Any advice on how to be able to ride this year? Medical stuff.?

I have very limited use of my feet, and toes ain't working anymore. I tried to pedal today, but lack of sensation caused my feet to come off the pedals.
Any ideas on re-rigging the pedals? I don't want to have to give up biking if I don't have to. I already gave up driving due to the paralysis, and that's ok. But I have to have the freedom and wind!!!
Help me out on this one, will ya???

Thanks! My daughter said she'd get me a mo-ped....oooh, don't think so.
Legs have gotten weaker this winter, so no Long Island run this spring, but I think my legs will get stronger with the exercise. They don't have to go out on me yet!!! I'm sure of that, regardless of others' opinions!

While I agree that toe clips or clipless shoes might be dangerous in your situation, if you need to cycle, that's what you're going to have to do. I would really caution against to cages/clips, though, unless you are too strapped for cash to go with the clipless system. One other caution, if you do go for the clipless system, carefully watch your feet for injuries. You don't have sensation in your toes and it is easy to rub raw spots if you can't feel the heat building up during a workout.

I do agree with the above comment about the recumbant bike (though they are expensive). You will be able to see your feet peripherally in a recumbant position, which may help you to keep them on the pedals.

Last thought - I've not seen this done, but if you have sensation in your heels, you could adjust your feet to pedal at the heel. You will lose some of the beneficial mechanics of using your ankle joint to pedal, but will still get a leg workout. If only my "fully functioning" patients were as committed to working out as you are...

Get clip in pedals, once you're clipped into them its all legs doing the work. No need to worry about your feet coming off.

Clipless pedals and shoes might be a little dangerous for someone with paralyzed feet/toes, but you won't have to worry about slipping. You could try Power Grips (kinda like toe clips and straps, but without the clips) as they are pretty easy to get in and out of. The Late Great Sheldon Brown switched to a recumbent trike when his medical condition prevented him from riding upright bicycles. Good luck with this.
Rusty

HI Gramma.
You haven't given us much to go on. From the very little I could scratch up, I'm imagining a sprightly Miss Maple type with a never say die attitude. (Possibly a bit of a bookworm and a long term keeper of certain small furry animals, certainly not the owner of a beaver dam). Then Gramma's do come in quite young packages also.

Not knowing your age, the cause or progression of you paralysis. I will only make some general suggestions (rough idea of prices with the links) and let you make up your mind as to what might be suitable.

Firstly have a look at this link. It shows various examples of pedals, toe straps/clips, and cleats.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_ped...

If you think any of these may be suitable pop into your nearest bike shop (preferably on a quiet day.) They would be pretty miserable not to let you have a try before you buy.

Be cautious though if you have never used any of these types of pedals before, there is a higher chance of not getting your foot out when you come to a stop. So over you go.( I cringe at the thought of a Sprightly Miss Maple type with bones in traction.)

My hesitant recommendation is toe clips with very loose straps.(**edit teamed with a pair of plain flat soled shoes to protect your feet and reduce chances of catching them up) More than likely these could be fitted to your existing pedals for less than twenty dollars. Apart from the chances of getting up close and personal with the ground, they could be a bit awkward to get your feet into. The bike shop visit should assure you one way or the other.

Using a trike or a quadracycle should reduce the chances of toppling, so you could use just about any type of cleat or strap and be quite safe.

Traditional trikes
http://www.bikemania.biz/Traditional_Adu...

Recumbent trikes
http://www.pbwbikes.com/index.php/cPath/...


Quadracycle (sorry no prices usually dearer than trikes though)
http://www.quadracycleinc.com/showroom/s...

Good luck and happy cycling