Orthotics, clipless pedals, etc.

[Kathy Applebaum]

Just a thanks to all those who offered an opinion on switching to clipless
pedals to help with foot/ankle/knee pain while biking.

After reading all the opinions and doing lots of research, I made an
appointment for custom orthotics and ordered some Speedplay Frogs (stainless
with 1/2" longer spindle to fit my shoe). The Frogs finally came in, and I
got to do a 25 mile ride with them yesterday. Wow! I'm in love! Not only did
my ankles and knees not have pain, they actually felt really *good* after my
ride.

I had the appointment for fitting the orthotics this morning, and the
doctor, who rides a diamond frame, is a big fan of the Frogs and recommends
them a lot. He thinks between the Frogs and the orthotics, I'll have no more
pain problems. I'm in heaven.

So, thanks again to all who offered an opinion.

--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)

 

[Shrubs Don't Bounce]

"Kathy Applebaum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Just a thanks to all those who offered an opinion on switching to clipless
> pedals to help with foot/ankle/knee pain while biking.
>
> After reading all the opinions and doing lots of research, I made an
> appointment for custom orthotics and ordered some Speedplay Frogs
> (stainless
> with 1/2" longer spindle to fit my shoe). The Frogs finally came in, and I
> got to do a 25 mile ride with them yesterday. Wow! I'm in love! Not only
> did
> my ankles and knees not have pain, they actually felt really *good* after
> my
> ride.
>
> I had the appointment for fitting the orthotics this morning, and the
> doctor, who rides a diamond frame, is a big fan of the Frogs and
> recommends
> them a lot. He thinks between the Frogs and the orthotics, I'll have no
> more
> pain problems. I'm in heaven.
>
> So, thanks again to all who offered an opinion.
> --
> Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)

Great! Glad it worked out, and that we could help. Speedplay Frogs have tons
of float, and are easy to clip in and out. They are one of only a handful of
truly knee-friendly clipless pedals out there.

However, I might caution you to notice how the Frog cleats attach to the
pedal. Notice that there is just a tiny metal clip that your feet are
basically hanging from. That clip is tensioned by a thin piece of polymer
material - a tiny plastic spring. I personally had problems with one cleat
on my Frogs where the polymer "spring" became damaged, and the cleat wanted
to unclip sometimes. After some scary incidents, I ditched the Frogs,
bought BeBops, and haven't had a single problem since. Same huge float, much
better cleat retention, more solid all-metal design, and even easier
clip-in. Like Speedplay, BeBops a little pricey; but worth it. (FWIW: The
two companies actually share patent agreements on the pedal and cleat
designs.)

You do not want to have an unscheduled clip-out and drop your foot to the
ground while riding. It's very painful, and will most likely result in a
nasty crash. My wife required over a year to finally heal from her
foot-drop-related crash. The bike launched her about 10 ft. Ouch!

Sorry for the FUD. Just check your cleats often, and be aware of the weak
points in the Frog design. Many people swear by them, so they must be OK.

Miles of smiles,

SDB

 

[Kathy Applebaum]

"Shrubs Don't Bounce" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Bwy2d.105416$3l3.102427@attbi_s03...
> Sorry for the FUD. Just check your cleats often, and be aware of the weak
> points in the Frog design. Many people swear by them, so they must be OK.

Actually, it's probably a good reminder to check ALL my equipment regularly.
I like crashes almost as much as I like walking home.

--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)

 

[Denis Rivest]

"Kathy Applebaum" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Just a thanks to all those who offered an opinion on switching to clipless
> pedals to help with foot/ankle/knee pain while biking.
>
> After reading all the opinions and doing lots of research, I made an
> appointment for custom orthotics and ordered some Speedplay Frogs (stainless
> with 1/2" longer spindle to fit my shoe). The Frogs finally came in, and I
> got to do a 25 mile ride with them yesterday. Wow! I'm in love! Not only did
> my ankles and knees not have pain, they actually felt really *good* after my
> ride.
>
> I had the appointment for fitting the orthotics this morning, and the
> doctor, who rides a diamond frame, is a big fan of the Frogs and recommends
> them a lot. He thinks between the Frogs and the orthotics, I'll have no more
> pain problems. I'm in heaven.
>
> So, thanks again to all who offered an opinion.

I also wear orthotics in my street shoes and had been using Frogs on
my Stratus, loved the float but was having problems with hotfoot on
longer rides (over 30 miles) caused by the Frogs too small contact
area on the ball of my foot.

This year, at the advice of my podiatrist, I switched to a wider based
pedal, the Shimano DuraAce spd pedal (forget which model #), and my
hotfoot problems completely disappeared. This pedal , while not having
quite the amount of float of the Frogs, still has approx. 20 deg. of
float, enough to keep my knees happy. Since then, I have been on a few
centuries without any problems with either knees or feet.

Denis Rivest
RANS Stratus.