Messages

106

General Discussion / Hurting Feet

« on: July 10, 2007, 12:07:58 am »

Ive been diagnosed with a very similar foot problem.  The podiatrist gave me a cortisone shot which helped a lot and also told me to get wider shoes in general.  As we get older our arches start to fall some and our feet widen.  The effects of the shot are starting to wear off just as I getting ready for a summer tour.  I also changed shoes to Cannondale Roams, which REI has on sale for $50.00 right now.   www.rei.com/product/720721?vcat=REI_SEARCH  They are wider than the Shimano shoes I was wearing.

My bike shop talked me into buying Specialized Foot Beds as inserts for my shoes.  They helped a lot.  They are similar to Super Feet and other sports inserts with the exception that the arch support is moved further forward than is typical for running or hiking shoes and boots.  This supports your arch right at the edge of the pedal.  They are the first inserts I have ever used that actually touched my arches while standing still.  They also come with a variety of shims to make small adjustment in your foot geometry.
www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqSection.jsp?sid=EquipSparePartsShoes

Lastly I stole the pedals off my wifes bike and gave her mine.  They are Shimano A520 SPD Sport Pedals and they have a wider base than a lot of SPD pedals, although there are some even wider SPD platforms out there.  My bike mechanic uses the A520s for road racing and has a box of them near his workbench. Im not sure how much they helped with the neuroma, but they have helped stabilize my ankles and that has helped generally.   www.rei.com/product/724917

Last lastly the podiatrist said if all else fails he would build a bump to put in my shoe that will spread the bones apart and take the compression off the nerve.


Western Flyer

107

General Discussion / training over 50 yrs of age

« on: June 21, 2007, 11:52:26 pm »

Here is my understanding of riding with a heart condition of any sort:  At age 40 you should have an EKG test (everyone should).  Anyone with a serious heart condition and is riding should have a stress test. They push you to your physical limit, but the cardiologist is right there with the paddles at the ready.  The other must have test is a Holter.  It is a 48 hour EKG recording of your hearts every beat during your normal day and night activities.  It showed my heart rate at well over 200 while riding up hill.   I had my meds altered twice and told to take it easy on the hills.  I am running a 24/34 for my low gear now, and anyone and everyone passes me on the up hills and thats just fine with me.

If you are on blood thinners, I am, 60 mph is too fast.  That is 100 kph.  The first thing I was told when I was put on Coumadin was no skiing and no rock climbing, period.  Blunt trauma is more serious than even a severe laceration.  A bike crash at 100 kph could lead to some serious blunt trauma.  I limit myself to 40 kph unless the conditions are perfect, then I might push it to 50 kph (± 30 mph).  Lots of riders also pass me on down hills, and that is fine too.  A lot of riders just pass me period.  My days of century and double century rides are ancient history now, but I'll be touring the Oregon coast next month.

My cardiologist said that the riding and my other physical activities were doing more good than the meds he is prescribing.  His words were, dont stop being active.  

Sixty and still active,

Western Flyer


Western Flyer

108

General Discussion / women biking long-distances

« on: July 08, 2007, 12:35:41 am »

   Bettina Selby is an excellent writer who has taken many long bicycle trips. I just finished "Riding to Jerusalem" where she rides alone in the Middle East retracing pilgrims' journeys from the Middle Ages. She finds a great deal of support from the women she meets along the way.

Western Flyer

109

General Discussion / Cycling on the Cheap . How low can you go?

« on: July 02, 2007, 11:17:50 pm »

In 1963 we ate at an all you can eat buffet in Northern California for $0.75.  They lost money on two teenagers as we ate for one hour non-stop.  In Southern California we stopped at the first McDonald's on the trip (Thats right, back then their sign read "over a million served" not " billions and billions".  I got sick to my stomach from 10 $0.15 hamburgers.  Now I think one fast food burger would do me in.

From 16 to 60 the dietary quantity and quality requirements change quite a bit. No corn sweeteners, no trans-fats and overly refined carbohydrates.  I try to keep it natural, fresh and local.  If you slice your own bagel, cheese and tomato, and cut fresh fruit into big tub of plain yogurt and the like you can still eat well at a good price.

bon appetite,

Western FlyerText

Western Flyer

110

General Discussion / solar chargers

« on: April 15, 2007, 01:12:03 am »

Try Real Goods/Gaiam, http://www.gaiam.com/, they are the Harris Cyclery of solar equipment with a very good technical staff to answer questions.

I don't like to leave a trail of dead alkaline batteries as I travel down the road.  I ride with my front and rear flashers on while on the road day or night and so also need to charge AA and AAA batteries--beside the camera and my cell phone.  Real Goods has a couple of products that can do that and even more like running a lap top.

Ride hard and long and safe and fully charged
Robert


Western Flyer