Hi everybody, I wonder if anybody has insight into my situation:
I go on 15- to 20-mile rides and deal with a problem that I have to keep fixing every couple of miles where my left foot drifts outward (away from the wheel) and my right foot drifts forward. The left foot is the bigger problem. I’m able, with some difficulty over maybe half a minute, to scoot it back in so that it’s squarely on its pedal, but it persistently drifts out again. Has anyone else had this experience? The constant tweaking of my foot position is a tedious experience and really puts a damper on an otherwise enjoyable ride.
So far, I’ve tried adjusting saddle height (increasing it) and I’ve checked and double-checked to ensure the saddle is pointed directly forward, but nothing has helped.
I ride a KH36 (the one that came out before the most recent one) with the stock pedals that have metal pins. I wear Five-Ten Freerider Pro shoes. I have the KH T-handlebar attachment too.
Thanks for any help or insight you may be able to provide!
My feet happen to end up in less than optimal positions on the pedals on a regular basis. In case of the 36er among other reasons because the heel hits the crank every now and then. I wear trekking shoes with a Vibram sole, so maybe not ideal to start with (but I like them). Usually I can wiggle the foot back to a good position. On a different uni, a 29er, I have RaceFace Chester pedals with their long pins. I have clearly more difficulties getting the feet back into position with this setup - the pedals are already too grippy. On yet another 29“ uni I have the same pedals, but with additional nuts on the pins / screws. While they stick out the same amount, the base of the pins is thicker thanks to the added nuts. As a consequence they offer a less firm grip and make repositioning the feet way easier than their unmodded siblings. *
Maybe changing pedals could help with repositioning your feet, and the new pedals don‘t necessarily need to offer more grip, in my experience. Another idea would be to train one foot riding (on a smaller uni, should do the trick) to help improve your ability and confidence to reposition a foot that is a bit off.
As to what to do to not end up in a situation that requires adjusting the foot position … I‘d like to know that trick, too.
*I know, I should mod the second pair, too. I keep telling myself I will mill the pins because it should be less trouble than replace them or add nuts (have first to remove the screws, the way I did it), but I haven‘t got around to do it, yet.
My left foot tends to drift away from the wheel and my right toward the wheel. I may need to adjust every few miles and have just gotten used to that. I find that some pinned pedals are better at holding my feet in place.
Basically what the others say with pins in the pedals. I reckon everybody has that problem. You can also focus on making it easier to adjust your feet during the ride. Even with sticky pedals, as soon as you push down with one foot, you can lift the other faster than the pedal coming up. That gives enough time to shift ur foot back to a better position.
You can also take break on ur rides and when mounting have feet on the pedals the right way, though this mostly when I need to reposition my feet.
I‘ve got those Nimbus pedals with the rounded studs on my muni. Pretty much the perfect balance between grip and ease of repositioning the feet for my taste (but I can understand that others are missing the firm grip they desire). Interesting fact: The newer version of this pedal has studs with quite sharp edges, comparable to the studs of the other pedal in your picture. But since they are a bigger diameter than the old ones, the grip is the same - at least with my shoes.
I drift slowly to the outside with my right foot. I don’t think it’s just the pedals but also my pedaling. I feel like I have more weight on the right pedal, which makes the whole uni eager to turn right. I fight it and lately I’m trying to retrain myself at putting less weight on that foot, and more straight.
My right foot has a bias towards the right side of the pedal. I keep looking out for it and correcting it. I have a theory that it is a consequence of riding bike with jeans and trying to prevent the right leg from getting dirty from the chain/cogs. My right leg REALLY doesn’t like to be on the inner side of the pedal.
@luke, I use FUN pedal studs, very grippy but you can still move your feet, so not over grippy. The pin profile, is a little more rounded than those pictured. The important part, they work well with the soles on my riding trainers, different sole patterns, suit different stud types.
Just depends how much grip you want.
I wear sketchers with antislip soles.
So try riding in some different shoes until you get a good balance that suits.
I have put these on all of my unicycles. They provide a wide comfortable platform pegged or unpegged with a grippy vibram rubber surface. I have ridden both types but have settled on the pegged version. The thing I love about them is they grip but also give you the ability to reposition your feet easily. I can’t vouch for how these work for muni but It sounds like you are road riding which they are perfect for. I bought all of mine on eBay in the $35 to $45 range. Oh yah they come in some fun colors.
