Miles: 24.2
Time: 2:07:38
Elevation: 539
Average Speed: 11.4
Max Speed: 38.7
A slow and easy ride on the touring bike to test my body and new Shimano SPD/Platform pedals in combination with my "touring" sandals.
This is my first ride in 2 weeks. After my last JTNP ride with Doug I had to go to Northern California for family reasons. I came home via Los Angeles where I spent a couple of days with my oldest daughter and family. When I got back I had a new Google Nexus phone on a T-Mobile plan and a cold. I laid low for almost a week.
The ride was uneventful and pleasant. I started late in the afternoon so the sun was not too intense and it was relatively cool, 93 out and 83 in. I did not hurry and just relaxed and enjoyed the evening. The touring bike is too heavy and not geared for speed so there even if one does want to rush it doesn't work out so well.
I used the new pedals for the first time. I started the ride clipped into the SPD side. Within the first 2 miles the ball of my left foot started hurting where it had been badly blistered on a hike in early August. I was able to unclip and use the platform side which takes the direct pressure off the ball. This turned out to be pain free and I rode most of the remainder of the ride with the left foot on the platform side and the right clipped in. I did unclip the right foot for a few miles when I felt the ball starting to heat up. The ride turned out to be almost completely pain free. This is what I was hoping for when I bought these pedals.
To the left is the SPD side of the pedal. You can see the raised mechanism which engages the cleats on the shoes. This type of pedal puts most of the pressure on the center of the ball of the foot. This can get quite uncomfortable on a hot day or if the foot is injured.
SPD pedals were originally designed of mountain biking where long periods of more or less consistent cadence pedaling it not the norm. Many touring cyclists use SPD pedals because of the ability to walk normally in the shoes but they are just not as comfortable as so called "road" pedals.
On the right is the bottom of the sandals with cleats. You will notice that the cleats are recessed which makes walking in the sandals off the bike almost like any other shoes. I say almost because the cleats are shallow enough that you hear the crunching of small stones and other debris that one walks through or on. Some SPD shoes have more deeply recessed cleats but these work fine for my purposes in that they feel completely normal to walk in. I have worn them around home and around town and they feel like any other good quality sandals.
The most common alternative is road shoes and cleats. Road cleats are bolted onto the outside of a hard and slippery sole. The cleats are slippery and quite noisy on many surfaces and the whole package is a challenge to walk in, especially on tile floors. They are more comfortable on the bike though as they spread the load on the foot over a larger area, much like the platform side om my new pedals.
I expect this sandal and pedal combination to contribute to a very comfortable and relaxed touring experience. Of course a lot of being relaxed has to do with attitude but it is much easier to be relaxed if one's feet do not hurt and he can walk like a normal human when off the bike.
Abraham Lincoln said, "When my feet hurt I can't think." It is true on a bicycle.
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