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Pedal and Shoe Question with a Twist

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Pedal and Shoe Question with a Twist

Old 02-22-09, 10:14 PM
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Pedal and Shoe Question with a Twist

I have a pedal and shoe question for you nice folks here. But there's a twist. It's my right foot, which because of a severely knocked right knee is angled out 25-30 degrees. See my legs in the photo below, taken when I weighed a lot more than I do now.



(This means clipless is out of the question - I've tried, even Speedplay's tech department said they couldn't suggest anything.) It's also a 12 EEEE foot.

What I'm looking for is:

- a pedal that is both wide enough for my feet and gripping enough I can stand on the pedals even in wet weather without slipping. I have standard metal platform pedals on the bikes now. Even with extenders on the crankarms I need to position my feet carefully to avoid heel strike. Too often this means pedaling with my arch on the right.
- and shoes that have a stiff sole. I currently ride with the Sette Rival II shoe, which is cheap and functional, but doesn't grip well and doesn't go on and off easily. They are designed to accept SPD cleats, so they have a very stiff sole. I find it uncomfortable to ride in soft soled shoes, so I'd rather not use ordinary sneakers and the like.



Any suggestions, folks?
 
Old 02-22-09, 10:39 PM
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I haven't a clue about shoes, but you might want to check the Kona Jack*****'s. Nice big platforms and very grippy.
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Old 02-22-09, 10:52 PM
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I'm not totally sure this is what you are looking for, but it works great for me. I switched my road bike from Crank Bros. Candy Pedals to some gigantic freeride style pedals. The things are huge and have spikes coming out of them. They actually stick better in my softer shoes than on boots. They stick so well that you can get a little back pressure to get your pedal into position at a stop light or help a little on a hill.

The image is of a Crank Bros version, but others make them as well. Mine are from Specialized. Mallet also makes some cheaper ones.

I also enjoy the combo of a Dura Ace set with gross freeride pedals. It pisses off the roadies good.
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Old 02-22-09, 11:00 PM
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I usually run clipless, but on my commuter bike I use these (mine are branded diamondback, but they are the same otherwise)



I wear army boots with them (11E) and they work great. Lots of grip, comfortable large platform, very durable and tough and as an added bonus, they are inexpensive (~20 bucks)

Like the others have suggested, you're pretty much looking for a BMX/Freeride pedal. There are lots to choose from.
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Old 02-23-09, 05:23 AM
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Can you use toe clips and straps? Or a power strap?
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Old 02-23-09, 06:59 AM
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What I would think you need to do, is really get a custom crank arm machined so that the whole arm is angled out o match the angle of your foot on the forward part of the stroke. This would place the pedal far enough out so your heel would clear the chain and chainrings.

Second best would be to have a block machined to thread into the crank arm that places the pedal out the required amount.

As far as stiffening the shoe, maybe the 661 Ankle Biter would help out, if you can't find a grippy stiff shoe, at least you could find a grippy shoe and try stiffening it that way.
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Old 02-23-09, 07:19 AM
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Originally Posted by devildogmech
Can you use toe clips and straps? Or a power strap?
I don't like toe clips or pedal cages. I've never tried Power Grips.
 
Old 02-23-09, 08:16 AM
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Maybe these MKS Grip King pedals?

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Old 02-23-09, 08:20 AM
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Originally Posted by macdonwald
Maybe these MKS Grip King pedals?

I like the look of them, but are they slippery in wet weather? I saw a post on here that claimed they were.
 
Old 02-23-09, 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by barturtle
What I would think you need to do, is really get a custom crank arm machined so that the whole arm is angled out o match the angle of your foot on the forward part of the stroke.
If you did that, it would only be the correct angle for a very small portion of the pedal stroke... and 180 degrees from that point would be opposite of what you needed making the problem twice as bad!
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Old 02-23-09, 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by vegipowrd
Nashbar has something similar - I have them on all my bikes and love them. Around $30.
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Old 02-23-09, 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by I_bRAD
If you did that, it would only be the correct angle for a very small portion of the pedal stroke... and 180 degrees from that point would be opposite of what you needed making the problem twice as bad!
Also, I'm trying to avoid spending a lot of money getting custom-made parts.

I see a lot of suggestions for BMX pedals and MTB pedals with pins in them. Perhaps that the way to go. And I think I found a better shoe than the ones I'm using.

The Sette Enduro shoe:

 
Old 02-23-09, 08:44 AM
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If you go with BMX or downhill pedals... just keep in mind if your food does slip off, those things will give you a nasty beartrap!
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Old 02-23-09, 08:46 AM
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Originally Posted by I_bRAD
If you go with BMX or downhill pedals... just keep in mind if your food does slip off, those things will give you a nasty beartrap!
I'll try to avoid that.
 
Old 02-23-09, 09:44 AM
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^^^ That is a good suggestion. I used to joke about putting my Freeride pedals on my fixed gear bike, calling it :the meat grinder". It's really only a problem when you are wearing shorts or nice shoes.
In some ways I prefer wearing this sort of stuff when I have to have nicer shoes on because they don't require straps that WILL mess things up.

Per an earlier question, anything with spikes/screws sticking out of it, wet weather doesn't bother them too much, but it's better to have softer soles that the screws can dig into a bit. I use a gummy sole moccasin and it's great in any weather.
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Old 02-23-09, 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by I_bRAD
If you did that, it would only be the correct angle for a very small portion of the pedal stroke... and 180 degrees from that point would be opposite of what you needed making the problem twice as bad!

That is incorrect, the pedal would still be on the same axis, perpendicular to the frame. It would place the pedal farther out, matching the point where the toe is when the heel is in a point where it will not interfere with the crank and chain...imagine moving your foot in a pedaling motion, now keeping the heel following the same circle, rotate the toe outward...now imagine a crank that would reach out to meet the position of the toe, but angled in such a way as to keep it from hitting the heel.
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Old 02-23-09, 10:45 AM
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If I were you, I'd probably take a generic pedal and weld or bolt a homemade extended size platform to it. Like a block of wood with rubber treading glued on. Perhaps even screw a pair of shoes permanently to it - kind of like triathletes and their pre-clipped in shoes for transitions.
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Old 02-23-09, 10:58 AM
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Originally Posted by DallasSoxFan
If I were you, I'd probably take a generic pedal and weld or bolt a homemade extended size platform to it. Like a block of wood with rubber treading glued on. Perhaps even screw a pair of shoes permanently to it - kind of like triathletes and their pre-clipped in shoes for transitions.
Perhaps I've overstated the problem, prompting such a radical suggestion. My legs work well enough to pedal me 2000-3000 miles a year. The only 'special' modifications I have to the bike are Kneesaver extenders. I'm looking for an improved pedal/shoe combination, just like any other cyclist might.
 
Old 02-23-09, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by The Historian
Perhaps I've overstated the problem, prompting such a radical suggestion. My legs work well enough to pedal me 2000-3000 miles a year. The only 'special' modifications I have to the bike are Kneesaver extenders. I'm looking for an improved pedal/shoe combination, just like any other cyclist might.

Ah, okay...if you might like to go clipless and you know of a good cobbler where you live, check this page, but I'll highlight the part that seems important.

We have inserts to change your leather shoes from nails to screws. That hardware also allows us to add threaded holes in the sole of any shoe, leather or nylon, to change or add cleat format. For example, our employee bought a beautiful pair of wingtips (maybe $200 new, but just $10 at a thrift store) to which we added threaded inserts for a mountain bike cleat and a shoemaker bonded in some tread from a Vibram soled workboot. End result? A formal dress on/off road pair of the most comfortable shoes a man could ever own! Threaded inserts are so much neater, but mostly they're simpler to make small changes to cleat angle.
A good cobbler should be able to figure out the proper angle to mount the plate to accomodate the angle that your knee requires. then you could go clipless.

This might be at least calling the store and talking to a local cobbler (or maybe a store that specializes in custom orthotics.
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Old 02-23-09, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by barturtle
Ah, okay...if you might like to go clipless and you know of a good cobbler where you live, check this page, but I'll highlight the part that seems important.



A good cobbler should be able to figure out the proper angle to mount the plate to accomodate the angle that your knee requires. then you could go clipless.

This might be at least calling the store and talking to a local cobbler (or maybe a store that specializes in custom orthotics.
Hmm, interesting. My shop spoke to Speedplay when we tried to set me up with Frogs. They couldn't help. Yet there should be some way around it.
 
Old 02-23-09, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by The Historian
Hmm, interesting. My shop spoke to Speedplay when we tried to set me up with Frogs. They couldn't help. Yet there should be some way around it.
I would think that the problem isn't so much in the pedals (other than the fact that they're going to be too close to the cranks for your heel to clear (hence the kneesavers) but in the shoes and the allowable mounting positions that they provide in off the shelf stuff. A custom shoe could accommodate your needs. The mounting location for the cleat will probably need to be rotated to match your knee and offset to the inside (toward your big toe) to help with heel clearance.

I'd talk to the guys at the store and see what all they have to say about it and see if they can email you some pictures of various installs that you can then show to a cobbler and talk about your needs.
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Old 02-23-09, 02:30 PM
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Originally Posted by barturtle
Ah, okay...if you might like to go clipless and you know of a good cobbler where you live, check this page, but I'll highlight the part that seems important.



A good cobbler should be able to figure out the proper angle to mount the plate to accomodate the angle that your knee requires. then you could go clipless.

This might be at least calling the store and talking to a local cobbler (or maybe a store that specializes in custom orthotics.
My dad used to have cobblers make golf shoes out of old dress shoes.

If heel clearance because of toe-out is the issue, perhaps you could use spacers on the pedal to extend it further.
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