Does anyone else have a problem w/ their shoes rubbing on the crank when you ride? I don’t have particularly big feet, american size 10 1/2.
When I ride, I have to position my feet so about a quarter of it is hanging off the edge of the pedal so that the insides don’t rub against the crank. Is there such a thing as pedal extenders or something?
This is on a 20" Cyclepro. Not the greatest unicycle from what I hear but I told myself I won’t get something better until I break this one or I get good enough to justify something better.
Aaronc-
Are your cranks straight or do they angle out-then-down? I have a greater inclination to rub on angled cranks. While my size 11 (US) feet occasionaly rub the cranks, they are easly adjusted and generaly stay where they are put- all my cycles have cleated pedals. Are you able to adjust your feet while riding? I think it’s easyist to do so just as they come over the top…
Christopher
I think they are straight. I’m not quite sure what you mean by angled down.
I can adjust my feet, but my natural instinct is to want my whole foot on the pedal and I tend to keep moving them inward.
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
>Is there such a thing as pedal extenders or something?
Believe it or not, there is. They screw in between your cranks and your pedals
to increase Q-factor. You can get them at R&E Cycles in Seattle. Website:
David Maxfield
Bainbridge Island, WA
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
Aaronc.4m5hm@timelimit.unicyclist.com (Aaronc) wrote in
<Aaronc.4m5hm@timelimit.unicyclist.com>:
>
>Does anyone else have a problem w/ their shoes rubbing on the crank when
>you ride? I don’t have particularly big feet, american size 10 1/2.
><SNIP>
>
>–
>Aaronc
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Aaronc’s Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/780
>View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/18083
>
Hi
Exactly the same for me - the insides of my shoes are now a dull metallic
grey from rubbing the cranks. It doesn’t hurt, doesn’t annoy me. Just
means that I have to make sure I don’t mix up my ‘going out’ shoes with my
‘riding’ shoes.
Regards
Phil - who’s just the OK to ride again after a uni inspired dislocated
shoulder
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
in article Aaronc.4m5hm@timelimit.unicyclist.com, Aaronc at
Aaronc.4m5hm@timelimit.unicyclist.com wrote on 5/13/02 5:40 PM:
> Does anyone else have a problem w/ their shoes rubbing on the crank when
> you ride? I don’t have particularly big feet, american size 10 1/2.
> When I ride, I have to position my feet so about a quarter of it is
> hanging off the edge of the pedal so that the insides don’t rub against
> the crank. Is there such a thing as pedal extenders or something?
Yes! Heel strike is a big problem for me. I don’t ride anything without a
pair of these installed:
http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/readitem.pl?Accessory=983909612
-Carl
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
> I don’t ride anything without a
>pair of these installed:
>http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/readitem.pl?Accessory=983909612
>
These might be great on an ultimate wheel, where your feet twist a fair amount.
David Maxfield
Bainbridge Island, WA
I think $30 is too much of a solution for me. It bothers me but it doesn’t bother me $30 worth. I’ll learn to live with it and train myself to twist my foot or something…
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
On Mon, 13 May 2002 17:57:41 -0500, Aaronc
<Aaronc.4m66o@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:
>
>I think they are straight. I’m not quite sure what you mean by angled
>down.
I think Rhysling means this:
- Straight is parallel to the plane of the wheel.
- Angled down is that the crank end near the axle is closer to the
wheel than the crank end where the pedal is screwed in. “Angled out”
might describe it better.
Klaas Bil
“To trigger/fool/saturate/overload Echelon, the following has been picked automagically from a database:”
“Li Hongzhi, CFD, Lexis-Nexis”
RE: Shoes rubbing on crank…
> Does anyone else have a problem w/ their shoes rubbing on
> the crank when you ride? I don’t have particularly big feet,
> american size 10 1/2. When I ride, I have to position my
> feet so about a quarter of it is hanging off the edge of
> the pedal so that the insides don’t rub against the crank.
There are two possible types of problem here, one worse than the other. I
have noticed that my shoes rub on the crank arms. For years my riding shoes
have had worn spots, or black marks (from oxidation off the aluminum cranks)
on them. But it didn’t affect my riding.
The bigger problem is what I will call “ankle whacking,” which is where that
bone that sticks out of your ankle bangs on the cranks as they go around. I
would assume this is the problem for anyone in the situation above.
This is a common problem for new riders, and often goes away as they get
more comfortable with riding. I used to gouge up my ankles on the cranks
back in the days, and I remember the occasional bloody spot on my socks
there. But I think it went away in my first months of riding, to possibly
rear its ugly head from time to time when I was learning new tricks.
But some people have more of a natural toe-out when they walk than others. I
don’t know the medical term for it, but it’s when your toes naturally point
outward. This means your ankles point inward. If this is you, it may be
harder to train your feet not to “clip” the cranks.
If you are still a new rider, you might want to consider padding your ankles
before going for modifications of the unicycle. Bill Jenack and Jack Wiley
wrote about this problem in the 70’s, with a little section in The Unicycle
Book talking about how you could cut an old motorcycle inner tube to make an
ankle protector. An ace bandage or other form of padding under or over your
sock would work as well (since I don’t think motorcycles don’t use inner
tubes much anymore).
In fact, I remember owning a pair of ankle protectors in the early 80s.
Elastic straps that go around the lower leg and under the foot, and a big
padded part to protect the ankle bones. I’m not sure, but they may have come
from the world of skateboarding?
Hope this is useful,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
jfoss@unicycling.com
“Vehicularly-Injured Sperm-Count seat: better known by it’s abbreviated
name, Viscount.” David Stone, on saddle preference
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
Greetings
In message “RE: Shoes rubbing on crank…”,
John Foss wrote…
>> Does anyone else have a problem w/ their shoes rubbing on
>> the crank when you ride? I don’t have particularly big feet,
>> american size 10 1/2. When I ride, I have to position my
>> feet so about a quarter of it is hanging off the edge of
>> the pedal so that the insides don’t rub against the crank.
I have never heard of anyone having this problem beyond the beginner stage.
Somehow you seem to instintively learn how keep tha ankles away from
the crankarms. In Japan, I rearely hear of this as a problem, even with
complete beginners.
>There are two possible types of problem here, one worse than the other. I
>have noticed that my shoes rub on the crank arms. For years my riding shoes
>have had worn spots, or black marks (from oxidation off the aluminum cranks)
>on them. But it didn’t affect my riding.
>
>The bigger problem is what I will call “ankle whacking,” which is where that
>bone that sticks out of your ankle bangs on the cranks as they go around. I
>would assume this is the problem for anyone in the situation above.
>
>This is a common problem for new riders, and often goes away as they get
>more comfortable with riding. I used to gouge up my ankles on the cranks
>back in the days, and I remember the occasional bloody spot on my socks
>there. But I think it went away in my first months of riding, to possibly
>rear its ugly head from time to time when I was learning new tricks.
>
>But some people have more of a natural toe-out when they walk than others. I
>don’t know the medical term for it, but it’s when your toes naturally point
>outward. This means your ankles point inward. If this is you, it may be
>harder to train your feet not to “clip” the cranks.
>
>If you are still a new rider, you might want to consider padding your ankles
>before going for modifications of the unicycle. Bill Jenack and Jack Wiley
>wrote about this problem in the 70’s, with a little section in The Unicycle
>Book talking about how you could cut an old motorcycle inner tube to make an
>ankle protector. An ace bandage or other form of padding under or over your
>sock would work as well (since I don’t think motorcycles don’t use inner
>tubes much anymore).
>
>In fact, I remember owning a pair of ankle protectors in the early 80s.
>Elastic straps that go around the lower leg and under the foot, and a big
>padded part to protect the ankle bones. I’m not sure, but they may have come
>from the world of skateboarding?
>
>Hope this is useful,
>John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
>jfoss@unicycling.com
>www.unicycling.com
>
>
>“Vehicularly-Injured Sperm-Count seat: better known by it’s abbreviated
>name, Viscount.” David Stone, on saddle preference
>___________________________________________________________________________
>rec.sport.unicycling mailing list - www.unicycling.org/mailman/listinfo/rsu
>
Stay on top, Jack Halpern
Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc.
Website: http://www.kanji.org
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
in article mailman.1021478191.27168.rsu@unicycling.org, John Foss at
john_foss@asinet.com wrote on 5/15/02 11:13 AM:
> The bigger problem is what I will call “ankle whacking,” which is where that
> bone that sticks out of your ankle bangs on the cranks as they go around. I
> would assume this is the problem for anyone in the situation above.
[snip]
> But some people have more of a natural toe-out when they walk than others. I
> don’t know the medical term for it, but it’s when your toes naturally point
> outward. This means your ankles point inward. If this is you, it may be
> harder to train your feet not to “clip” the cranks.
I’m a strong example of this. When I went through physical therapy on my
ankle a few months ago (not cycling related) they measured my “toe-out” at
30 degrees.
My toe-out is severe enough that I actually have problems with my heel
getting hung up on the crank arms. I’ve got oversized pedals and extenders
on my bike, and have trouble riding anything that doesn’t have the extenders
in place. I can’t simply hold my feet straight enough, that places too much
torque on my knees.
I tried SPD compatible pedals on a bike, my knees were screaming after just
a half mile and hurt for a couple days afterward (I learned why when I went
to physical therapy).
> If you are still a new rider, you might want to consider padding your ankles
> before going for modifications of the unicycle.
Well, the pedal extenders aren’t much of a modification, they just screw
right into the crank like the pedal, and accept the pedal on the other side.
Still, ankle padding may not be a bad idea.
Thanks,
Carl
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
In article <B907FCD1.7354%carl@peladon.com>, Carl <carl@peladon.com> wrote:
)in article mailman.1021478191.27168.rsu@unicycling.org, John Foss at
)john_foss@asinet.com wrote on 5/15/02 11:13 AM:
)
)> The bigger problem is what I will call “ankle whacking,” which is where that
)> bone that sticks out of your ankle bangs on the cranks as they go around. I
)> would assume this is the problem for anyone in the situation above.
)[snip]
)> But some people have more of a natural toe-out when they walk than others. I
)> don’t know the medical term for it, but it’s when your toes naturally point
)> outward. This means your ankles point inward. If this is you, it may be
)> harder to train your feet not to “clip” the cranks.
)
)I’m a strong example of this. When I went through physical therapy on my
)ankle a few months ago (not cycling related) they measured my “toe-out” at
)30 degrees.
For those who might be interested, the medical term is “pronation.” I have
it also, especially for my left foot.
)I tried SPD compatible pedals on a bike, my knees were screaming after just
)a half mile and hurt for a couple days afterward (I learned why when I went
)to physical therapy).
Adjusting SPD’s (or any clipless pedals) properly is important. It’s
possible to adjust them to account for pronation, and many pedal/cleat
models allow some amount of left-right float.
)> If you are still a new rider, you might want to consider padding your ankles
)> before going for modifications of the unicycle.
)
)Well, the pedal extenders aren’t much of a modification, they just screw
)right into the crank like the pedal, and accept the pedal on the other side.
)Still, ankle padding may not be a bad idea.
My left ankle took a lot of abuse when I was learning, and never fully healed
until I started riding with AnkleBiters. They are a great boon for pronators.
-Tom
Re: Shoes rubbing on crank…
On Thu, 16 May 2002 01:40:52 -0500, Jack Halpern <jack@kanji.org>
wrote:
>Somehow you seem to instintively learn how keep tha ankles away from
>the crankarms. In Japan, I rearely hear of this as a problem, even with
>complete beginners.
I’ve heard that people growing up in urban areas generally have more
pronation than people growing up in rural areas. (It was
-amateurishly?- explained that there’s just more room for it in the
countryside.) In Japan, a high percentage of people live in urban
areas isn’t it?
Klaas Bil
“Seems that quotes are quite fashionable these days” - Bruce Edwards
“To trigger/fool/saturate/overload Echelon, the following has been picked automagically from a database:”
“ie.org, Blenheim, WWSP”
)> The bigger problem is what I will call “ankle whacking,” which is where that
)> bone that sticks out of your ankle bangs on the cranks as they go around. I
)> would assume this is the problem for anyone in the situation above.
That’s the medial malleolus of the tibia. You must have a very bony leg.
Yeah, my shoes rub on the cranks too. Doesn’t seem to damage the shoe but makes it very metallic looking. The cranks look pretty cool though, nice and shiny!
Aaronc,
I suffer a similar problem, sometimes. I constantly rub against the cranks with my shoes. I will sometimes compensate for that by putting my feet a bit off the pedals (say 1/4 " over) just so I won’t rub.
In addition to that problem, I also frequently whack the bone of my ankle onto the cranks, like John Foss mentioned.
Finally, I often end up standing on my crank as I come around, especially in the first few feet or so when I haven’t quite become stable yet.
All of the above happen more often on my Hunter with Profile setup … I am not sure why. It happens a lot less on my United Trainer.
Over time, however, I do each of these less and less. I think it is something you “somehow” avoid. Recently I have had a return to these problems, because I have been going out of my way to place my feet as close to the crank as possible. I do this because I am hopping now, and having my feet more on the pedal allows my hopping to be more solid.
Even so, I’m weaning myself off of rubbing the cranks, smacking the cranks with the bones in my ankle, and standing on my cranks.
So, keep working on it. I’m not sure “how” it happens but you may find that over time it decreases.
Lewis
Lewis,
I think I’m in the same boat as you. It’s happening less and less with normal riding but I’ve been learning how to hop and I always end up standing on my cranks which makes it difficult to ride off after a hop.
I think it’s something that will go away with practice, I’ll just have to work on my technique.