Power Grips Deform Feet?!?!

NYC XYZ said:

A 'bent dealer told me that those Power Grips straps can cut off
circulation and will actually deform the feet after prolonged use!

I imagine if PGs deformed feet then the manufacturer would have had
their asses sued so far out of business by now you wouldn't be able to
buy them any more...

Quoted message said:

And are there such things as heel clips?

Sort of: Hase have various disability modifications available and a
pedal with a heel clamp is one of them IIRC.

Quoted message said:

Basically, if the idea's only
to keep the feet from slipping off, why not have straps at the heel
instead of by the toe??

Because that is only part of the idea, which is to give you better
pedalling efficiency. For which clipless pedals remain the best
solution in most cases.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>,

NYC XYZ said:

A 'bent dealer told me that those Power Grips straps can cut off
circulation and will actually deform the feet after prolonged use!

Good grief.

Tim McNamara said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

NYC XYZ said:

A 'bent dealer told me that those Power Grips straps can cut off
circulation and will actually deform the feet after prolonged use!

Good grief.

I was wondering this myself. But the guy's a respected 'bent-head,
riding a Velomobile himself, and is a jet-setting mechanical engineer
for Siemens in his day job. I'm sure he didn't mean actual permanent
deformity, but that's really the gist of his remarks on Power Grips.

Peter Clinch said:

I imagine if PGs deformed feet then the manufacturer would have had
their asses sued so far out of business by now you wouldn't be able to
buy them any more...

Actually, the way class-action lawsuits work (an individual suit really
doesn't matter most of the time) is that you need a lawyer who thinks
there's money in it. I doubt the number of Power Grips customers, many
of whom are satisfied, whets any attorney's appetite.

Besides, it was how many years before anyone thought to sue Big
Tobacco, much less really pursue it?

And I don't suppose this 'bent dealer meant it literally, but that was
the main idea of his statements, that Power Grips are physiologically
bad for one's feet.

Quoted message said:

<SNIP>

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Power Grips are diagonal to the pedal--the foot has to be inserted at an
angle, with the heel outward. As the foot is straightened, the strap
tightens. When I used them (not on a bent), I found that it was possible to
get them slightly too tight, so that after riding for a few miles, my feet
started to lose circulation. I would have to rotate my heels slightly
outward for comfort.

On a bent, the tightness needed to keep the feet from slipping down is
PROBABLY greater than needed on an upright for regular pedaling, so, as the
feet get numb, and the rider rotates the heel for comfort, there would be a
loss of the vertical support for which the strap was originally chosen.
(Please note that I said "probably," so I am aware that this is just a
theory--but, I think, a reasonable one to consider.)

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A 'bent dealer told me that those Power Grips straps can cut off
circulation and will actually deform the feet after prolonged use!

Run away! Run away! %^)

I used PG's for a number of years without discomfort or circulatory
issues.

They would have to be very tight to cause such dire consequences.
The amount of tightness from PGs is self limiting since the amount
of compression is limited by the angle and the insertion characteristics.
They can only apply an incremental amount of compression and
they have to be loose enough to get your shoe in to begin with.

PGs are good for riding in "normal" shoes, and they are a very cost
effective solution. But after going clipless, I wouldn't go back to
PGs... Combo platform/clipless are a good way to start. Watch
for closeout/discontinue sales on SPD-compatible shoes. (LBS,
Nashbar, Sierra Trading Post, REI Outlet, etc.) I spent less than
$60 total on my first set of clipless pedals and shoes.

I keep my cleat retention adjustment fairly loose. It is easier for
me to get out of clipless than it was with my Power Grips and
some lugged sole shoes. My MTB-labeled shoes are reasonably
comfortable for walking and look "normal".

Jon Meinecke

I'm a cruiser, not a performance rider. If I were looking for
performance I'd
go clipless. I have been in one spill where, if I'd have been
clipless, I would
have been injured. With the slings I was not.

For me, as you say: "Basically, if the idea's only
to keep the feet from slipping off"............. so from 2001:

To stop your foot from falling off the pedal, but still have it free:

2" patio chair webbing (Walmart)
Tie it to the pedal to make a sling for your heel to hang in
You are done

This is cheap, quick, weighs nothing. Assuming that your
foot is hanging such that that ball of your foot is where it's
happy........you can also easily move it up a tad
for a temporary change if needed.

NYC XYZ said:

A 'bent dealer told me that those Power Grips straps can cut off
circulation and will actually deform the feet after prolonged use!
And are there such things as heel clips? Basically, if the idea's only
to keep the feet from slipping off, why not have straps at the heel
instead of by the toe??

Right. And when you ask about a bicycle not sold at that
shop they respond "Those? Oh, yeah they break". What makes
you think they have seen a Power Grip before? Cheap shot in
my opinion. I don't care for Power Grips but some riders do
and that's all within the realm of taste. A pretty harmless
$20 adventure IMHO. Try 'em!

I wouldn't know about heel clips. My heels are several
inches from the pedal.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi said:

Right. And when you ask about a bicycle not sold at that
shop they respond "Those? Oh, yeah they break". What makes
you think they have seen a Power Grip before? Cheap shot in
my opinion. I don't care for Power Grips but some riders do
and that's all within the realm of taste. A pretty harmless
$20 adventure IMHO. Try 'em!

I wouldn't know about heel clips. My heels are several
inches from the pedal.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Right. It's only that the guy's on a Velomobile himself and is
generally respected in the area for his 'bent expertise. I was going
to try them anyway, but I was curious what folks thought, since I'd
never heard of this before.

I suppose I'll go clipless soon enough thereafter...we'll. But first
things first.

Geez...I wonder if there's anything else I should know about! =)

NYC XYZ said:

A Muzi said:

Right. And when you ask about a bicycle not sold at that
shop they respond "Those? Oh, yeah they break". What makes
you think they have seen a Power Grip before? Cheap shot in
my opinion. I don't care for Power Grips but some riders do
and that's all within the realm of taste. A pretty harmless
$20 adventure IMHO. Try 'em!

I wouldn't know about heel clips. My heels are several
inches from the pedal.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Right. It's only that the guy's on a Velomobile himself and is
generally respected in the area for his 'bent expertise. I was going
to try them anyway, but I was curious what folks thought, since I'd
never heard of this before.

I suppose I'll go clipless soon enough thereafter...we'll. But first
things first.

Geez...I wonder if there's anything else I should know about! =)

Yes. Trunk Monkeys. Be very afraid.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Quoted message said:

I'm a cruiser, not a performance rider. If I were looking for
performance I'd
go clipless. I have been in one spill where, if I'd have been
clipless, I would
have been injured. With the slings I was not.

Oh dear, this is getting as bad as "a helmet saved my life!" How do you
*know* you'd be injured in clipless pedals? Did you do a control
experiment?

I'm a cruiser, not a performance rider, and I use clipless. They're
easier to get in and out and they're more efficient at transferring
power to the pedals.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

NYC XYZ said:

Right. It's only that the guy's on a Velomobile himself and is
generally respected in the area for his 'bent expertise.

Using pedals is pretty much independent of whether you're on a 'bent or
anything else, so I don't really see that's a big factor.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

NYC XYZ said:

Right. It's only that the guy's on a Velomobile himself and is
generally respected in the area for his 'bent expertise. I was going
to try them anyway, but I was curious what folks thought, since I'd
never heard of this before.

"So, Mr Velomobile Dealer Sir, how many miles did you ride with PG, and
for how many years? How exactly did they deform your feet?"

I added them to my town ATB right after I participated in an IPMBA
session and admired them on the pedals of all those men in uniform.
That was...at least ten years ago.

[looks at feet] Yep, deformed. But that was probably more due to
picking the wrong parents and growing up in the pointy toe era.

....

Quoted message said:

Geez...I wonder if there's anything else I should know about! =)

Gitcher tin foil hat on post-haste.

HTH

--Karen D.

"Street cred," IOW. His are impeccable. He is bike culture. (Not
IMHO, but that's the appearance.)

Peter Clinch said:

Using pedals is pretty much independent of whether you're on a 'bent or
anything else, so I don't really see that's a big factor.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Veloise said:

"So, Mr Velomobile Dealer Sir, how many miles did you ride with PG, and
for how many years? How exactly did they deform your feet?"

I guess in the same way bad shoes like heels on women could...?

Quoted message said:

I added them to my town ATB right after I participated in an IPMBA
session and admired them on the pedals of all those men in uniform.
That was...at least ten years ago.

I'll give 'em a try, too...probably will graduate to real
clips/clipless(es?) some time later.

Quoted message said:

[looks at feet] Yep, deformed. But that was probably more due to
picking the wrong parents and growing up in the pointy toe era.

Well, you've just flushed your class-action lawsuit down the drain.

Say, did anyone in the US get notice of a class-action suit against
microsoft in the mail recently??

Quoted message said:

Gitcher tin foil hat on post-haste.

No, I will not start that helmet debate again!

Quoted message said:

HTH

--Karen D.

NYC XYZ said:

"Street cred," IOW. His are impeccable. He is bike culture. (Not
IMHO, but that's the appearance.)

Gotta love it! When a single point of information is probably best, you
ask as many people as possible, and when the widest sample base possible
is most use you go on a single anecdote! ;-/

I've never heard anything from PG users saying they had their feet
deformed. Google isn't screaming problems either, so "bike culture" or
not, his anecdote doesn't seem to have much backing.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On 26 Mar 2006 23:47:28 -0800, "NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

A 'bent dealer told me that those Power Grips straps can cut off
circulation and will actually deform the feet after prolonged use!

So use straps that aren't as tight. On a 'bent, clipless makes more
sense anyway; toe clips are designed for a different job.

Quoted message said:

And are there such things as heel clips? Basically, if the idea's only
to keep the feet from slipping off, why not have straps at the heel
instead of by the toe??

A heel strap that would actually work would be difficult to get loose
from. A heel cup alone would swing away from the foot as soon as
pressure was off the pedal. Clipless is the solution, but pick one
that isn't one-sided.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Werehatrack said:

Clipless is the solution, but pick one
that isn't one-sided.

I prefer two-sided ATACs, but I know folk who use one-sided happily and
they do have the advantage that you're not using awkward pedals if you
do want a quick hack without your cycling shoes on.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Werehatrack said:

Clipless is the solution, but pick one
that isn't one-sided.

I prefer two-sided ATACs, but I know folk who use one-sided happily and
they do have the advantage that you're not using awkward pedals if you
do want a quick hack without your cycling shoes on.

They're not cheap, but ISTR that there are Eggbeaters that combine
both a platform and two-sided clip-in. I haven't used them, but they
look like a rational approach.

--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.