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#1
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are shoes worth it?
Hi All,
Recently back in the saddle after about 15 years of wallowing in the swaps of slovenliness, I find myself able to afford a better bike than i ever could as a young whippersnapper, but much to my surprise when i mounted the beast, found myself not quite up to the task! I had a coupld of semi-nice road bikes as a teenager and rode average10-15k/day and weekly bigger rides up to 60k. The new (second hand) acquisition is a TCR 2 with something and something or other. Rather than put the bars all the way down and the seat all the way up as was my habit in past, I find that im unable to reach them, so went the other way. One thing the bike came with which i have never had before are clip on shoes and look pedals (really, who would call a brand 'LOOK', I was so embarassed I covered over the lettering with electrical tape. i dont want people looking at all!). The guy who sold me the bike happened to have the same size of foot, so they do fit, but i find them fairly uncomfortable! And i say this as a guy who was quite into my rock climbing for 10 years..... They are not super super tight, but about the right level of tightness i'd expect for a shoe of this type. Tighter that is, than sneakers. When i ride though, i find almost all the strain is taken up by the outside of my feet, at the front. The result is that my 2 or 3 outside toes on each foot eventually get tingly then a bit numb. i also find that they make me work muscles in my leg that i'd rather not! When riding with sneakers, I tend to put the peddle somewhere around the middle of my foot. I sometimes move to the front, but for just riding around, the middle is good for me. Is there something i am missing? The seller of the bike told me it's worth using clipons because you get a lot more power (am i intended to pull *up* as well as push down?) but i find myself mostly getting less pleasure. Im not intending to ever race, I just like to go for a ride. Should i persist, or go back to normal peddles? Thanks Shaun |
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#2
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are shoes worth it?
On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:42:04 -0800 (PST), wrote:
Is there something i am missing? The seller of the bike told me it's worth using clipons because you get a lot more power (am i intended to pull *up* as well as push down?) but i find myself mostly getting less pleasure. Im not intending to ever race, I just like to go for a ride. Should i persist, or go back to normal peddles? Real mean wear Blunnies. |
#3
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are shoes worth it?
wrote in message ... Hi All, Recently back in the saddle after about 15 years of wallowing in the swaps of slovenliness, I find myself able to afford a better bike than i ever could as a young whippersnapper, but much to my surprise when i mounted the beast, found myself not quite up to the task! I had a coupld of semi-nice road bikes as a teenager and rode average10-15k/day and weekly bigger rides up to 60k. The new (second hand) acquisition is a TCR 2 with something and something or other. Rather than put the bars all the way down and the seat all the way up as was my habit in past, I find that im unable to reach them, so went the other way. One thing the bike came with which i have never had before are clip on shoes and look pedals (really, who would call a brand 'LOOK', I was so embarassed I covered over the lettering with electrical tape. i dont want people looking at all!). The guy who sold me the bike happened to have the same size of foot, so they do fit, but i find them fairly uncomfortable! And i say this as a guy who was quite into my rock climbing for 10 years..... They are not super super tight, but about the right level of tightness i'd expect for a shoe of this type. Tighter that is, than sneakers. When i ride though, i find almost all the strain is taken up by the outside of my feet, at the front. The result is that my 2 or 3 outside toes on each foot eventually get tingly then a bit numb. i also find that they make me work muscles in my leg that i'd rather not! When riding with sneakers, I tend to put the peddle somewhere around the middle of my foot. I sometimes move to the front, but for just riding around, the middle is good for me. Is there something i am missing? The seller of the bike told me it's worth using clipons because you get a lot more power (am i intended to pull *up* as well as push down?) but i find myself mostly getting less pleasure. Im not intending to ever race, I just like to go for a ride. Should i persist, or go back to normal peddles? Thanks Shaun Yes bike shoes can be uncomfortable for a while, if the cleats are in the wrong position for you then they might be even more so. You need to get them in the correct position for you in the forward / aft as well as the heel in toe in heel out toe out, I have a size 48 shoe and tend to have the pedal axle behind the ball of my foot, riders with smaller feet seem to have it much closer to the ball of the foot. To get the toe in toe out heel in heel out correct, stand on the ground bare foot with your feet in their natural position and jump up into the air and land, take note of where your feet are pointing when you land, if the toes are pointing in then make your cycling cleats roughly the same amount in, if pointing out make them roughly the same pointing out. My feet point out but I can't make my shoes point out to the extent that they are when I land as my heels would foul the rear chain stays even more than they do now, so I have to compromise for clearance. After a while you will find you get used to them and they get used to you (like a new pair of shoes will be better after some use). You will find once you master the art of pulling up and pushing down at the same time riding up hills and putting on a spurt of speed will come a lot easier, it also works more of the muscles in your legs so you don't end up with really unbalanced leg muscles. |
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#5
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#6
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are shoes worth it?
There seems to be some confusion over what proper pedalling technique entails. This document is a good summary: http://www.topbike.com.au/pdfs/colso...ly_aug2002.pdf -- EuanB |
#7
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are shoes worth it?
Zebee wrote:
I found that using old fashioned toeclips back when I rode uprights made so much difference to my comfort and riding ability that I hated riding without them. You may find them a good compromise, with or without straps. YOu don't need special shoes, and you get the foot positioning and ability to pedal in a circle to some extent. I like these plastic "strapless toe clips" that bolt onto platform pedals, here's a pic: http://www.smallsolar.org/BTH/budget....htm#28jan2008 I don't much like the "strappy" ones while I'm commuting, where I may have to stop and put a foot down a dozen times during the trip. BTH |
#8
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are shoes worth it?
BT Humble wrote:
I like these plastic "strapless toe clips" that bolt onto platform pedals, here's a pic: http://www.smallsolar.org/BTH/budget....htm#28jan2008 I don't much like the "strappy" ones while I'm commuting, where I may have to stop and put a foot down a dozen times during the trip. I prefer strapped toe clips. Loosening the straps is just a habit you get into. Theo |
#9
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are shoes worth it?
As someone who uses their bike purely for commuting, and is not really
worried too much about efficiency (though it does help), I find clips are really good for staying connected with the bike, if that makes any sense. I have no problems clipping in and out when required in traffic etc. I'd have a real problem with toe straps. I do use (mtb) SPD's on double-sided pedals, though. You can just mash your foot into them and not have to worry about flipping them the right way when taking off. There are a couple of designs that allow this (eggbeaters come to mind). It sounds like your shoes are the wrong size (too tight around the toes?). It sounds like you're not into racer-chic, so go have a look at some of the mountain-bike style shoes; many are more like runners and tend to be cheaper, too. duncan |
#10
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are shoes worth it?
In aus.bicycle on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:58:30 +0900
Theo Bekkers wrote: BT Humble wrote: I don't much like the "strappy" ones while I'm commuting, where I may have to stop and put a foot down a dozen times during the trip. I prefer strapped toe clips. Loosening the straps is just a habit you get into. I didn't tighten the straps that much. I could get the foot out for the stops on the daily commute without a problem. Zebee |
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