Multiple Questions and Concerns
 

Hello guys,

I have a few questions and concerns, not related, that i'd like to discuss in one thread.

First, I bought a Kask vertigo helmet march of 2014. The helmet was not sold in US so I bought it from Wiggle and shipped it to italy, where I picked it up. The issue with the helmet was that my earlobe would not fit above the straps. The straps will squeeze my earlobe to my head (see picture of earlobe below). I thought it was due to wrong sizing since I usually wore a large and this one was a medium. Ever since I've gone to two stores where they've had the same helmet in medium as well. These two helmets fit me much better leaving about half an inch between earlobe and strap. Thank god there is a local shop that sells them and told me to take the helmet and they'll call Kask to see if I can get a replacement strap that fits longer, like the ones they have here in USA.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_Y...M=w423-h409-no

I highly doubt it is an euro fitting Kask, it seems like a defective product. Which brings me to a second question. Does Wiggle sell defective products for lower price? I bought a pair of Bont Vaypor shoes which fit has been less than spectacular. They were supposed to be moldable and it appears that everything but the sole was really what you'd call moldable.

This brings me to the second issue. Since I could not return my shoes (it'd cost me $180 to ship them back to the UK) I decided to ride them. They don't fit great but I can't thrown them away so I use them. Problem is, I'm starting to notice some pain in my right big toe. I am not sure if this could be attributable to my toe touching the tip of the shoe when riding but probably is. Today, while clipping my nails, I noticed that part of the nail changing color and that it is actually bent. Not the extra nail beyond the toe but the middle of it. See pictures below. What do you guys think this is?. I've also been riding in the rain a lot so this could be a matter of having wet shoes, although I use an old pair of shimano R087 when raining.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R...-no/image.jpeg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Q...ge%5B1%5D.jpeg


Third and unrelated question. Have any of you guys used the TP cold roller? If so, what are some good techniques and how do you benefit vs foam rollers? I find it EXTREMELY painful to use.

http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2013...old-roller.jpg



Thank you,

I hope the Polar Vortex blows through soon.

Your head is too big.
Your shoes are too small.
If it hurts to roll, you need it. HTFU

damn there are some funny people on this site. I was laughing while reading and the wife had to see what it was.

That helmet must be annoying to wear. It looks like the nail has folded back a bit or lifted slightly. Skip the shoes too. But You probably already came to these conclusions

Review: Kask Vertigo Helmet | Wiggle Blog

Don't buy fit items without trying them on first.

Really warm pee in your shoes while riding might help make them more moldy.

Oh yeah, and support your LBS so you can return things when stuff like this happens.

I suggest you see a podiatrist. It is not all that onerous.

I usually do. They just dont carry these things and cant order them for me.

tried it here once. Didnt fit like the vertigo i got afterwards.

Eat my sweaty banana.

If you're lucky, ill-fitting shoes will give you an ingrown toenail, and you'll have to let the podiatrist slice your nail in half and spend 2 weeks off the bike.

If you're unlucky, you'll develop an arthritic toe joint, and it will become a chronic life long problem.

Neither of these is worth wearing shoes that don't fit. Who cares what you spent already?

You don't have shoes that don't fit, you have feet that don't fit. Try talking to the manufacturer directly. Be outraged, you deserve better than that.

I've had no trade with Wiggle, but I've come to believe that in all modern merchandising there is a lot of less than perfect merchandise being sold at discount outlets, and at manufacturer's and retailer's own clearance sales. I think many items that would have once been labeled and sold as 'factory seconds' are now sold at a discount with no notice as to potential quality control issues.

Just rode 38 miles with them. The only part that really bothers is the arch bump from the carbon sole. The toe did not really hurt. I checked and played around and they only touch the front if Im standing with my feet completely flat or if I am stretching my toes while riding... like opening them up. I will go to a podiatrist but there is also a chance that it could be a fungus or something since I've been riding hours on really wet shoes.

Thank you.. I think I will!



I am starting to believe this as well. I will not be buying from them anymore. I do support my local shops and they like me a lot but sometimes I just want stuff they don't have for the purpose of having something different and they won't go against me for it. I actually take them to their shops to show them.

hey Robert, i'll be visiting a few docs this year since it's time i check all the aches weird stuff going on my body.

That should work. But for feet, the podiatrist is "da man". No one else will touch them. And the podiatrist takes care of toenail fungus too. Just be careful of the systemic (oral) antifungals. In a very small number of patients, one of them, terbinafine/Lamisil can cause complete loss of taste. Happened to Mrs. rpen. Taste came back a few months after discontinuing the drug. Just saying to be careful if you go down that path. The loss of taste has in rare cases been permanent.

I'm the Maestro of Mail-order, but even I, even I buy fit-dependent items at my LBS.

And I Ebay things that I don't like or throw them into the fireplace.

If the shoe is not ridiculously tight/ridiculously painful, it'll wear-in over a littlke time, and likely conform to your foot, and become comfortable.

It isn't but the start of every ride is a little painfull. After 10 miles it does not bother me anymore. Today i was upset the first hour. After that i was putting down power and i had more issues with my achilles tendon than anything in my foot. I remember my sworks being bad the first 300 miles or so but ok after a while. These have more space than my s works being one size larger but that arch is killer in comparison.

I stated it in a way to be humorous, but everything I said was true (IMO). You need a longer helmet strap, your toes shouldn't be jamming into the end of your shoes, even while standing, and rolling muscles sucks at first. The benefit to foam is there is a little less pressure because the foam gives. You can work your way into the full weight by supporting yourself a little with another muscle while rolling one (I.e. For pain in the calf muscle, put the other foot on the ground and push to relieve pressure on the roller). Keep at it and it will feel better sooner than later.

Use the shoes a while longer to see if they do break in -- use them only for shorter rides to protect against them torturing you for hours on end. If they don't come 'round, given them to someone who can use them. Life is too damned short to use stuff that doesn't fit well.

Like you, I've bought lots of stuff online that I ultimately decided didn't fit right, and giving it away makes a positive out of a negative, at least for me. Plus the thought of selling used shoes is more than I can stand ;)

i know :) i was too. It was a funny reference to a controversial thread i had opened last year.

The helmet though, after trying another 3 in the same size should not be like that. The lbs confirmed this and will try to replace under warranty. Seeing how the helmet was like that, it raises suspicion as if the shoes are supposed to be that way. I am mostly doubting the product quality of wiggle. I have no other place to check out bonts as they also need to be molded to verify fit.

As for the roller, ive done the foam one. Im ok with foam. However, this one was lended to me and i'd like to know if anybody has used it and if it's beneficial. This one hurts a lot more!

That toe situation is common with running. Runners often get a black goes from shoes too tight. Sometimes the nail falls off. About the only thing you can do at this point is get new shoes and keep trimming the bad part of the nail as it grows.

Or keep the current shoes, watch the nail turn black and fall off, and save money.

prblems with the arch are one thing, but that has nothing to do with the toe nail. I use PowerStep insoles in my shoes and work boots, and they killed my arch at first. After getting my feet used to them, I couldn't go without them now. I even have them in my cycling shoes. I had a bad plantar faciaitis(sp) issue and the support of the insoles helped a ton. A podiatrist can do the same for you with custom orthotics, but for my collapsing arch (when stepping down my foot grew about 1/2"), all I needed was more support in all shoes not just one pair. This got rid of numb toes while cycling also. For the arch, your cycling shoes may be right, but all of your others may be wrong.