Help with leg pain SWB-P38

Are you new to recumbents, or new to high bottom-bracket
recumbents?

Bob Krzewinski (P-38 owner)

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Roy Dale
I have a total of 100 miles in the last 9 days trying to get
use to swb-p38 . i have eggbeater pedals. My pain comes
after about 30 min. to the lower outside of both calf
muscles. They become so fatigued that I can hardly keep
going. i can figure out waht it is. I thought that maybe i
am extending my foot(pointing my toes) to much. Anyone have
any suggestions?

Although I prefer clipless pedals, I find that keeping my feet so ridgidly confined for long periods of pedaling causes all kinds of pains in all the moving parts of my lower body. I now use a combination pedal, clipless on one side, platform on the other. That way, when I start to feel discomfort from being clipped in, I can dissengage and turn the pedal around.
The first road trip I did with a recumbent ( 800 km, 10 days) I used only clipless, and I learned that lesson the hard way. I guess at the age of 50, I am finally learning to listen to what my body is telling me, and make the neccesary adjustments.

Dan Burkhart <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Roy Dale said:

I have a total of 100 miles in the last 9 days trying
to get use to swb-
p38 . i have eggbeater pedals. My pain comes after
about 30 min. to the lower outside of both calf
muscles. They become so fatigued that I can
hardly keep going. i can figure out waht it is.
I thought that maybe i am extending my
foot(pointing my toes) to much. Anyone have any
suggestions?

Although I prefer clipless pedals, I find that keeping
my feet so ridgidly confined for long periods of
pedaling causes all kinds of pains in all the moving
parts of my lower body. I now use a combination pedal,
clipless on one side, platform on the other. That way,
when I start to feel discomfort from being clipped in, I
can dissengage and turn the pedal around. The first road
trip I did with a recumbent ( 800 km, 10 days) I used
only clipless, and I learned that lesson the hard way. I
guess at the age of 50, I am finally learning to listen
to what my body is telling me, and make the neccesary
adjustments.

--

What kind of pedals and where do you get them at that would
have that kind of setup? I am new to the high bottm bracket
but some days there is no pain in the calf but the last 2 or
3 rides it has become a factor as to how far i can go.

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I have a total of 100 miles in the last 9 days trying to
get use to swb-p38 . i have eggbeater pedals. My pain
comes after about 30 min. to the lower outside of both
calf muscles. They become so fatigued that I can hardly
keep going. i can figure out waht it is. I thought that
maybe i am extending my foot(pointing my toes) to much.
Anyone have any suggestions?

"Lower Outside of both calf muscles" Sounds like over
training If the pain is persistent over 24 hours. I would
suggest that there might be other problems. It could be that
you might need to work up your distances more slowly. Have
you tried Ibuprofen? What you are describing sounds like an
inflammation of the sheath covering the lower calf muscles.

sportsinjuryclinic.netloweOpen ↗
rleg/inflamtibtensheath.htm

I know some people that take Ibuprofen before a century to
avoid problems like this.

If you were having pedal/seat distance problems or cleat
adjustment problems, I would expect the pain to be in front
or behind the knees. Eggbeaters are pretty tolerant of a
variety of cleat positions and are not so likely to induce
knee pain like SPDs or some other pedals.
--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager
clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

[email hidden] (roy dale) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

What kind of pedals and where do you get them at that
would have that kind of setup? I am new to the high bottm
bracket but some days there is no pain in the calf but
the last 2 or 3 rides it has become a factor as to how
far i can go.

Shimano PD-M324, for one:
harriscyclery.netpage.cfmOpen ↗
These are available from bike shops anywhere. There's a
version made by Wellgo, too. My wife has these on her Tour
Easy- they're very nice for the days she rides to work.

It may be that the rotational adjustment on the cleats is
not correct. If you feel pressure on either side of your
heel while you're pedaling, something's amiss. Your feet
should hang naturally in the back of your shoe.

You might want to find a bike shop that uses the Fit Kit
system. They have a device that will show you which way and
how far to move the cleat. It's called the Rotational
Adjustment Device:
bikefitkit.comrad kit.htmlOpen ↗ In fact, a
complete professional fitting would be a good thing, IMO.

Not many professional fitters know recumbents, but the
adjustments aren't *that* different. If you were near
Portland, I'd tell you to talk to Micheal Sylvester at the
Bike Gallery. He *trains* people in bike fitting and he's
done recumbents in the past. Here's a couple articles: http-
://www.cyclingsite.com/collected_wisdom/what_to_take/bikes/-
bike_fits.htm
planetultra.comlikeadork.htmlOpen ↗

I rode a P-38 for 12 years before switching to a Tour Easy
(partly to keep my wife company) and I *rarely* had pain
like you describe. Usually it was after getting new shoes
or installing new cleats. Readjustment allowed me to ride
pain-free.

Jeff