A rider's cleat placement, and the
effect it has on their pedal stroke and comfort level, can be evaluated as part of a complete
bike fit. Complaint of pain or numbness in the foot or toes is common,
as are hotfeet, achilles heel pain, and calf pain. Most, if not all, of
these complaints can be explained, their causes can be identified, and
remedies can be easily found and implemented.
Toe numbness,
for example, is typically caused by compression of the nerve(s) on the
bottom of your foot (Medial &/or Lateral Plantar nerves, to be more
precise), and can be dealt with quite easily in most cases. Here's a
brief overview of the Foot and Cleat Assessment process:
Our
assessment begins with an interview to clearly understand your
complaints, and a physical examination of you feet is performed so we
might identify any structural issues which might cause or contribute to
the troubles you're experiencing. It's likely a more thorough exam than
you'd expect, and is preferably done with your socks off, though we
understand that some clients prefer to leave their socks on. No
problem, we can do our job either way.
Once
we've completed the initial evaluation, the next step is too
investigate your foot, cleat, and pedal interaction as you ride in a
stationary trainer. This helps to confirm our initial observations, and
can also reveal additional factors contributing to your complaints.
After
a complete assessment is made, we can work to solve the issues you've
brought to us, and send you away a much more comfortable cyclist with
happy feet. We have several products to assist us in such endeavors,
and you'll be glad to know most are inexpensive and easily employed in
the fit studio.