co_g30 Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 During my last ride which included an almost three hour stretch in the saddle, I found that if I ride the straightaways with my boot heels on my pegs and maintain firm contact with my shins agaisnt my RT's fairing, and remember to angle down my toes a bit that I did not experience the usual soreness in the knees or in the butt area after prolongued riding! Question is this, how many out there find yourselves doing the same? Am I asking some trouble down the road by continuing to ride with my feet positioned like this? I would not of course do this on curves and such. It was really remarkable how painfree that almost that last three hour stretch was. I am 5'10", with a 33" inseam. 160lbs. Any thoughts would be appreciated besides getting a custom seat, am now less than before on the proverbial fence about getting one. And yes I've tried raising the seat on long distance rides but dislike the way I then can't flatfoot the bike during stops. I've also already lowered the pegs with the kit from suburban machinery. Thanks in advance. Dom Link to comment
David Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 I don't see any problem at all with what you are suggesting. One other thing you might do is look into a set of forward pegs that are integrated with the valve covers--they would give you one other place to put your legs for "variety," so to speak. You can also stand up...or scoot back to the rear seat. Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Or move back to the passenger pegs, or stand up every once in a while. I really do tend to ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs a lot of the time, I'll switch to the arches, I don't have heels on my riding boots so that is out. My pegs are set pretty far to the rear compared to those on an RT though, and for me, it is just as comfy. My legs are also 3" shorter than yours and that can make a big difference in knee comfort. The only discomfort I get after long stretches in the saddle is in my Achilles tendon and then only when I am not maintaining a little downward pressure on the pegs. I just stick my feet out to the sides a little and give the ankles a couple of good turns every hour or so. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 On long days (or at least days with long interstate cruises), I'll move around to just about every possible position: balls of my feet on the pegs heels on pegs hook my heels on the passenger pegs on Elf-Pegs (on cyl heads) chest on tank bag stand up, flex butt/thighs hang feet off to nearly touch pavement splay legs out to sides, let wind push them back to stretch hip adductor muscles flex calf/thigh muscles from time to time Reach back, one arm at a time, and grab rear rack; twist/stretch upper body Stop about every hour and a half; get gas, walk around a rest area, do SOMETHING besides sitting on the bike you get sore if you park your body in one position for too long, and if you really sit still for a very long time, you may put yourself at risk for DVT. Do your body a favor and move around a bit. Link to comment
steve.foote Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Reach back, one arm at a time, and grab rear rack; twist/stretch upper body I thought I was the only one who did that. If you do it right, you can pop the bottom couple vertebre's in your back at the same time. And, that feels great after a couple hundred miles. Link to comment
2wheelterry Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 My knee doctor suggested rotating the foot so that the toes are 90 degrees from the bike. He said that this takes pressure of the knees. Some times when my knees get achy, I’ll do this for a while. Link to comment
co_g30 Posted May 29, 2007 Author Share Posted May 29, 2007 thanks for all the replies so far, some of the suggestions were new to me... Link to comment
PhillyFlash Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 When you're riding in a straight line, you can do almost anything you can come up with to be comfortable. I think changing position often is the key to prevent fatigue and constant aches and pains. Even sitting partially side-saddle may work. Just remember to get back into a correct position when you reach the curves and you should be fine. Link to comment
outpost22 Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Heck, heels on the pegs are great for those really cold days. Just tuck your toes in behind those cylinders, and bingo= warm feet. Definitely helps the back and leg pain scenario too. Do it all the time, especially when temps are below 40 degrees. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 Heck, heels on the pegs are great for those really cold days. Just tuck your toes in behind those cylinders, and bingo= warm feet. Definitely helps the back and leg pain scenario too. Do it all the time, especially when temps are below 40 degrees. I like heels on the pegs on hot days. I then point my toes down and slightly out, which puts the bulk of my foot into the windstream and cools off my feet. Not for use while cornering, of course. Link to comment
Mike O Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 Dom, Here's the solution I mentioned to you during the valve adjustment session. The S-curve site can be found here. Regards, Mike O BTW, I use several of the techniques others have mentioned here in addition to the S-curves. Link to comment
Todd_Z1 Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 ...I found that if I ride the straightaways with my boot heels on my pegs and maintain firm contact with my shins agaisnt my RT's fairing, and remember to angle down my toes a bit that I did not experience the usual soreness in the knees or in the butt area after prolongued riding! I do the same thing but as you mentioned just remember to be careful when cornering or anywhere near those pesky little reflectors. I have a big dent in my left steel toe cover from hitting one of them while heel to toeing. Cheers! Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.