My continuing saga with platform pedals... [question follows long spiel] As I've stated before, I have been a long time user of Speedplay Frog clipless pedals, which I had no reason to dislike. That said, the "wear any shoes and just jump on the bike" argument is quite compelling, so I decided to give platforms another chance. After so many years I'm finding them to be more challenging that I expected. :-)
1) Small muscles around the ankles that I'm not accustomed to using get a workout keeping the food on the pedal -- mostly over that. 2) A bit uncertain feeling on rough descents -- still not over that. 3) Major discomfort, feeling like my foot was rolling off the edge. I finally figured out that my root problem was the same as that which I overcame years ago with clipless pedals. My Frogs are all special ordered with 1/2" longer spindles due to a slightly duck-toed stance. I added some Specialized BG spindle extenders to my platform pedals and they're MUCH more comfortable! This alone resolved 90% of my complaints! 4) Pedal strike -- I'm finally retraining myself that I have less clearance than I'm accustomed to. Sometimes wish I had a little more clearance when cornering and trying to keep up in traffic. ...and #5... ...the one I write about today... Starting up again after a stop! I've become accustomed to just stopping with my feet in whatever position I want. I put my weight on the dominant leg as I lower myself off the saddle and put my other foot on the ground to finally stop. Problem is, now I'm in a bad position to restart. If the light changes quickly I'm unprepared. With clipless I'd just lift my foot and the crank would follow my foot and be in a good position. Not so easy with platforms. I guess I could train myself to lower the other foot on stops, but that seems awkward too, not to mention that the crank ends up at TDC, which isn't right either. So, is there some easy technique that I never learned in my childhood years when I last used platform pedals, or must I just get accustomed to using my toe to re-position the pedal, regardless of how long that takes? Thanks! -Rex -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
