Peripheral Neuropathy: Any Riders Dealing With It Successfully?

[(PeteCresswell)]

I've got something called "Insidiously-progressive ideopathic peripheral
neuropathy" - which seems to be medical terminology for "Your sensory
nerves are slowly dying, we have no clue why, there's nothing to be done
about it... that will be $150.00, and you can pay the receptionist on
the way out."

I've been coping pretty well so far: monster flats on my pavement and
SUS bikes, cages on my SS.

But this winter seems to have brought a new level of something-or-other.

The Big Bite comes when one, raises out of the saddle, applies some
horsepower, and a foot slips off the pedal that it's already half off
of. Kind of like breaking a chain under load except there's no pedal
underfoot - just an intimate re-acquaintance with the top tube.

I've been avoiding clip-ins because:

- I'm not sure I can afford to pay the inevitable dues

- I like being able to walk normally when not riding - and
especially on the hike home with a broken frame.

- I'm guessing the increasing lack of feedback will create
an issue with being able to clip in.


The Question:

Is anybody else dealing with this? Do you have any solutions?

Have you resorted to clip-ins?
--
Pete Cresswell

[AMuzi]

IMHO you need the ability to promptly twist your ankle to
release at any moment. Has to be an instantaneous response.
If you don't feel confident in that ability I would not
suggest clipless pedals of any format. I'm not an MD ( hey I
don't bill at that level either!) but I think you should be
able to evaluate your abilities in this regard.

If that seems dicey, you might look at the not-quite-toeclip
systems trendy youth ride nowadays:

http://compare.ebay.com/like/290605777716?_lwgsi=y&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar


--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

[thirty-six]

I haven't bothered to seek out a useless diagnoses (I've had enough
already), I have been experiencing sensory loss in my feet and down
much of my right side. Walking in the dark has been near on
impossible at times. A change of diet to more alkaline-forming foods
little meat (and no processed crap) has helped along with body
oiling. I use castor oil as the most effective and a couple of days
later, magnesium oil, another two day and rub out the magnesium with
heavy metals and general dirt. I also use coconut oil, almond oil,
walnut oil and sesame oil. I bathe only with pure soap, making my
bath sudsy with soap-flakes before getting in. I scape my skin when I
bathe releasing more crap. I try to fast for as long as I can (cold
weather makes this difficult for me) When the sun is bright I
sunbathe.

The cues to heavy-metal toxicity are dark rings at the outside edge of
the iris. Skin may also be cold, but this could also simply be
calcium. The magnesium shoyld help reabsorb some calcium along with
the sunbathing but I do see myself rubbing it out (like rolling paste)
after waking of a morning having applied the magnesium the day
before. I've yet to suss out which exact routine puts the calcium
back into the body, but I'll take tablets when I detect acid in my
mouth in any case. Eating onions will also draw heavy-metals due to
sulphur binding. When cut thick enough I've seen them black when
passed through. RAw ripe fruits are the key for general mobilisation
and elimination of stored toxins, herbs possibly better used for
targetting specific areas. Actually lemons are good for tagetting the
right side, the liver and gall-bladder and also the kidneys. Pears
for stomach and upper intestines, potatoes for lower intestines and
legs. All cooked veg should be assisted with ginger, chilli ,
turmeric or other warming stuff.

Did your doc not say "there's a lot of it around" ?

Get the castor oil and cover your foot, your leg, your arse and 12" or
so up your spine, then start massaging it in. A radiant lamp or fire
will help. Stretch your lymphatic ducts to trigger their working by
pointing out your toes and slowly flexing your ankle with your knee
locked out. Painful spasms indicate there's crap getting shifted, it
will move to your abdomen to be dumped in your bowel. Here's where
the potatoes help in easing the pain that may otherwise also occur
here. Do the stretching each mornong before getting out of bed. Have
some water handy to drink so that you can evacuate the toxic load
quickly. I felt the benefits within a few days, certainly much
improved by a week without any evidence of possibility of reverting to
previous level of disability.

Whatever is causing your problem, a fruit and veg diet along with the
castor oil rubs could be all that you need. Food will be your
medicine. If you don't see it helping your not eating the right foods
or you ae consuming something which is depressing the healthful
activities of the fruits and veg.

[Frank Krygowski]

I'm not familiar with the syndrome. It sounds like you've lost sense
of touch in your feet, is that correct?

It also sounds like you're riding with flat pedals and no toe clips or
other retention devices. While others have disparaged my choice, I
really like platform pedals with toe clips and slightly loose straps.
I wonder if they would work for you. You can probably adjust the
strap so your foot would be prevented from slipping off the outside of
the pedal, but sliding out straight to the rear of the pedal would be
nearly instantaneous. That's how mine are usually set up.

- Frank Krygowski

[Peter Gordon]

"(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote in
news:828dj8109r2kr458e...@4ax.com:

> I've got something called "Insidiously-progressive ideopathic
peripheral
> neuropathy" - which seems to be medical terminology for "Your sensory
> nerves are slowly dying, we have no clue why, there's nothing to be
done
> about it... that will be $150.00, and you can pay the receptionist on
> the way out."
>

I have never heard of your disease before so don't know if this helps.
I use half clips when touring. They allow the use of a non-clipless
shoes which are far better for walking and is one less thing to break
and ruin a tour.
Amazons have them, beware of a broken line:
http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Bicycle-Strapless-Toe-Clips/dp/B000FSQQMS
If that link does not work use:
"Amazons Delta Bicycle Strapless Toe Clips" as the search phrase in
Google.

Another type, which I have not tried:
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/vo-deep-half-clips.html

Zefal used to sell them and may still do. I've used Zefal Half
Clips and found them good. The Delta ones are also quite good.

Best of luck,
Peter

[datakoll]

TRY SWIMMING

STRETCHING

SLEEP WITH FEET ELEVATED

stop cycling

[Nate Nagel]

I've been riding on SPDs for years and while I don't have your issues
(my sympathies, BTW, that sounds horrible) I apparently have low blood
pressure, had it all my life, I'm probably the only person to whom his
doctor has recommended *more* sodium in his diet. As a result my legs
go t sleep very easily if I am inactive and sit poorly, and I'm also
prone to hot-spotting etc. The whole point of this is it is not
uncommon for me to lose partial feeling in my feet on a ride and it
hasn't caused me any problems yet save for discomfort. YMMV.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Frank Krygowski:

>I'm not familiar with the syndrome. It sounds like you've lost sense
>of touch in your feet, is that correct?

Yes. Little or no useful information comes back from them. Plenty
other info... just nothing useful.

>
>It also sounds like you're riding with flat pedals and no toe clips or
>other retention devices. While others have disparaged my choice, I
>really like platform pedals with toe clips and slightly loose straps.
>I wonder if they would work for you.

That's where I am right now on my SS - and it has been working for quite
a few years. Went down three times in two days last week, but never
before over all those years - and I suspect it was because of a
mis-adjusted strap. Because of my size fifteens, I have to do unnatural
things to the toe clips (padding them forward...) but, all-in-all it
works.

Unless somebody comes up with something better, I'll probably convert my
other bikes. I just wasn't in love with having to slip that foot into
the strap every time I started out from a stop. Maybe it's time to get
*really* good at track strands.... -)


--
Pete Cresswell

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Nate Nagel:

> I don't have your issues
>(my sympathies, BTW, that sounds horrible)

Some years back I found myself in the office of one of the big-time
neurologists at University Of Pennsylvania Medical Center.

The guy wound up crying on my shoulder a little bit - to the effect of:
"Do you have *any idea* what a relief it is to talk with a patient like
you - whose only problem is that they can't feel anything in their
legs???"

That put it into perspective for me.
--
Pete Cresswell

[Frank Krygowski]

I've talked about the fact that the Lyotard Mod. 23 pedals are so very
easy to enter. There are now (better) clones on the market, for
example
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=53437
although I'm not sure how they'd do for really large feet.

But another option: On one of my bikes, I've got a much more
conventional pedal fitted with toe clips. Those pedals have a rear
face that's square and vertical, the kind of thing that's not very
easy to slip into.

But I added accessories I bought many years ago. I think they were
called "toe flips." They're made of thin galvanized sheet steel, they
bolt onto the back of the pedal in the same way toe clips bolt onto
the front, and they protrude somewhat like the "funnel" tab on the
pedals I linked above (or the Mod. 23 Lyotards).

The ones I have actually protrude both at the top and the bottom. But
they make it very easy to flip the pedal upright, and to guide my foot
into the toe clip. Hard to describe the shape, but I'll try.

It's as if you took a 2" wide by 1.7" high piece of 20 gauge steel
sheet (0.035" thick), drilled two holes and bolted it to the back of
the pedal so it protruded both upwards and downwards, then bent the
protrusions so they both angled downward and back when the pedal was
in its normal horizontal position. Vaguely like this, in the ASCII
art side view:

|----\
|
|-----\

There are refinements to the shape - little curls and cutouts that
increase their effectiveness. But overall, they're pretty simple
devices that probably sold for less than five bucks. And I can slip
into those pedals as easily as into my Lyotards.

My real point is, you can take some suitable metal and tin snips and
make something to improve your situation. (And if your large feet
need more platform than the pedals in the photo provide, you might be
able to extend their platform size, using some aluminum alloy plate.)

Good luck!

- Frank Krygowski

[datakoll]

https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab=gw&q=Search%20for%20topics#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=the+effect+of+bicycling+posture+on+human+physiology&oq=the+effect+of+bicycling+posture+on+human+psysiology&gs_l=hp.1.0.33i21.1907.32845.1.35378.71.61.0.6.6.11.463.10064.0j47j10j0j2.59.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.5.hp.igF5fsgOytU&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43287494,d.eWU&fp=5fd9a83e9ccdc9bc&biw=1152&bih=610

[AMuzi]

Thousand words, picture, etc:

http://www.wigglestatic.com/images/mks-spin2pedal-med.jpg?w=350&h=350&a=7

[thirty-six]

any of these may help but possibly the simplest, is to go for a walk,
of around 1 to 2 miles, of an evening then return to a warm bath
before getting into a warm bed.
The stretching of which I mentioned previously is not that of
muscle but of lymph vessels, think what a ballet dancer does when
pointing toes. I forgot to mention before that the stretch requires
holding usually for at least 20 seconds and sometimes up to 30 seconds
to get the muscles to trigger and drive the lymph.

[Frank Krygowski]

On Mar 6, 12:22 pm, AMuzi <a...@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>
> Thousand words, picture, etc:
>

> http://www.wigglestatic.com/images/mks-spin2pedal-med.jpg?w=350&h=350...

That's not the same product that are on mine (mine are more
complicated in shape), but it's the same idea.

Before doing all that typing, I searched Yellow Jersey (etc.) looking
for such things, but struck out.

- Frank Krygowski

[AMuzi]

We stock them but not on web pages.
Somewhere in the realm of esoterica...

[datakoll]

FOR US platform users, the pictured gizmo does what ?

[datakoll]

have you tried a recumbent ?

we all grow old. my skinned knees no longer heal in 2 weeks. Now healing takes 3 months.

I ran on Florida's beaches curing a not diagnosed lung infection. Maybe 9000 miles worth.

Stopped eating red meat when I ran into a barrier of sore n stiff joints at 9 miles. I'm paranormal so my guess was prescient and LO ! without red meat in a month the distance was 12-13 miles at a marathon clip n no sore joints.

One wonders abt attention deficit syndromes. Deficit to Gauss ? or Joe Dimaggio ?

At 50, general opinion is nerve impulses have slowed so the hands of a ranked racing car driver can no longer keep speed. Not mentioning the hand/eye coordination prob.

For awhile one may force the issue n overcome the deficit but on the horizon lies a point where forcing becomes a hit or miss action.

[AMuzi]

On 3/6/2013 5:31 PM, datakoll wrote:
> FOR US platform users, the pictured gizmo does what ?
>

It's a bolt-on piece to make you pedal look like this on the
back side:

http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfromthepast/LY23_RIP.JPG

[AMuzi]

Tom Sherman rides one for us, so we don't have to.

[Jay Beattie]

On Mar 5, 9:24 pm, Peter Gordon <petergoATnetspace.net.au> wrote:
> "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote innews:828dj8109r2kr458e...@4ax.com:

I think this would be an appropriate compromise for Pete -- some of
the MKS urban pedals with the Delta strapless clips -- shimmed out to
accommodate his giant feet. I used something along those lines when
I was riding in an orthopedic boot after breaking my leg(s). The
plastic is somewhat forgiving, so toe/shoe smash is lessened (and why
I would not get the chromed half-clips). Olde-tyme touring shoe with
ridges also help stabilize the foot without trapping it. It looks
like peripheral neuropathy can cause weak ankles, so easy exit will be
important, and notwithstanding my love for SPDs, they do require some
ankle strength and flexibility.

-- Jay Beattie.

[datakoll]

GREEK !

I ASSUME AGE AND CLIPIN PEDAL USE ARE INVERSE ?


hmmmm the pro raing crashes as in TF....the riders are all unclipped when falling onto the road ?

consciously unclipped or unclipped as a consequence of the accident, in falling ?

[thirty-six]

On Mar 6, 11:41 pm, datakoll <datak...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> have you tried a recumbent ?
>
> we all grow old. my skinned knees no longer heal in 2 weeks. Now healing takes 3 months.

magnesium oil

>
> I ran on Florida's beaches curing a not diagnosed lung infection. Maybe 9000 miles worth.
>

The sea contains much magnesium the mist will have been helping you.
Eat greens every day and rub magnesium oil into youe skin.

> Stopped eating red meat when I ran into a barrier of sore n stiff joints at 9 miles. I'm paranormal so my guess was prescient and LO !  without red meat in a month the distance was 12-13 miles at a marathon clip n no sore joints.

All muscle meat is injurous to you. Fish and even eggs will hurt if
they are cooked. Absolute minimum amount per day or even skip for
three days to start healimg.

>
> One wonders abt attention deficit syndromes. Deficit to Gauss ? or Joe Dimaggio ?
>
> At 50, general opinion is nerve impulses have slowed so the hands of a ranked racing car driver can no longer keep speed. Not mentioning the hand/eye coordination prob.
>

use celery seed in your diet.

> For awhile one may force the issue n overcome the deficit but on the horizon lies a point where forcing becomes a hit or miss action.

Consider what you put in your mouth or on yopur body either enables
your health or harms it. If you cannot be confident it completely
fits the first category without doubt, your instinct is probably
right. Don't give your health and life away to corporate rule.

[thirty-six]

He doesn't see green as being a healthy option, poor guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET_iIK5K64I&feature=share&list=PL932A4A32A4159D04

the greens go on the plate!

[datakoll]

'final' cure was breathing pollution from St Joe's paper mill while sleeping in a tent on St George Island.

Pollution restarted cells providing lung lubricity.

First stage was breaking the infected alveoli with a dose of Cuban coffee on break at Lear in NJ ! unreal born again feeling.

so much for natural substances like Castor bean Oil

I emp with Cress caws I did not proceed to clip in due to age.

[Wes Groleau]

On 03-05-2013 20:59, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
> I've got something called "Insidiously-progressive ideopathic peripheral
> neuropathy" - which seems to be medical terminology for "Your sensory
> nerves are slowly dying, we have no clue why, there's nothing to be done
> about it... that will be $150.00, and you can pay the receptionist on
> the way out."

Can't answer your biking questions, but alpha-lipoic acid might help the
condition. It's known to improve neuropathy for diabetics.

--
Wes Groleau

Why does everyone call it a “fanny pack" ?
When was the last time you saw one on a fanny?

[Duane Hébert]

I know that easy exit is important but with clipless pedals and a
reduced sense of touch, getting into the cleats could be problematic as
well. I experienced something similar last Novemeber when I didn't
think that I needed my shoe covers. The old style touring shoes may be
worth a look.

[Martin]

I was diagnosed with small fibre idiopathic peripheral neuropathy in 2005. It progressed pretty much as the textbooks said it would. I stopped cycling and kept walking to a minimum because both seemed to make things worse.

For various reasons (long story) I became 99.9% sure it was caused by vitamin B12 deficiency and started taking oral B12 supplements (methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin). My B12 blood test was normal so the neurologists I saw laughed off this approach but said the B12 would not do any harm. (B12 blood tests are very unreliable, particularly in people who exercise regularly.) I also took alpha lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, and a good multivitamin containing all the B-group vitamins. Within about 6 months my neuropathy started to improve, much to the surprise of the neurologists. I now get only mild symptoms, but I am riding as much as I like and still taking B12.

If you are over 50 there is a high probability you may be deficient in B12. I learned a lot from this support group:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20
or http://tinyurl.com/ajzvup2

This program is well worth listening to.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/vitamin-b12-supplementation/3823160
or http://tinyurl.com/8

I hope this all helps.

Martin

[Martin]

Sorry - that last tinyurl should be

http://tinyurl.com/868wux8

[Joe Riel]

Conversely, a few years ago I started taking a multivitamin with B12.
Some months later began to experience a weird tingling in my right big
toe. Saw a specialist. He suggested the problem could be excessive
vitamin B12 and ordered a blood test, which confirmed his hypothesis.
Quit taking the supplement and the tingling quickly disappeared.

--
Joe Riel

[Martin]

> Conversely, a few years ago I started taking a multivitamin with B12.
>
> Some months later began to experience a weird tingling in my right big
>
> toe. Saw a specialist. He suggested the problem could be excessive
>
> vitamin B12 and ordered a blood test, which confirmed his hypothesis.
>
> Quit taking the supplement and the tingling quickly disappeared.

High doses of B6 can cause neuropathy, but I haven't heard of high B12 intake causing it. Multivitamins usually contain B6.

The Linus Pauling Institute has good (and I think trustworthy) information on vitamins:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB6/
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB12/

[datakoll]

TENNIS ?

I doah follow the Vitstream until Big News shoves it in...
several years ago vitamin supplements caused cancer but this year vitamin supplements increase life spans.

Excess D is not gpod.

excess C promotes long life.

as you know ? I forwent (!) red meat. The marathon distances went from 7 to 13 miles, the joint aches stopped. basically I feel better esp afterswilling several cans of ATTACK.

[Joe Riel]

Martin <turm...@gmail.com> writes:

>> Conversely, a few years ago I started taking a multivitamin with B12.
>>
>> Some months later began to experience a weird tingling in my right big
>>
>> toe. Saw a specialist. He suggested the problem could be excessive
>>
>> vitamin B12 and ordered a blood test, which confirmed his hypothesis.
>>
>> Quit taking the supplement and the tingling quickly disappeared.
>
> High doses of B6 can cause neuropathy, but I haven't heard of high B12
> intake causing it. Multivitamins usually contain B6.

Yeah, after responding I started wondering if it was B6 rather
than B12. Pretty sure, now, it was B6.

>
> The Linus Pauling Institute has good (and I think trustworthy) information on vitamins:
> http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB6/
> http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB12/

--
Joe Riel

[thirty-six]

On 17 Mar, 22:09, Joe Riel <j...@san.rr.com> wrote:

> Martin <turmar...@gmail.com> writes:
> > I was diagnosed with small fibre idiopathic peripheral neuropathy in 2005. It progressed pretty much as the textbooks said it would. I stopped cycling and kept walking to a minimum because both seemed to make things worse.
>
> > For various reasons (long story) I became 99.9% sure it was caused by vitamin B12 deficiency and started taking oral B12 supplements (methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin). My B12 blood test was normal so the neurologists I saw laughed off this approach but said the B12 would not do any harm. (B12 blood tests are very unreliable, particularly in people who exercise regularly.) I also took alpha lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, and a good multivitamin containing all the B-group vitamins.  Within about 6 months my neuropathy started to improve, much to the surprise of the neurologists. I now get only mild symptoms, but I am riding as much as I like and still taking B12.
>
> > If you are over 50 there is a high probability you may be deficient in B12. I learned a lot from this support group:
>
> >http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20
> > or  http://tinyurl.com/ajzvup2
>
> > This program is well worth listening to.
>

> >http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/vitamin-b12...

> > or  http://tinyurl.com/8
>
> Conversely, a few years ago I started taking a multivitamin with B12.
> Some months later began to experience a weird tingling in my right big
> toe.  Saw a specialist.  He suggested the problem could be excessive
> vitamin B12 and ordered a blood test, which confirmed his hypothesis.
> Quit taking the supplement and the tingling quickly disappeared.
>
> --
> Joe Riel

Wow, those that are "defficient" in B12 serum levels usually end up
injecting as they are otherwise unable to make the magic numbers.

Supposedly mushrooms contain adequate amounts which are easily
absorbed and utilised. I usually have a broth with loads of
mushrooms in each month but have no idea what a blood analysis would
show.

[169ca...@gmail.com]

I started racing bikes after using riding to lose weight at 45-ish? I started at the beginning of the Lance Armstrong era, got my US Cycling card and used him as an inspiration. I trained 80 miles a day, everyday rain or shine, if the temp was 34 or above. If it was below I did two hours on the bike trainer. Later I became a bike messenger to work and train at the same time, but I had to work in all weather and temp degrees. I raced all the road races I could in the NYC area for 5 years, mostly Masters, did a little track racing too. Half way thru the 5 years my feet started burning way too much and I started having problems at night. I used Speed Play pedals and in spite of the Lance method of spinning, a 52 or 53 front ring wasnt big enough...I got a 54 Dura Ace. I insisted on doing things my way which usually drew angry responses from my know it all riding partners. I just ignored the pain for a long time, because I had to work etc. It seems to have gotten more pronounced after I accidentally kicked a 1.5 liter size bottle of Patron Tequila. I now have nerve damage in both of my feet equally. I do have pre, pre diabetis, don't take insulin or anything like that, I think my numbers are 5.7? but I think it has to do with with cycling. I stopped riding 10 years ago, after getting hit by a limo and buying a bar with the insurance money.

[cycl...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 5:59:17 PM UTC-8, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
> I've got something called "Insidiously-progressive ideopathic peripheral
> neuropathy" - which seems to be medical terminology for "Your sensory
> nerves are slowly dying, we have no clue why, there's nothing to be done
> about it... that will be $150.00, and you can pay the receptionist on
> the way out."
>

> I've been coping pretty well so far: monster flats on my pavement and
> SUS bikes, cages on my SS.
>
> But this winter seems to have brought a new level of something-or-other.
>
> The Big Bite comes when one, raises out of the saddle, applies some
> horsepower, and a foot slips off the pedal that it's already half off
> of. Kind of like breaking a chain under load except there's no pedal
> underfoot - just an intimate re-acquaintance with the top tube.
>
> I've been avoiding clip-ins because:
>
> - I'm not sure I can afford to pay the inevitable dues
>
> - I like being able to walk normally when not riding - and
> especially on the hike home with a broken frame.
>
> - I'm guessing the increasing lack of feedback will create
> an issue with being able to clip in.
>
>
> The Question:
>
> Is anybody else dealing with this? Do you have any solutions?
>
> Have you resorted to clip-ins?
> --
> Pete Cresswell

I was having this problem and I use Look Delta pedals. I finally got a pair of Lake shoes that are designed correctly around the toe box. This thankfully ended the problem. You still have to replace the cleats relatively often but that's a price I'm willing to pay.

If you like walking more or less normally off the bike on a ride you can get Shimano SpD.s - I would suggest the XT version and not the cheapies which are easier to get into but harder to break out of. MTB shoes have a much stiffer sole and good one's will not flex. When you walk it takes a little getting used to but they don't slip on even slippery floor that normal shoes could. I have several pairs of lace-ups but they are too flexible for me and I reverted to Pearl Izumi. While their street shoes have narrow toe boxes their carbon MTB shoes have enough room.

In any case I prefer the rachet closing vs. the cable closures that Lake started. But they both work well.

The anti-seizure medication I take numbs the front of my feet so it takes a lot of damage to feel it and I was getting to the point where I couldn't walk.

I really suggest you stay away from clips and straps. These disappeared almost immediately when Look developed their clip-ins.

[cycl...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 7:09:40 AM UTC-7, 169ca...@gmail.com wrote:
> I started racing bikes after using riding to lose weight at 45-ish? I started at the beginning of the Lance Armstrong era, got my US Cycling card and used him as an inspiration. I trained 80 miles a day, everyday rain or shine, if the temp was 34 or above. If it was below I did two hours on the bike trainer. Later I became a bike messenger to work and train at the same time, but I had to work in all weather and temp degrees. I raced all the road races I could in the NYC area for 5 years, mostly Masters, did a little track racing too. Half way thru the 5 years my feet started burning way too much and I started having problems at night. I used Speed Play pedals and in spite of the Lance method of spinning, a 52 or 53 front ring wasnt big enough...I got a 54 Dura Ace. I insisted on doing things my way which usually drew angry responses from my know it all riding partners. I just ignored the pain for a long time, because I had to work etc. It seems to have gotten more pronounced after I accidentally kicked a 1.5 liter size bottle of Patron Tequila. I now have nerve damage in both of my feet equally. I do have pre, pre diabetis, don't take insulin or anything like that, I think my numbers are 5.7? but I think it has to do with with cycling. I stopped riding 10 years ago, after getting hit by a limo and buying a bar with the insurance money.

Rather an extremist aren't you? Everything or nothing? They'll have fun at your post-mortum.

[Duane]

On 23/03/2017 10:09 AM, 169ca...@gmail.com wrote:
> I started racing bikes after using riding to lose weight at 45-ish? I started at the beginning of the Lance Armstrong era, got my US Cycling card and used him as an inspiration. I trained 80 miles a day, everyday rain or shine, if the temp was 34 or above. If it was below I did two hours on the bike trainer. Later I became a bike messenger to work and train at the same time, but I had to work in all weather and temp degrees. I raced all the road races I could in the NYC area for 5 years, mostly Masters, did a little track racing too. Half way thru the 5 years my feet started burning way too much and I started having problems at night. I used Speed Play pedals and in spite of the Lance method of spinning, a 52 or 53 front ring wasnt big enough...I got a 54 Dura Ace. I insisted on doing things my way which usually drew angry responses from my know it all riding partners. I just ignored the pain for a long time, because I had to work etc. It seems to have gotten more pronounced after I accidentally kicked a 1.5 liter size bottle of Patron Tequila. I now have nerve damage in both of my feet equally. I do have pre, pre diabetis, don't take insulin or anything like that, I think my numbers are 5.7? but I think it has to do with with cycling. I stopped riding 10 years ago, after getting hit by a limo and buying a bar with the insurance money.
>

What does your doctor tell you?

[Andre Jute]

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 2:04:40 PM UTC, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Per Nate Nagel:
> > I don't have your issues
> >(my sympathies, BTW, that sounds horrible)
>
> Some years back I found myself in the office of one of the big-time
> neurologists at University Of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
>
> The guy wound up crying on my shoulder a little bit - to the effect of:
> "Do you have *any idea* what a relief it is to talk with a patient like
> you - whose only problem is that they can't feel anything in their
> legs???"
>
> That put it into perspective for me.
> --
> Pete Cresswell

I came home from the hospital one time and gave my wife a summary of three days of tests, "Basically, they told me I'm one of their success stories, and to bugger off so they can have the time for a really sick patient. And never mind that I lose half my day to dealing with the side effects of the massive doses of chemicals they prescribe. Those people have a weird definition of success."

All the same, it's a dangerous disease for cyclist to have. My sympathies.

I use VP 191 pedals on all my bikes for their silky-smooth action but they're on the small side, with my size 12s being only marginally on them, though after so long it doesn't bother me as long as I wear really thick rubber soles, as I do anyway to protect the brain of a genius from the unevenness of the ground. At one stage I looked for bigger platform pedals and couldn't find any, except those nasty bear trap things. That was when I discovered that vintage rubber block pedals are considerably larger than modern block pedals like the 191. A pair of Phillips pre-war pedals were over twice the surface area of the 191. They do have some nuisances, like serviceable rather than sealed bearings, but i floated out the old grease on oil and repacked with modern marine grease and the local bike mechanic, over 80, told me that I needn't repack more often than every five to eight years. Unfortunately those superior pedals -- in their day pretty commonplace -- went to that big bicyclery in the sky one morning before dawn when on a road I know intimately at about 50kph I hit a hole in the edge of the road where a piece of huge, heavy harvest equipment had broken off a chunk of tarmac since the last time I needed the very last inch of that road to make the corner. The ditch right next to the road was eighteen inches deep, my pedal caught the edge of the road, and was snapped right off. I had bigger worries at the time, like the pony in the paddock across the road laughing at me as I tried to extract myself from a thorny hedge into which I had thrown myself as the softest option, not being able to see in the dark that it wasn't springy leylandia but aggressive gorse. I found those NOS Phillips vintage pedals on eBay.co.uk; I landed in Ireland them for maybe thirty or forty bucks, less than the price of the sort of trick pedals most of RBT rides on.

Andre Jute
There are trial and error merchants, and then there are neurologists

[Mike A Schwab]

On Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 7:59:17 PM UTC-6, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
> I've got something called "Insidiously-progressive ideopathic peripheral
> neuropathy" - which seems to be medical terminology for "Your sensory
> nerves are slowly dying, we have no clue why, there's nothing to be done
> about it... that will be $150.00, and you can pay the receptionist on
> the way out."
>
> I've been coping pretty well so far: monster flats on my pavement and
> SUS bikes, cages on my SS.
>
> But this winter seems to have brought a new level of something-or-other.
>
> The Big Bite comes when one, raises out of the saddle, applies some
> horsepower, and a foot slips off the pedal that it's already half off
> of. Kind of like breaking a chain under load except there's no pedal
> underfoot - just an intimate re-acquaintance with the top tube.
>
> I've been avoiding clip-ins because:
>
> - I'm not sure I can afford to pay the inevitable dues
>
> - I like being able to walk normally when not riding - and
> especially on the hike home with a broken frame.
>
> - I'm guessing the increasing lack of feedback will create
> an issue with being able to clip in.
>
>
> The Question:
>
> Is anybody else dealing with this? Do you have any solutions?
>
> Have you resorted to clip-ins?
> --
> Pete Cresswell

Sometimes you loose the ability to absorb Vitamin B12 from food, and need monthly injections.

Loosing feeling in the feet can be from diabetes. Cut back on wheat, grains, carbs.