Trip to Rocket 7

Donna and I recently braved the weather and pass

to visit the folks at Rocket 7

There are a lot of reasons to buy custom shoes, for me it's

about getting some power transfer back that I used to

have at the same time taking some stress off some tendons.

As most of you know I have a neuromuscular disease called

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease that causes muscle wasting

in the lower extremities. So here is my big problem, as I

push down on the pedals I no longer have the strength to

keep my heal from dropping. This is very inefficient and

puts a lot of stress on joints and tendons, especially when

climbing. I have a lot of trouble fitting shoes, my feet are

hideous (see picture above). But most importantly, I'm

having them drill two sets of holes for my cleats, one set

2cm back from normal and one set 3cm back. By getting

my cleat back further on the foot I will not have to rely on

those retired muscles for stability, and should increase my

power transfer to the pedals. Some people, including Joe

Friel believe this may be a more efficient cleat position for

some people.

The process for the full custom shoes is pretty simple, they

use a wet sock (upper right photo)to mold around your

foot that eventually hardens. They cut the sock off after

it hardens and pour the cast into the sock. The lower left

shows Donna pressing the foam cast for custom foot beds.

The owner Brian King, upper left, was very helpful. I can't

believe he didn't run away from those feet as fast as he could.

If you've ever wondered what a professional cyclist's foot

looks like, the lower right photo is the casting of David

Zabriskie's foot. Our feet look a lot alike, I just wish we

were more similar above the ankle.