D2 custom shoes = happy feet

Nearly two years ago I began feeling a pain in my right foot that, at times, felt like I had a piece of glass stuck in my foot and at other times felt like I was pedaling on a marble--seriously, I would have sworn that if I took my shoe off I would feel a marble in my shoe or under my skin. The sensation would be accompanied by a numbness in my foot that was unlike any I had ever experienced. It was a cold and very painful kind of numbness. Well, being the stubborn man I am I did nothing at first thinking it would go away. After about a month of that I finally went to a podiatrist, Dr. Reeves at Virginia Mason Sports Medicine. He diagnosed a neuroma and started a series of cortisone injections to try and shrink the swelling as well as a bike fit. He also suggested I try a pair of cycling shoes with a larger toe-box. I purchased a set of Shimano R300 heat-moldable shoes and a pair of M300-- the mtb version for 'cross. Between the injections, the bike fit and the shoes I found a ton of relief. However, it was short lived.

About 3 weeks after the series of injections were completed the pain returned. I paid another visit to Dr. Reeves and he prescribed a set of orthotics-- some super thin composite ones. A few weeks I went in to have them fit to my cycling shoes. They helped quite a bit but there was a huge problem. The interface between the orthtic and the shoe was not good. I tried numerous insoles to accompany the orthotic and nothing really worked. I tried putting the orthotic under the insole, on top of the insole. I talked with numerous podiatrists, PT's and even ski boot fitters to try to remedy the problem. Last 'cross season it became clear that something had to give. My foot was doing okay but my orthotics were nearly trash. The leading edge had all but disintegrated as it was being sanded done against the bottom of my shoe-- especially with all the grime of 'cross sandwiched in-between. Now comes the D2 part. I called both of the major custom shoe makers in the US and one in the UK. After talking with Dan and Don at D2 in Eagle, CO and having them explain that a large part of their shoe's development was to remedy the orthotic/shoe interface, just the problem I was having, I decided to go with them. They sent me a fit kit and I was on my way to what I was hoping was to be a set of happy-feet.

The fit kit came and fortunately my father-in-law was in town for a visit. He and I spent about an hour measuring and remeasuring my feet and then about 15 min making impression of my feet in some low density foam they sent. 4 weeks later I had my shoes in hand. My first ride was awkward I have to admit. They felt very strange on my feet. Not so much the uppers but rather the orthotics. D2 requires you ride the new shoes for at least 100 miles before they would make any adjustments. So, I worked my way through about 200 miles thinking they would start feeling more normal. Well, they did not. After about a 20 min conversation with Dan he had me send the orthotics back. A couple weeks later, after a shipping delay (you gotta love USPS) I had a new set in hand. The definitely felt more like the ticked but wait, what is that, hip pain in my left hip??? Another call to Dan and he made yet another set, no cost to me I might add, and viola, no more hip pain.

I wish I could say that me right foot was 100% but it is certainly closer than it has ever been since the injury. I do have some numbness from time-to-time but it does not flare-up into anything worse. (Likely the only thing that can fully remedy my problem is surgery.) The shoes are simply the most comfortable cycling shoe I have ever worn. I guess they should be since they are made specifically to my foot. I am more than happy with D2's customer service. They really went above-and-beyond to help me.

Oh, ya and the cost. Well, take a look at D2's website and you can see for yourself. They really are not that outrageous when you consider a set of off the shelf Sidi's or other high-end shoes are $300-$400 bucks not to mention the $$$$ other bike parts set a person back. I am saving my pennies to have a set of their mtb versions made for 'cross. BTW, the first pic is after 7 months of use. They stay amazingly clean- I think I have wiped them down one time and that was months ago.
~Cole

country vs. city top 5

Having just moved back to my hometown of Rochester, WA last December, I have been reminded of the many and numerous ways training in the country differs from in and around the city.

Here are my top five.

5. In the city, courteous but clueless drivers, trying to be kind, come up behind you and honk. In the country, courteous but clueless drivers come up beside/behind you in 4x4 diesel trucks and punch the throttle. Both of them making you think your about to die.

4. In the city, you regularly dodge pedestrians, cars and parched paved-over roots rising to get a drink. In the country, you regularly dodge pets (or you try to), fallen trees, vermin (dead and alive), snakes and parched livestock meandering to the river to get a drink.

3. In the city, many drivers think cyclists should not be on the roads but on bike trials. In the country, many drivers think cyclists should not be.

2. In the city, people prefer to shout politically correct slurs like a-hole, and jack-a**. In the country, well... all political correctness is out the door-- but I really cannot quite figure out why country-folk like to call cyclists a "bundle of sticks." Must be a firewood reference??

1. In the city, the people shout, "get a car" from BMWs and Land Rovers. In the country, people shout, "get a car" from Pintos, Geos and Festivas (worth, of course, a fraction the price of a race worthy bike).

~Cole

'09 Tarmac Pro SL- 200 mile review

As most of you have already read, I cracked my '05 Tarmac S-works and received an '09 Tarmac Pro SL as a warranty replacement. Again, props to Specialized for their service! Well, yesterday marked mile 200 on the new frame and so I thought I would offer some early impressions.

Specs:
56cm (56.5 Top tube)
Fact 10r carbon
Oversized lower HS bearing 1-1/2 in
Huge tubes throughout

Appearance:
Specialized Tarmacs have always seemed a bit understated to me and while there are some exceptions to that this year, the black and red Pro SL certainly fits the understated bill. While it is understated it is not ugly IMO. Unlike the SL2 model the frame does have a cosmetic carbon weave overlay which I honestly could do without esp. knowing it is not structural but as one teammate put it, "is likely there just to make sure the frame weighs more than the SL2." Overall appearance wise...well, the lines are fast looking and I do like the subtle pinstriped graphics on the top-tube and chain-stays. Grade B

Performance:
The only complaint I ever really had about my '05 Tarmac was the the handling was a bit "twitchy." I learned to live with it and truth be told, at times even like the "really need to be paying close attention to what your doing feeling." I had heard that complaint from several people as well as that the new tapered head-tube had remedied that problem. I also had test-ridden both the Pro SL and the SL2 earlier this year and from what a person can tell from a 20 min test ride thought the bike did feel more stable. After 200 miles, including 1 60 mile race, I can confirm that, while it is by no means a slow steering bike, its twitchiness is gone. IMO Specialized has struck a perfect balance of stability and liveliness. Mee likey a lot.

The area of greatest praise I had for the '05 Tarmac was its stiffness. From the moment I first mashed the pedal of that bike I was in love with the frames ability to transition my pedaling force into forward momentum. Fortunately the stiffness of the '05 did not come at the cost of ride quality. I did numerous centuries on that bike and it never left me seeking a dentist. In the are of stiffness I have to admit I did have a bit of a trepadacious feeling when it came to the new frame. Would the '09 Pro SL match the '05 S-works in this area? Well, I am not disappointed! It is even a bit stiffer and at least as comfortable! I guess with 4 years of engineering there should be some improvements. The stiffness of the bike's front end is the most significant. The over-sized lower steer-tube allows for the down-tube to be oversized and this combination really stiffens-up the front end (though I never complained about the '05). As far as the rest of the frame's stiffness, I honestly cannot tell if there is really any real difference, but I'll consider that a good thing, it is at least equal in stiffness.

I should also note that I have ridden a '09 SL2 and I can honesty say that given the price difference between these two frames ($1900 msrp vs. $2900 msrp) there is no way IMNSHO the SL2 warrants the extra 1K. BTW, the only difference in the frames is the carbon, Fact 10r vs fact 11r that equals about 145 grams in a 56cm frame-- the tube shapes are identical. Don't get me wrong, I would have taken an SL2 if they had given me one but if I were using my own cash I would either pocket the 1k or buy another wheelset.

cat-a-pult

Last Tuesday's training ride was eventful to say the least. It was low to mid-tempo recovery ride-- nothing out of the ordinary-- or so I thought. The first 25.4 miles went off without a hitch but as I approached home the cat-a-pult happened. I was riding on James Rd-- a main road I take nearly every training day to get where I'm going. With all the warm weather the grass in the ditch has really shot up and is quite tall. This was both a bad and good thing thing in this case. With less than 300m before I turned off of James and less than 1 mile from home an large orange tabby did its best crouching-tiger impression jumping right, I mean right in front of me. Before I knew it I was doing a 20+ MPH header into the ditch flipping over and landing on the crown of my head. All I really remember from the moment is the cracking sound that accompanied the impact. Standing to my feet I tried to orient myself which was particularly difficult as I was seeing multiple everything including at least 5 orange tabbies fleeing the scene. I attempted to flag down a passing vehicle but he apparently did not find it suspicious to see a beaten, grass-stained and disoriented cyclist wobbling in the ditch and just gave an obligatory "country-howdy" wave. Pulling my cell phone from my jersey I called Kat to pick my up. Fortunately the boys were already at Grandma and Grandpa's house so after dropping off my bike and changing my clothes Kat drove me to the ER where I was quickly fitted with a neck-brace and an MRI. All I could really think was my season was over. I was trying to be positive and happy that I was walking but, well. After about an hour wait my doc finally cleared me to take off the neck-brace and said something like, "interestingly, you did not break your neck but you did at some point in the past." Apparently, my C5 vertebra had been fractured years ago. I have no idea when that happened, I can think of many potential moments, but I was quite relieved there was no current fracture. After some insane prescription writing (including 2 narcotics, jeez) I was walking out the door much relieved. Forgoing the narcotics for ibuprofen, I actually slept fairly well Tuesday night. I took Wednesday off the bike but went for a 1 1/2 hour "eyes-on-the-ditch" ride on Thursday and got fully back on track yesterday with a smooth 2 hrs. Pondering the "why" of such an event of course really gets a person nowhere but I can say after revisiting the scene, I was very fortunate. I missed hitting a mailbox by less than 2 feet. Had that happened I would certainly have had more significant injuries. Oh, and BTW, for those of you that have your priorities in the, ahem, right place, the only bike damage was to my Powertap wheel which now needs a rebuild.
Blessings, ~Cole

Kudos to Specialized and Old Town Bikes

So, a couple weeks ago a good friend Mark came down from Seattle for a visit/ride. Days prior I diagnosed a worn headset on my '05 Tarmac S-Works and ordered a new one. It came in on late on a Friday and I had it installed on a Saturday at Old Town Bikes in Olympia (I do almost all my own wrenching save wheel work and pressed headsets). After the install I asked about a small line that had appeared on the seat-tube/top-tube/seatstays junction (see pic) to which the tech responded, "holy cr*p, your frame is cracked." So, there I was with a new headset in a POS frame. How exciting. Of course I took it home and rode it that weekend followed by a couple phone calls and emails to the shop I purchased it at in Vancouver, BC (The Bike Gallery) and a couple conversations with Jason, Old Town Olympia's store manager. So, even though they were not the original shop the bike was purchased at Old Town graciously offered to handle the warranty claim. The warranty process took about a week and they gave me a new frame. Though my old frame was an S-Works they gave me a Pro SL as a replacement, but I certainly cannot complain. My old frame was fact-7 carbon (Whatever the "H" that means) and my new one is fact-10. It also has a tapered steer-tube 1-1/2 to 1-1/8 and overall feels more comfortable yet stiffer (I will review the bike in the next few days). Overall, I am amazed at the smoothness of the process and very satisfied with Specialized and Old Town Bikes! Thanks guys!

Why?

So, this is the first of many pedomotive posts to come. First off, as you can see from the header, pedomotive means "Moved or worked by the action of the foot or feet on a pedal or treadle." Specifically in this case it refers to the pedaling action of a road bike. My name is Cole Meckle and I race road and 'cross for Cucina Fresca (Seattle Super Squadra). I decided that blogging about my experiences would be a fun way to share the sport I love with my firiends and family. I plan to share race reports as well as worthwhile training updates. I may also, from time-to-time chime in on the pro-peloton as well as offer some reviews/thoughts on the gear I am using. Oh, and of course you are certain to hear about my lovely wife Kat, who also races for Cucina Fresca, and my two adoreable sons, Noah and Luka.