SOFSOLE Solution

After spending some time investigating various solutions that would serve my needs while pedal pushing for extended periods of time, I have landed upon one that I think may just do the trick … of course, I could be wrong or misguided, as I often am, but ya’ just gotta’ start somewhere.

So, I started with what you see here. A company called SOFSOLE makes a couple of products that seem particularly suited to a high arch cyclist with nerve compression issues. A better solution is to simply stop pushing the limits out on the road, but my brain isn’t ready for that just yet. Perhaps when I hit the century mark (age in years, that is, not mileage).

The SIDI shoes come with a very thin blue insole with virtually no cushion. I was not impressed. The SOFSOLE insole has a great deal of built in cushion, along with a 3.3 centimeter arch height. I like these insoles more than the Superfeet brand (I have used both in the past for hiking and walking). Under the insole, I have placed SOFSOLE Gel Ball-of-Foot comfort inserts. They sit under the forefoot, squarely under the ball of my foot and the contact area when pushing off with the foot.

Two pairs of the gel inserts come in the little package, and I decided to use a double layer in each foot to see what happens. So, the gel inserts are placed on the bare beige and hard SIDI shoe bed, over which the insoles are placed (carefully so as not to displace the gel inserts from their location, but due to their semi tacky surface, they tend to stay right where you put them – no sliding around).

The insoles, now impressively emblazoned with eye catching graphics rather than their old plain gray color, set me back $40. The two pairs of gel inserts took another $8 from my wallet. This was a $48 solution, but if it works, I would pay double that amount to forever let my forefoot nerves rest in peace. NO HOTSPOTS is my holy grail. I shall search until I find it. Perhaps I now have. An overland journey will provide the evidence one way or another.

NOTE: Hotspots, if you tend to suffer from them, should not be taken lightly. They arise from a traumatic nerve compression as a result of repetitive stress placed on the forefoot. Blood vessels are compressed and the nerve is not nourished well. Eventually, if ignored for extended periods of months or years, hotspots can lead to internal scarring and permanent numbness, toe tingling, and/or sporadic shots of nerve induced pain in the toes and forefoot.

REI Pilgrimage

A rare privilege was mine in recent days, having had the welcomed opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the mecca of outdoor gear land. Indeed, the multinational mega store is a naturalist’s delight, replete with all manner of items necessary for trike trekking. I spent a total of 5 hours within the hallowed halls of Recreational Equipment Incorporated, 4 the first day, and 1 the second.

Of course, it could have been better named REO, or Recreational Equipment Outfitters, but our overbearing legal system demands irrelevant appendages on corporate titles to satisfy a judicial system that the customer clearly doesn’t give a hoot about.

From the outside, this imposing structure suggests the divine.

Here I stand, arms raised in spiritual service to the almighty.

Happy Bill, and others, spent hours helping me sort things out.

As a tricycle trekker, one’s gear must be the best to survive the rigors of overland travel, and REI delivers a great selection of tricycling treats to help you make your journey a most wonderful experience! Ultra light tents and sleeping bags are essential for nightly camps, and a must to keep your pedaling weight low for the no-end-in-sight mountain roads.

REI also has a full selection of cycling specific equipment, like shoes, gloves, rain wear, cargo bags, you name it. They also carry the SIDI road shoe, which was selling for an unbelievable $184, instead of the typical $269 offered at online bicycle discount websites. The great thing about REO is that you can feel and try on the gear prior to purchase, and can return it later if it does not meet your expectations. Membership has its perks.

Put me in an REI store and you may as well consider me a lost cause.

REI photography by John F. Gardner, attorney at law

Cool Decal Pack

The other day I mentioned that inside the SIDI owner’s manual is a two page pack of peel-off stick-on decals so that the happy new SIDI owner can splash advertising everywhere he goes. Here they are. You may notice that I’ve already used two of them, one on my tricycle workbench in the garage, and one on the front derailleur post of the Q.

Lake Sole versus SIDI Sole

Pictured below are the soles of two shoes. The top shoe is my Lake MX-165 mountain bike shoe that cradled my feet on the Coast to Cactus Tricycle Expedition, as well as other numerous rides. The shoe is very comfortable, and after I’m in them for a while, I forget they are cycling shoes. The Lake shoe is also very heavy, due in large part to the massive and stiff Vibram sole, although it still allows for too much nerve and blood vessel compression for me, an issue that continues to plague my feet with hot spots and numbness.

The other sole is that of my new SIDI Dominator 5 mountain bike shoes, which will take me on my upcoming expedition, and if they prove to be everything everyone tells me they are, may well become my permanent shoe of choice. Time will tell. They too are very comfortable, and easy to walk in despite the hard nylon sole due to their curved design that allows the foot to rock forward as you push off. The SIDI shoe is very light compared to the Lake shoe. I am hopeful that the non bending sole will allow my feet the freedom from nerve and blood vessel compression issues. One expedition will be all it takes for a verdict. Check back later this year.

Look Pa, Fresh Mesh!

Is this not a thing of stunning beauty? That freshly laundered mesh seat has not even felt a human buttocks yet. I almost hate to sit in it and make a wrinkle! Well, a trike in the garage may indeed be safe and gorgeous to look at, but, that is not why trikes are built. So, the time is nearing to get some dust back into the mesh fabric. It’s amazing what a washing machine can do to restore factory new appearance. You can clearly see the 14 straps that hold the mesh to the aluminum frame in this photo:

SIDI Dominator 5

I have recently taken delivery of my Lake replacement shoes, the SIDI Dominator 5 mountain bike shoe with a rigid nylon sole. This shoe is essentially identical to their road shoe except for the lugs on the sole that allow traction in dirt settings.

If I were a triker who stayed in motels and manicured campgrounds every night, I would have been inclined towards the road version, but since I set up my tent in “off road” situations, these soles help. The lugs are a semi rigid plastic, rather than the Vibram hiking soles on my Lake MX-165 mtb shoes.

Slipping into these Italian made sweethearts is akin to sliding into the driver’s seat of a Maserati or Lamborghini. Ah, they just feel like pure luxury and comfort. I am still working on my insole solution, trying different combinations to see which feels best around the house. Of course, things can change after a few days on the road.

The Specialized Body Geometry high-arch insole and shims I ran in the Lakes do not feel as comfortable in these shoes, plus, I am not so certain anymore that they were the best solution for me. This foot thing is complicated, and varies widely from person to person … a high matter of personal preference for what feels best while minimizing hot spots and crushed nerve issues near the ball of the foot. I am learning a lot, reading authoritative foot material online.

I’ll let you know what I decide on later. But for now, I am happy with this shoe, and am hopeful the added stiffness of the sole will greatly reduce hot spots over the Lake shoes on high mileage intense days. Time will tell the tale whether or not the $259.99 investment was worth it, but everyone I have contacted about these shoes says the same thing: They are the top choice for serious riders.

By the way, the original reason for the Lake shoes was that they come in an extra wide width, and only the SIDI shoes also offer such a choice as far as I know. Most cycling shoes are too narrow for my feet. The wide version of the SIDIs is called the Mega.

PS: SIDI  gives you a nifty decal pack in the box, so you can go stick SIDI decals all over everything you own to proudly proclaim your new ownership of the cycling world’s most famous shoes. Ever wonder how the SIDI name originated? The man who started the company in 1960 used the initials of his name. The Si are the first two letters of his last name, and the DI are the first two letters of his first name. His name? Dino Signori. He began this worthy endeavor at age 15.

Click HERE to read more about it.

Soulful Soles

After roughly 1500 miles of trike trekking, the bottoms of my Lake MX-165 mountain bike shoes (MTB) are showing signs of wear, as well as the Shimano binding piece that inserts into the pedal. These shoes are certainly comfortable, yet I am contemplating moving to a shoe with a more rigid sole to help keep the foot gremlins at bay just a little longer during long days in the saddle. These soles are ultra thick Vibram, great for my off road camps on trips due to their flexibility, but they still allow for more compression of my forefoot nerves than I’d like. Perhaps a nylon, fiberglass, or carbon sole is in my future. More later as I figure out which one.

Look ma, no mesh!

Once back from my most recent overland trike jaunt, it was once again time to start sanitizing the beast … you know, things like cleaning the chain, pulling wires out of the tires, wiping off the dust, stuff like that. Things that we all live for, right? Well, something I have never done during the nearly 3 years of owning this fine ICE Q trike is really clean up the mesh on my recumbent seat.

What got me inspired to do such a menial task with so many other aspects of life pressing me for attention? The mesh is held in place behind the seat by 14 straps, and after the straps go through the buckles, a little “O” ring holds the excess from flapping wildly in the breeze. Over time, these little buggers dry up, crack, and eventually just fall off, leaving the strap end dangling. Recently, I noticed a number dangling issues asking to be treated.

I dealt with a few of these many months ago, but without removing the seat, they are difficult to access unless they are at the ends of the seat. This time, there were so many breaking that I just figured, heck, may as well replace them all proactively, and while I’m at it, might as well just toss the mesh into the washer for the first time since production back in 2007.

Sure enough, the mesh, especially where it circled around the seat tubes, was loaded with years of dust and grime. And it was very inflexible with all that dirt embedded in it. I acquired 14 new extra heavy duty O rings at True Value, washed and dried the mesh on gentle cycle and low heat for 20 minutes, and am now set to go! The mesh is flexible as the day it was new, and mighty clean to boot. What an exciting little diversion from typing all day.

 Looks kind of weird with no mesh, huh ma?

TerraTrike in ICE mirror …

What does a TerraTrike Rover look like in the mirror of an ICE Qnt? I know you’ve always wondered, so here is the visual answer. This was filmed last year during a fantastic fall day in southern California:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBgeQjdkwgg 

More photos and video of Willow’s Rover can be seen elsewhere on this website.

Arkel RT-60 Pannier

Visit the Arkel website to learn more:

 60 liters storage volume

HP Velotechnik Scorpion FS

HP Velotechnik Scorpion FX

HP Velotechnik Gekko