.com/mxz302-p-111.html

(I don't have these, but I sure wish I did.)

I've got a set of the previous version, the MXZ301. Nice shoes, but
less practical than I expected for commuting, because they're great
in the morning, but way too hot on the way home.

Hmm... yeah - neoprene booties work pretty good in the morning, then
fold up and stash away easily for the afternoon trip. They're flimsy
and get torn up, but you can buy a lot of booties for three-hundred
bucks.

A bit less than that from Lickton's. I think I paid $180 for mine three
or four years ago:

http://www.lickbike.com/sectionsublist.aspx?SECTION='0023'&SUBSECTION='0
50'&SECTIONNAME='Shoes'&SUBSECTIONNAME='SPD'

But still, booties are much cheaper and if they work for you, then I'd
say use 'em rather than having a pair of limited-use shoes around the
house. Here in Minnesota, winter shoes are useful but overkill in much
of the country.

On 29 Mar, 01:15, Bill wrote:
Need help! * I am still trying to find a good pair of shoes. *I have
definitely eliminated Specialized. *Stay away from those shoes.

Does anyone know of a road shoe with a low cut in the rear that does
not have a big achilles tendon protector?

I have trouble with the heel pulling up. *The protector actually does
a double whammy. *I think that it hits the tendon. This means the
shoes are actually doing two things to contribute to injury.

I have actually moved my seat down and back a tad(1/8"). *I think that
I was somewhat aggressive for my situation. *I am still having
problems. *The cold weather has seemed to intensify the problem.


With your current shoes, try some cork insoles, doubling up in the
heel area. If the tab is still irritating, cut it away. If your
heel lifts out of shoe the it's too wide at the heel. you can fit a
suede insert to grip the heel in your prefered position. French or
Italian shoes may be a better fit, although they tend to be narrower
at the front as well. Best to eliminate the irritation before
selecting new shoes.

Soak feet in a hot mustard bath. when dry massage with almond oil.
This will improve circulation, soften and toughen the skin, and
hopefully reduce or eliminate the pain. The tendonitis is caused by
minor scarring, the improvement in circulation will help remove the
scarring. There is also mustard oil, which can be used instead of the
double treatment. Scrape/cut off dead skin with a knife after
soaking, or use a foot file/pumice. Fold down your long wool socks so
that they are not restricting blood flow in the calf. For walking or
cycling the sock should go all the way to the knee or be all below the
calf muscle. Use lower gear ratios. Also massage legs and wear
appropriate leggings/tights/trousers.

TJ

In article
,
Nick L Plate wrote:

Soak feet in a hot mustard bath. when dry massage with almond oil.
This will improve circulation, soften and toughen the skin

Soften *and* toughen? Is that like buying a bike frame that is "stiff
yet compliant?"

In article
,
Bill wrote:

On Mar 28, 8:31*pm, wrote:
On Mar 28, 7:15*pm, Bill wrote:



Need help! * I am still trying to find a good pair of shoes. *I have
definitely eliminated Specialized. *Stay away from those shoes.

Does anyone know of a road shoe with a low cut in the rear that does
not have a big achilles tendon protector?

I have trouble with the heel pulling up. *The protector actually does
a double whammy. *I think that it hits the tendon. This means the
shoes are actually doing two things to contribute to injury.

I have actually moved my seat down and back a tad(1/8"). *I think that
I was somewhat aggressive for my situation. *I am still having
problems. *The cold weather has seemed to intensify the problem.

thanks
bill

Foot wear is a very personal thing.
You ARE wearing socks, aren't you? * Many triathlon participants tend
to leave them off in order to speed transitions. *I think that
exacerbates the issue.
I find Sidi road shoes quite comfortable but they are quite stiff in
the heel.
You could look at mountain bike shoes. *I think some models have
flexible sidewalls that may reduce friction.
Also, could your shoes be too large?

I am riding with socks!

Doesn't make much of an impact.

The rear of the heel is getting red all of the time.

Is the shoe long enough? Could you be putting the
fasteners too tight? In general many shoe fitting
problems are solved by getting larger shoes, even
three sizes larger. Do not stint. They are too
large when you start tripping over your own feet.

--
Michael Press

On Mar 29, 11:31*am, Tim McNamara wrote:
In article
,

*Bill wrote:
On Mar 29, 2:04*am, Tim McNamara wrote:

snip

I am wearing long wool socks. *I have been riding for years in the
winter. *I actually did not note ride an excessive amount of miles. *I
am only around 500 miles for the year so far. *This is where I usually
have been.

So nothing new there, it sounds like. *I was going to mention wool
socks, since these have worked very well for me (I wear Smartwool socks
for cycling and dress as well), but you're already on top of that.

I have been trying out stuff in the driveway. *I have not ridden at
all for the last week. *I don't think that I shall ride at all for the
next week.

Both feet are big overpronaters. *I also have the right foot on a toe
in orientation.

Is it just one Achilles being affected or both?

I'm using LOOK keo pedals.

Has anything changed in your bike setup or other equipment (new saddle,
took the bike apart for an overhaul and maybe didn't get the saddle back
to the same position, change in cranks with a different Q factor, etc)? *

You mentioned Specialized shoes. *Are these new and associated with the
problem (or old and broken down)?

With the pronation, orthotics might be helpful. *If your foot is moving
inside the shoe as you pedal, that might cause irritation (since modern
shoes are very stiff and very rigidly attached to the pedals, they don't
accommodate foot motion very well and the foot moves inside the shoe
instead of the shoe flexing).

I have gone to not using road shoes at all any more, wearing Lake MX101
shoes now for 7 years and using Speedplay Frogs (and one bike with old
Campy pedals and PowerGrips for commuting). *I like to be able to walk
without imitating waterfowl. *There's a bit of flex in the sole, not
enough to cause hot spots nor to feel inefficient; I think this is
actually helpful in terms of comfort. *My winter shoes are Lake MXZ300
from a few years back. *Very comfortable- Lake's lasts seem to fit my
feet well.

I have the Lake shoes. I did not wear them last week. I think that I
need to go to the size down.
My feet were swollen until I got arch support. I think that they have
shrunk after having the arch support for awhile.

Both achilles appeared to be sensitive, but the right achilles tendon
has been problematic and inflammed.

I did not change anything in the setup.

I did give some specialized shoes a try in the driveway. Stay away
from those. I had hot spots and a very weird sensation underneath the
arch.

Any experience with DMT? The shoe store says DMT. I am thinking
about trying those and buying some new Looks for the winter.

With your current shoes, try some cork insoles, doubling up in the
heel area. *If the tab is still irritating, *cut it away. *If your
heel lifts out of shoe the it's too wide at the heel. *you can fit a
suede insert to grip the heel in your prefered position. *French or
Italian shoes may be a better fit, although they tend to be narrower
at the front as well. *Best to eliminate the irritation before
selecting new shoes.

I thought the specialized shoes might be better. As they have a good
heel grip and a wider toebox. I think that it absolutely wrong to buy
cycling shoes in a bike store. They just do not have a clue about
fit. I am no expert at this.

I think that the italian shoes are too narrow in the toebox for me. I
am little bit wider at the beginning of the toe group, but it narrows
fast.

I think that is very tough to figure out if I should be in a 45.5, 46
or 12 or 13. I am either a B or C. However, the putting the weight
down in different shoes seems to effect things differently.

soaking, or use a foot file/pumice. *Fold down your long wool socks so
that they are not restricting blood flow in the calf. *For walking or
cycling the sock should go all the way to the knee or be all below the
calf muscle. *Use lower gear ratios. *Also massage legs and wear
appropriate leggings/tights/trousers.

I find this all interesting. I wear socks to the calf level. During
winter riding I am wearing polartec 200 which are warm. I usually
spin the lower gears, too.

thanks
Bill

On Mar 30, 2:47*pm, Michael Press wrote:
In article
,



*Bill wrote:
On Mar 28, 8:31*pm, wrote:
On Mar 28, 7:15*pm, Bill wrote:

Need help! * I am still trying to find a good pair of shoes. *I have
definitely eliminated Specialized. *Stay away from those shoes.

Does anyone know of a road shoe with a low cut in the rear that does
not have a big achilles tendon protector?

I have trouble with the heel pulling up. *The protector actually does
a double whammy. *I think that it hits the tendon. This means the
shoes are actually doing two things to contribute to injury.

I have actually moved my seat down and back a tad(1/8"). *I think that
I was somewhat aggressive for my situation. *I am still having
problems. *The cold weather has seemed to intensify the problem.

thanks
bill

Foot wear is a very personal thing.
You ARE wearing socks, aren't you? * Many triathlon participants tend
to leave them off in order to speed transitions. *I think that
exacerbates the issue.
I find Sidi road shoes quite comfortable but they are quite stiff in
the heel.
You could look at mountain bike shoes. *I think some models have
flexible sidewalls that may reduce friction.
Also, could your shoes be too large?

I am riding with socks!

Doesn't make much of an impact.

The rear of the heel is getting red all of the time.

Is the shoe long enough? Could you be putting the
fasteners too tight? In general many shoe fitting
problems are solved by getting larger shoes, even
three sizes larger. Do not stint. They are too
large when you start tripping over your own feet.

Which is why I was wondering about the boa constrictor system on the
new Lake 300 road level shoes. I have winter shoes with the boa.
They are just seeming to get bigger. I wore my Sidis in 45-50 degree
weather and started developing problems.

Bill

On Mar 29, 11:31 am, Tim McNamara wrote:
In article
,

Bill wrote:
On Mar 29, 2:04 am, Tim McNamara wrote:
snip

I am wearing long wool socks. I have been riding for years in the
winter. I actually did not note ride an excessive amount of miles. I
am only around 500 miles for the year so far. This is where I usually
have been.
So nothing new there, it sounds like. I was going to mention wool
socks, since these have worked very well for me (I wear Smartwool socks
for cycling and dress as well), but you're already on top of that.

I have been trying out stuff in the driveway. I have not ridden at
all for the last week. I don't think that I shall ride at all for the
next week.
Both feet are big overpronaters. I also have the right foot on a toe
in orientation.
Is it just one Achilles being affected or both?

I'm using LOOK keo pedals.
Has anything changed in your bike setup or other equipment (new saddle,
took the bike apart for an overhaul and maybe didn't get the saddle back
to the same position, change in cranks with a different Q factor, etc)?

You mentioned Specialized shoes. Are these new and associated with the
problem (or old and broken down)?

With the pronation, orthotics might be helpful. If your foot is moving
inside the shoe as you pedal, that might cause irritation (since modern
shoes are very stiff and very rigidly attached to the pedals, they don't
accommodate foot motion very well and the foot moves inside the shoe
instead of the shoe flexing).

I have gone to not using road shoes at all any more, wearing Lake MX101
shoes now for 7 years and using Speedplay Frogs (and one bike with old
Campy pedals and PowerGrips for commuting). I like to be able to walk
without imitating waterfowl. There's a bit of flex in the sole, not
enough to cause hot spots nor to feel inefficient; I think this is
actually helpful in terms of comfort. My winter shoes are Lake MXZ300
from a few years back. Very comfortable- Lake's lasts seem to fit my
feet well.

Bill wrote:
I have the Lake shoes. I did not wear them last week. I think that I
need to go to the size down.
My feet were swollen until I got arch support. I think that they have
shrunk after having the arch support for awhile.

Both achilles appeared to be sensitive, but the right achilles tendon
has been problematic and inflammed.

I did not change anything in the setup.

I did give some specialized shoes a try in the driveway. Stay away
from those. I had hot spots and a very weird sensation underneath the
arch.

Any experience with DMT? The shoe store says DMT. I am thinking
about trying those and buying some new Looks for the winter.


DMT? dimethyltryptamine? How would that help?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Michael Press considered Mon, 30 Mar 2009
11:47:38 -0700 the perfect time to write:


In general many shoe fitting
problems are solved by getting larger shoes, even
three sizes larger. Do not stint. They are too
large when you start tripping over your own feet.


I'd think the opposite, at least regarding problems at the back of the
foot. If the shoe is too large the foot will move inside the shoe.
The back of the foot should be locked down.