Road Bike Racing - Does cushioning reduce power?

I have forefoot pain (under ball of foot). LBS recommended adding gel inserts (squishy insert inside shoe; between foot and sole of shoe). This does seem to help w/ pain. Do you think I'd be losing any power by adding the inserts?

I doubt it (at least not anything major). The cushioning is prolly just surronding your foot and cutting of some vibrations etc. but you shouldn't be loosing tha much if any power.

I personally would rather be comfortable then be missing 1-2 watts because of an insert. With the pain you are going to be pedaling softer and therefore not putting out as much power then you would lose with the inserts.

I doubt it (at least not anything major). The cushioning is prolly just surronding your foot and cutting of some vibrations etc. but you shouldn't be loosing tha much if any power.

I personally would rather be comfortable then be missing 1-2 watts because of an insert. With the pain you are going to be pedaling softer and therefore not putting out as much power then you would lose with the inserts.

Thanks. That's what I figured. Anybody out there used gel, or any other cushioned inserts? If so, success in alleviating pain?

Have you made any changes recently that could have contributed to this?
i.e. new shoes, pedals, cleat position, etc?

I don't know to what degree, but I think theoretically, there must be some small reduction in power. It may not be enough to matter at all, but the whole reason for making everything as stiff as possible is for efficient power transfer. Adding a wobbly jelly layer can't help that.

I don't know to what degree, but I think theoretically, there must be some small reduction in power. It may not be enough to matter at all, but the whole reason for making everything as stiff as possible is for efficient power transfer. Adding a wobbly jelly layer can't help that.

I asked the questions above because when I switched to carbon-soled shoes, I had significant pain for a while and tried gel inserts. The inserts negated the benefits of the stiff soles, and left me feeling like I was being robbed of significant power. Also, gel inserts are heavy and you will feel that as well.

Have you made any changes recently that could have contributed to this?
i.e. new shoes, pedals, cleat position, etc?

Thanks for all the ideas.

I tend to ride w/ toes pointed down. Focusing on dropping heel a little, and lifting through pedal stroke seem to help. However when I get tired, or hammer, I seem to fall back into the toe down position.

Riding w/ Sidi Mega Geniuses. Pedals: Look 5.1's or Keo Carbons.

Had been out of cycling for 4 years. This year have put in almost 5k miles to this point.

Seems to be worse w/ longer rides eg >80-100 miles.

Added gel inserts also to my work/everyday shoes which I think helps overall condition.

Anything that you flex when riding uses energy, and takes away a little power from propelling the bike.
It may be so small it does not matter. In some cases it may be so big you can feel power being lost.
But if you have pain you need to compromise enough to be comfortable to ride. There's no way around it.

Anything that you flex when riding uses energy, and takes away a little power from propelling the bike.
It may be so small it does not matter. In some cases it may be so big you can feel power being lost.
But if you have pain you need to compromise enough to be comfortable to ride. There's no way around it.

I may try a full gell insert for training, and partial much smaller insert just for the ball of the foot when speed more an issue. The full insert stays in place nicely. Will have to figure out how to get the partial insert to stay in place. Possibly superglue.

Anything that you flex when riding uses energy, and takes away a little power from propelling the bike.
It may be so small it does not matter. In some cases it may be so big you can feel power being lost.
But if you have pain you need to compromise enough to be comfortable to ride. There's no way around it.

A jell or any other pad will do 2 things. It will conform to your foot and it will give when pressed down on. The first will not lose power, the second will. My thought is the more it feels 'squishy' while riding the more power lost.

Other side is if you feel pain optherwise you will NOT be pedaling as hard as you would otherwise and you could also very easily adjust to a less painful and less efficient pedal stroke. I would think either of those would lose far more power.

Your overall wattage output (without factoring in healthy pedal stroke vs. pedal stroke with pain, etc.) shouldn't show much difference. Once the padding/gel, usually less than 1/4 of an inch is molded to your foot the actually cushing will take a backseat to dampening and also assist in broadening the contact zone in your shoe. The compression of the padding/gel area is so quick and limited it's not like you're putting a pillow in your shoe or anything. I had to do it with my old shoe/pedal combo. Good luck.

Thinking about this a bit more I have a question in return.

How close are the races you are in?

This is the racing forum. What for touring or fast rec rides is a non-significant power loss can be a very significant loss in a race. When inches matter then single watts or ounces can matter.

Thinking about this a bit more I have a question in return.

How close are the races you are in?

This is the racing forum. What for touring or fast rec rides is a non-significant power loss can be a very significant loss in a race. When inches matter then single watts or ounces can matter.

Have not raced since former triathlon days. Closest I've come recently would be group gunshot start rides w/ pace car, numbers, timed finish. In Mountains of Misery (127 miles) finished 7th; 28 min behind leader, and 73 mins behind leader's time from 2005 who I understand is pro (my time 2006 would have been 6th in 2005). Looks like there were 70 finishers of this ride.
http://www.mountainsofmisery.com/2006MoMDMCTime.html

Primarily now (group) cycling. Considering racing. However have many group rides locally that are stimulating, and easier geographically to attend.

For comparison, riding solo yesterday x 30 miles on rolling terrain averaged 18.5.
As you can see I'm not fast, but have some endurance.

I posted this in Racing Forum b/c figured you all know the most about power

Think I should give racing a try, or would that be out of my league?
Closest team is called "Evolution".

Thanks for everybody's help here.

Energy is not lost from the foot to shoe interface unless the jell is heating up, but you are making your pedal strokes less efficent so their is more loss in the mussle to peddle interface.

It doesn't have to heat up much. Just moving it aside back and forth will take some energy. But probably not much is lost.

Energy is not lost from the foot to shoe interface unless the jell is heating up, but you are making your pedal strokes less efficent so their is more loss in the mussle to peddle interface.

It does but you can't feel it. It's a miniscule amount.

Think I should give racing a try, or would that be out of my league?
Closest team is called "Evolution".



You should definitely consider racing... there are a few of us EVOs on the forums, and several team members live out your way or in the Leesburg area.

It doesn't have to heat up much. Just moving it aside back and forth will take some energy. But probably not much is lost.




My reply was in qualitative terms not quantitative. In my world the terms a lot and a little bit are both the same; meaningless exaggerations.

Energy is only lost from a system if it is allowed to escape or it is converted. By the foot wiggling around the energy that doesn’t make it to the peddle is not lost it is vectored into a different direction, hence a loss in efficiency not energy.

Rather than go with a gel insert, why not try a custom footbed. Footbeds are so nice. No hotfeet, tons of comfort.

Mark

I'd bet that you go out and a do a TT with them and a TT without them, using a power meter, any dimunition of power would be beyond the powermeter's ability to capture it.

But to be on the safe side you proably should buy some Rocket7's with a custom molde CF footbed so you can be light, stiff and comfy, (of course you're wallet will be a little lighter too.)

I'd bet that you go out and a do a TT with them and a TT without them, using a power meter, any dimunition of power would be beyond the powermeter's ability to capture it.

But to be on the safe side you proably should buy some Rocket7's with a custom molde CF footbed so you can be light, stiff and comfy, (of course you're wallet will be a little lighter too.)

Or just run Specialized Body Geometry shoes and save like $400.

Rather than go with a gel insert, why not try a custom footbed. Footbeds are so nice. No hotfeet, tons of comfort.

Mark

+1,

foot pain can come from your foot putting all its force on one small spot. Orthotic insoles will prevent concentration of the forces and spread energy throughout the foot.

I use Soles, the thin ones. You heat them in an oven to mold them to your shoe/foot.

http://www.yoursole.com/

Yes cushion reduces power a little, but so does pain and fatigue.