Recumbent - My foot fell asleep

Hey there guys.
Yesterday, my class got out early so I decided to go for a ride. I ended up going for about 15 miles. I have an AB Jetstream II underseat Steering, with "pedal baskets". My left foot fell asleep right at the end of the ride. I was really kicking ass, and making good time, in the past when I've ridden really hard my foot felt like it was cramping up.
Any ideas on how to deal with this?
Oooh, and my rear panniers are coming soon, so I can finally get rid of my basket!

Thanks,
Mike

I get cramps and slight numb foot too. I wiggle my feet and toes a lot and it goes away. It happens after about an hr. of riding. And my pedals are just below my seat level too. I'd never ride a bent with pedals higher than the seat.

My understanding is that if your heart is below your knees as u pedal, then u will slowly lose circulation. See it all the time, altough its never happened to me due to my seating position.

Hey there guys.
Yesterday, my class got out early so I decided to go for a ride. I ended up going for about 15 miles. I have an AB Jetstream II underseat Steering, with "pedal baskets". My left foot fell asleep right at the end of the ride. I was really kicking ass, and making good time, in the past when I've ridden really hard my foot felt like it was cramping up.
Any ideas on how to deal with this?
Oooh, and my rear panniers are coming soon, so I can finally get rid of my basket!

Thanks,
Mike
Get clipless pedals (which allow more pulling as well a pushing on the pedals), use sandals so you get more overall movement of your feet and toes (or loosen up your shoes), set the cleat as far toward the heel as it will go. These are the standard remedies and give you the best shot at resolution--the more of them you use, the better your odds of success--which isn't quaranteed as therea are those who continue to have some degree of the problem.

Chip

hmmm...I should tighten down my toe straps on the pedals to allow for more pulling, and loosen up my shoe laces....Also, pedal extenders, what do they do?
Thanks,
Mike

hmmm...I should tighten down my toe straps on the pedals to allow for more pulling, and loosen up my shoe laces....Also, pedal extenders, what do they do?
Thanks,
Mike

Pedal extenders mostly help if you get pain in your knees, but they might help with numb feet, too...

I am one of 2% of the population that has numb or hot feet when riding a recumbent. I have tried almost everything I could to prevent it, only to slow down & control how bad it gets. I've tried differant shoes, socks, seat positions & pedals. I have not tried pedal extendors or knee savers yet, think I'll give them a shot to see if it helps. It used to be my feet would go numb after only a few miles & it got to the point where I'd have to stop & walk around. Now it happens after 10 or more miles & is tolerable & will go away if I unclip & shake my feet around.

I am one of 2% of the population that has numb or hot feet when riding a recumbent. I have tried almost everything I could to prevent it, only to slow down & control how bad it gets. I've tried differant shoes, socks, seat positions & pedals. I have not tried pedal extendors or knee savers yet, think I'll give them a shot to see if it helps. It used to be my feet would go numb after only a few miles & it got to the point where I'd have to stop & walk around. Now it happens after 10 or more miles & is tolerable & will go away if I unclip & shake my feet around.

You could also try shorter cranks (though again, this is of greater help if you have knee pain), a seat with lower recline, a softer seat, or a new recumbent with a lower pedal height.

It hasn't happened again though. I think I'm gonna wait until it happens again, and in the meantime really examine the way I'm riding. Like Frederick Winslow Taylor said, " Effciency comes directly after the invention of a science behind an act."

My understanding is that if your heart is below your knees as u pedal, then u will slowly lose circulation. See it all the time, altough its never happened to me due to my seating position.

My heart is below my head, and my brain hardly ever goes numb when I'm riding! :p Seriously, the heart has more than enough power to get blood to the legs in any reasonable recumbent position. What gets left unsaid is that a small % of upright riders also have the problem, and their feet are directly below their hearts. Numb feet are usually a result of circulation problems - either actual medical problems, or more often constrictions. Tight-fitting shorts can do it, as can tight toe straps or even tight shoes.

Cramping or hotfoot is another story, if it's occuring when hammering, then the solution is usually to reposition the foot on the pedal (pedal axle should be slightly *behind) the ball of the foot for recument riders,) and use clipless pedals with good stiff-soled bicycling shoes. It also might indicate a too-short distance between seat and pedals.

My heart is below my head, and my brain hardly ever goes numb when I'm riding! :p Seriously, the heart has more than enough power to get blood to the legs in any reasonable recumbent position. What gets left unsaid is that a small % of upright riders also have the problem, and their feet are directly below their hearts. Numb feet are usually a result of circulation problems - either actual medical problems, or more often constrictions. Tight-fitting shorts can do it, as can tight toe straps or even tight shoes.
Cramping or hotfoot is another story, if it's occuring when hammering, then the solution is usually to reposition the foot on the pedal (pedal axle should be slightly *behind) the ball of the foot for recument riders...
Well, Im convinced. My previous understanding seems even more silly when someone can point out something very logical in rebuttable :) . I guess with that info, I might just have the balls to test out a new seating position on my next project. One small step for Wheelchairman :D

B&W, happens to me too sometimes. In addition to what others suggest (maybe I'm repeating,) I've found that happens more severely when I'm pressing hard on my pedals. Less hard pumping and more faster spinning takes the pressure off the bottom of the foot where the nerves get compressed.

I had that problem in earlier years when I first started commuting on a mountain bike and I think it was a combination of pedaling style, shoes, and pedals (I had nothing to hold my feet on the pedals and was doing all of my pedaling on the downward stroke.)

...my rear panniers are coming soon, so I can finally get rid of my basket!
Mike, let me know how you like your new panniers.

BTW, my rack was on back order, so until it arrived I tried something different (necessity is the mother of invention.) It worked so well that I never put the rack on.

What I did was to hang my backpack from the back of the seat, directly behind me. It's aerodynamic and I don't notice any balancing problems. It might not work for a taller person, but I looped a simple strap through the seat vent (AB Jestream II) and through the soft handle on the backpack. I tied the shoulder straps to the seatpost to prevent swinging motions. I can haul some loads very comfortably.

*shrug* I get numb feet no matter what bike I ride - my road bike or my bent. Usually have a couple numb toes for the next day. Since I wear my sandals on the recumbent, the numbness is worse on the road bike with regular clipless shoes.

My understanding is that if your heart is below your knees as u pedal, then u will slowly lose circulation. See it all the time, altough its never happened to me due to my seating position.

The BB height is way below the heart on all Actionbent models. Furthermore, I've never experienced this phenomenon on my Baron which definitely has the BB height higher than the heart while experiencing it on other recumbents where the BB height is below the heart.

As an owner of an Actionbent I have struggled with numb feet; however, the good news is that it wasn't the bike. The body just had to adapt to the new riding position; beats the pains of riding DF. Anyway, what alleviated my symptoms was a combination of time in the saddle and careful adjustment of strap tension on my shoes. Set your shoes looser than you would traditionally and work your way back until you experience symptoms again. In the mean time a couple of minutes out of the saddle every one or two hours during a long ride will stave off "numb" feet longer than you would suspect if not eliminate it altogether.

Cool deal. Thanks everyone, LBM, i'll make sure to let you know how they work for me. My grandma basket+rack works fine, gets rid of the seat vacuum and holds my stuff. But, its heavy. My brother is gonna build me a carbon fiber rack, so that'll be rad and really light.