Do You Pedal Like Your In Ski Boots?

The manner in which loads are distributed under the foot has been the focus of investigation for decades. Have we gone too far and hurt the knees, do to "too much" cycling shoe? Or is your focus off when and where to place the pressure within the pedal stroke?

In normal weight bearing, all of the metatarsal heads are in contact with the ground. On the bike things change, you are semi-weight bearing. The lower leg muscular contraction during dynamic conditions change the pressures.

If a ski boot is "too stiff" the foot can't balance! The truth is, there are many designs when it comes to cycling shoes. If you can micro adjust your feet, you transfer that energy (up to ten times) to another part of the body. Wonder why some people have sore knees, hips, and lower back?

The foot is a weight bearing grasping organ, or better a truss system and the loads just from your pedaling style can have you in an ouch!

The foot is composed of 33 joints, 26 bones and has 3 structural arches. It is extremely complex!
During weight-bearing, the arches serve as shock absorbers, dissipating energy before it is transferred across the ankle joint and to the shank, then upwards.

As in skiing, to tighten the system too much can cause you problems in other areas i.e. sore knees. In most cases, you want the arch to absorb the noise of riding a bike.

This is exactly why we take a podogram, which is a imprint of the weight bearing foot not unlike a fingerprint.

You can have the best golf swing in the world, but if you can't get the club on the ball..., good luck.