My 1000 other bikes

Feet Redux

Before and After-- Scott Scale

I just did a repair on an odd little crack that may have been precipitated by a rock strike, or just some massive quadriceps, on a Scott Scale. Certainly not a huge break, but one that could have led to a long walk home. 

I'm really pretty happy with how this one turned out.  I was able to vacuum bag just the joint, which requires a lot more sealer tape than I've been using in the past with my 'giant ziploc' approach.  The extra stretchy green vacuum film along with some more stretchy release fabric provides a bit better appearance with fewer wrinkles in the finished product. I basically overbuilt the entire brake area since it's a fairly high-stress zone. 

Swing and a miss

So, turns out my shoes were a good try, but not good enough to wear more than half an hour. The arch is hugely supportive, but supportive like a brick, not supportive like a good friend in a time of need.  When I took the cast of my feet, i did so in a fully relaxed position; basically I put on a sock, dunked my foot in liquid plaster of paris and let it set with no pressure on it.  This did create an accurate representation of my foot, but didn't account for how my foot works under pressure.  I've got super flexible arches, so much so that my footprint is basically a ski, rather than the traditional bean shape.

Rather than re-cast my foot wholesale, I decided to do some editorializing with a bit of bondo, lowering the arch, widening the heel, and making a bit more room for my toes.  We'll see how this next one goes.

Fancy Feet

Ever since I got my first set of orthotics back in college following my first round with Achilles tendinitisI have wanted to make my own custom footbeds. I guess that turned one thing into another and I finally ended up completing (mostly) a set of custom cycling shoes. I made the foot molds a year or so ago, and the soles have seen fits of work every now and again, but I finally cobbled together the uppers and soles this week.

The uppers are a pair of Allen Edmonds Oxford shoes that I got on eBay. They were too big, but cheap enough that it wasn't worth relisting them. With a bit of trimming, they formed fairly nicely to the soles. I hope to try them out this weekend. We'll see if they wreck any of my body parts.