# Foot Drop and Clipless



## links0311 (Aug 20, 2004)

I have foot drop on my left foot. It's not problem to get into clipless pedals, but since I cannot turn my foot side to side it's tough to get out of them quickly. I would like to get into cyclocross, which pedals are the easiest to get in and out of? What type of shoe do I need to go along with those pedals? Thanks.

-Links


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

Candys are pretty easy to clip out of and you can set them up for the easier release. A standard MTB shoe works fine.


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## links0311 (Aug 20, 2004)

Thanks for the reply. What and where can I find candys?

-Links


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## bopApocalypse (Aug 30, 2006)

http://www.crankbrothers.com/candy.php


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## g-Bike (Jan 25, 2006)

Your local Bike Shop should be able to order some. The time ATAC's are nice and with the higher end models you can truely set them up to release quite easy. Are you wearing your AFO with your riding shoes?


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## links0311 (Aug 20, 2004)

I wear my AFO all the time. It adds some stablity to an unstable ankle joint. I will look into both the candy and time pedals, thanks.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

What are "foot drop" and AFO?


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

E-bay. Cheap. Or order them from your lbs.


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## links0311 (Aug 20, 2004)

Foot Drop is the inability to raise your toes. Your foot just hangs there when you lift it. Mine was caused by sciatic nerve damage. I cannot lift my toes or move my foot to the left or right. An AFO is an Artifical Foot Orthotic. My AFO raises my toes for me when I walk allowing me to walk and run with tripping over my own toes. 

-Links


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

links0311 said:


> Foot Drop is the inability to raise your toes. Your foot just hangs there when you lift it. Mine was caused by sciatic nerve damage. I cannot lift my toes or move my foot to the left or right. An AFO is an Artifical Foot Orthotic. My AFO raises my toes for me when I walk allowing me to walk and run with tripping over my own toes.
> 
> -Links



Interesting - I'd never heard that before. This post caught my attention because I was born with bilateral club feet (surgically corrected when I was an infant), and due to that I can't raise my toes much above the horizontal (although they will flex a bit beyond that), and my ankles don't have a normal range of motion. Those limits are caused by skeletal structure (ankle) and ligament/tendon tightness (toes), not nerve damage.

That being said, I use SPDs on my road and mtn bikes. I have the tension set pretty loose, and I clip out the "wrong" way (heel toward the bike) at about the 12 or 1 o'clock crank position. So far, I've never jammed my foot in to the rear wheel.

I haven't tried the eggbeaters line of pedals yet, but I plan on getting some eventually from all the good things I've heard. If you get them, post back and let us know how they work for you.


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## Pedy100 (Apr 17, 2021)

links0311 said:


> Foot Drop is the inability to raise your toes. Your foot just hangs there when you lift it. Mine was caused by sciatic nerve damage. I cannot lift my toes or move my foot to the left or right. An AFO is an Artifical Foot Orthotic. My AFO raises my toes for me when I walk allowing me to walk and run with tripping over my own toes.
> 
> -Links


AFO = ankle foot orthotic. Foot drop is a generic term to describe the reduced range of motion of the foot, including dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion and eversion (foot raised up, press foot down and moving side to side). We planter flex when stepping on the gas pedal of a car when the heel is anchored. Dorsiflexion is when we lift off gas pedal with heel anchored. Side to side is moving to and back from brake to gas pedal. There are two primary types of AFO; off the shelf and custom. Off the shelve is fit to cut and uses tension to assist to dorsi and plantar ankle/foot movement. Custom may have a posterior in interior hinge to allow plantar flexion, unassisted while augmenting dorisflextion. Also has custom fit, usually a thin polypropylene shell that fits the foot and the back of the ankle. Some are made of carbon and made by having the calf/ankle/foot cast made to shape the material. I'm two years into my injury, started at 56. Skied for two years without any arthotics, relying on my ski boot. Now back to bike and starting to figure this out. Slow process for me


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