Ankle Pain Advice

[vmi1056]

Hello tribe, I need some advice or suggestions. I have been experiencing some wicked ankle pain after a few of my most recent rides. I have recently gotten back into riding my S40 (and Q45 on occasion) and after each ride, my ankle aches, for a couple of days in some cases. I have moved my SPD cleats as far back as they will go (not quite midsole but close). That helps while actually pedaling but not when I get off the bike. My pedals are flat on one side, SPD on the other and extend from the crank, much like a knee saver would do.

I rarely had this issue on my fixed boom recumbent so I am wondering if it has anything to do with the constant movement the ankle experiences while pedaling, not just as the foot travels around the chain ring but also the micro side to side motion of the MBB. Maybe my cadence is too low and I’m grinding away too often in a bigger gear, thus putting more pressure on the ankle? If anyone has experienced this type of issue or have any suggestions, I’m all ears! I only have the one good ankle so I want to continue to enjoy riding without sacrificing the walking part off the bike. Thanks everyone!

 

[vosadrian]

Not sure if your ankle pain is the same as mine. Mine is in the area of the Achilles (a few inches above the heel). Mine is aggravated more by my V20 than by my normal DF bike. I have the cleats as far back as they will go on standard road cleat mounts (Specialized shoes). I'm not sure if extending the boom out to get the cranks a little further away may help?

 

[Gary123]

My ankle pain is in front and is worse on v20. Tried flats today and still hurt.

 

[Decher Kritzmire]

Like the former post by V my pain is in the Achilles heal, probably tendonitis. I could not alleviate the pain while clipping in and while not perfect got much better results moving to larger platform pedals (Look Trail Grips). Improvement seems to be based on the angle of the foot and amount of flex, which are the result of foot position and boom/leg extention. For me a very mid foot pedal placement and foot angle just north of 90 degree seems best and boom length that prevents any need to overly flex or point the foot . It's trial and error but the platforms will allow you to play around with the adjustment. I like the Look pedals because they are broad and very grippy. I previously had pedals like yours but the flat side was metal and required more effort to keep my foot where I wanted it. I have found improvement but it was very gradual so hang in there.

 

[vosadrian]

I should also note, I use the same clip-in cycling shoes for all my riding (V20 and DF). I had achilles problems from DF riding almost ten years ago, and adjust my cleat position forward back then. It took around 7-8 years to fully clear up, and I had a year or so without issue. I was riding both DF and V20 at that time, but towards the end of last year I started upping the V20 riding in prep for a race, and I caused the issue to return. Should be around 5 years before I am back to normal again!! :-(

I am sure there are setup things I could do on the V20 to make it better. I think I have boom lenght about right for knee angles etc. But maybe a longer boom would help the ankle?

 

[Gary123]

I should also note, I use the same clip-in cycling shoes for all my riding (V20 and DF). I had achilles problems from DF riding almost ten years ago, and adjust my cleat position forward back then. It took around 7-8 years to fully clear up, and I had a year or so without issue. I was riding both DF and V20 at that time, but towards the end of last year I started upping the V20 riding in prep for a race, and I caused the issue to return. Should be around 5 years before I am back to normal again!! :-(

I am sure there are setup things I could do on the V20 to make it better. I think I have boom lenght about right for knee angles etc. But maybe a longer boom would help the ankle?

My left ankle seems to be my weakest link and I probably just put too much pressure on it with the v20.

 

[vmi1056]

Hey everyone, thanks so much for the feedback. Since I posted, I’ve been tinkering around a bit as we tend to do with our CBs. My boom was actually set to where I couldn’t really extend any further so I actually brought it in slightly so I wouldn’t be over extending and the biggest thing I did was I have taken a couple of rides while wearing an ankle brace. One soft and one a little more rigid and bulky, but still fits in my shoe. Both designed for athletic wear and the more rigid one surprisingly wasn’t noticeable while pedaling and helped quite a bit. Still dialing in the boom length because shortening caused my legs to barely tap the handlebars while pedaling so I’m tweaking just slightly to still give myself enough room in the cockpit to be able to sit up, millimeters of adjustments to get it just right.

All in all, bringing the boom in slightly and changing the angle of my pedal stroke and the brace may be the solution, time will tell. Appreciate all the feedback.

 

[vosadrian]

I'm not going to tell anyone how to set their bike up. For me personally I set my bikes up to work when I am riding them in the normal riding position and just live with the compromise of when I am sitting up on them. But I also try to ride courses that are not very interrupted so I don't need to sit up much. I have to shuffle my butt back to sit up properly... but when riding, everything is good. I prefer to get the biomechanics of riding as good as possible to prevent injury and maximise performance over comfort factors.... but everyone is different and uses their bikes differently.

 

[vmi1056]

I'm not going to tell anyone how to set their bike up. For me personally I set my bikes up to work when I am riding them in the normal riding position and just live with the compromise of when I am sitting up on them. But I also try to ride courses that are not very interrupted so I don't need to sit up much. I have to shuffle my butt back to sit up properly... but when riding, everything is good. I prefer to get the biomechanics of riding as good as possible to prevent injury and maximise performance over comfort factors.... but everyone is different and uses their bikes differently.

I agree 100% and that is the goal. I love roads and trails that provide great workout potential with long stretches of no stopping so cockpit comfort while stopped is a nice-to-have, not a must have. I think I can achieve both, with comfort and proper form while riding being the top priority and dealing with the cockpit once riding position is dialed in. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[bladderhead]

The problem with drop bars is that the handlebar clamp has to be way behind your hands. When I first got the Silvio the clamp was pinning me down like the harness on a rollercoaster. After lots of experimenting I got Crononero with the ends sticking up. The hand position is similar to drop bars, but the clamp is further forward, allowing sitting up. I have the same on the S40. Huge improvement in the commuting experience. The only problem is that it is impossible to fit hydro brake levers in an ergonomic way. Those who are not commuting can ignore the above.