C-Forum

EZ, aren't you 6'6" or something? From a new product development standpoint, you represent a statistical anomaly; it would be easier and more cost efficient to rip the pegs out of a boat rather than redesign outfitting for the very small percentage that people your height make up in the cboating universe.

Just putting it into perspective, because knowing the market is very important, i.e. Craig designing the L'Edge knowing more paddlers would be in the 180-220 range than the 120-160 range.

Oh, and I use adjustable toe blocks, but when I do sit in a boat with pegs, my feet go under and I pray for no hull flex

Toes under pegs and ankle blocks... whether straps or bulkhead

ezwater wrote: Decker, don't you keep your feet in your mouth?

WIN!

My wife got one foot trapped under the footped in our Dimension a number of years back when we dumped, and could not get out once she was twisted in the boat. Held in by one toe. Since then I have always pop riveted plastic fronts on the footpegs to keep both our feet from sliding under. We both paddle with our toes pointed back, I use low ankle blocks to support my shins so I can walk when I get out of the boat. I feel more connected with my lower leg close to the bottom of the boat and my shin supported. Less flex in the lower leg.

Feet flat to the hull, with thighstraps and bulkhead... I personally like the footrests in the cu-fly, they're sloped back so i can hold my feet in a comfy position, and still get proper purchase on them, though they sit under the bags and tend to pin my feet down if the boat swamps.

I'd rather have the ones in the prelude out as i never use them, my feet are stuck under the bags anyway, but the aluminium tracks hold my pump (for which a battery is still needed) in place...

my feet interfereing with the airbags is an ongoing problem for me, i do have unusually long legs for my height though (6'2"ish and 35" inside leg)

EZ: what's your inside leg measurement

on the footpeg. How can you push against a footpeg if your toes are under it? its doesnt make sense to me.

Cheeks--- I've never had to outfit a boat that came with footpegs. I've had folks tell me they were essential, but I don't bother to roll open boats, and I rolled c-1s without needing toe blocks to keep me in.

Krikkit--- I'm long torso'd and short legged for my height. ~33 inseam. But my feet are size 15. I use knee wedges in opens and c-1, which I think gives me extra grip on the boat, keeping my knees from swimming around whether I'm up or upside down.

hankrankin wrote:on the footpeg. How can you push against a footpeg if your toes are under it? its doesnt make sense to me.

Move the footpeg up from stock, put your heel onto it, with your foot underneath...

However it's not very comfortable, and paddling C1 has proved to me without doubt that footrests aren't really required if you get your backrest set up right and you're a strap user.

hankrankin wrote:on the footpeg. How can you push against a footpeg if your toes are under it? its doesnt make sense to me.

See the picture above - my toes (phalanges) are under the pegs, the balls (end of first metatarsal) are on the pegs.

sbroam wrote:

hankrankin wrote:on the footpeg. How can you push against a footpeg if your toes are under it? its doesnt make sense to me.

See the picture above - my toes (phalanges) are under the pegs, the balls (end of first metatarsal) are on the pegs.

Oh, thats quite different to the approach I'm suggesting then; putting a much bigger portion of foot under, trying to get the tibula and metatarsal bones to lie as close to parallel as possible.

While paddling a canoe I prefer to keep my feet...

• Poll runs till Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:22 am
  
  on the footpegs.
  under the footpegs.

You may select 1 option

Both....

And also at times completely move my toe blocks out of the way (back),
And other times slip my toes off to the side,
And I'll also paddle sitting up right on top of my saddle. In a modified high knee position, by locking one foot against one (Yakima style) brace after judiciously repositioning it.

However I never seem to get as much power with my toes flat. Maybe it's my stock Spanish Fly outfitting (Pyranha), but the simple act of lifting my toes (and pressing back) seems to help generate power that's not there otherwise. Maybe it's some sort of a push-pull, expand-contract, yin-yang bias. Or maybe it also gets the calf muscles engaged somehow, or maybe some sort of pre-loading or xtra-extension, even maybe more pelvic thrust. But maybe perhaps it's just familiarity with one position, instead of one way being better than the other.

why don't people put their feet under the pedals on their bicycle to ride?


in a C1 i go toes pointed back using ankle blocks but i have to use a lap belt to keep me on the saddle or i'll push my butt clear off and pop the skirt (can't fit footpegs into a C1)... i sort've wonder if it's really more of a flexability thang for a lot of folks that aren't pushing on the pedals?

I have done some nasty boofs where my toes were under the pegs and really paid for it after.
So I don`t do that anymore, also put some foam in where you cant do it warm too

Craig Smerda wrote:why don't people put their feet under the pedals on their bicycle to ride?

Clearance

Those of us with our feet "under" the pedals are pushing on them as well, but at a different angle, sometimes maybe even *pulling* on them. I don't see it as a flexibility issue - to have my toes "under" the pegs means my ankle is flexed all the way. Why I don't keep my heels up and push on the pegs the way *you* do is that when I do so it squeezes these great gobs of calf muscle (that come in handy in other places - just not the boat) so much so that circulation is impeded. But hey, it has been working for me for quite some time.

Craig Smerda wrote:why don't people put their feet under the pedals on their bicycle to ride?

Power transfer... but i dont want to transfer power to my footpegs, i want to hold my lower body still using the minimum possible energy.

A big portion of why i use the feet flat approach is that with my feet up, my calves are tensed and they crushes up against. my thighs in the bulkhead sending my legs dead... given I already use high saddles, my options for reducing that are either a looser bulkhead or new legs...