5 foot positions to alleviate foot fatigue while riding your electric unicycle

[EUC Addict]

“Man, don’t your feet hurt after riding that long?”

It’s a question I see frequently on the electric unicycle (EUC) forums, or get from friends and family after I tell them I just completed a 100 or 200 mile ride.

My feet aren’t made of steel. My feet get tired and numb, but I’ve learned from watching others and personal experience a few tricks to make my long distance rides more comfortable. While these tips I’ll share with you will be helpful, there is one thing you’ll need to do if you’re a novice in order to comfortably last on a long ride.

Condition your feet, and there is really only one way to do this — ride, ride, ride. If you’re a new rider, you need to know that there will be an adjustment period for your feet, ankles, and calves. You will be using a lot of new muscles you never knew you had. So there is really no way around the pain or discomfort you will initially experience when riding your wheel at first. You’ll just have to grin and bear it and ride a lot.

Now that your feet have been conditioned and you’ve got a good 500 miles under your belt, you want to tackle the longer rides. Here are five foot positions you can practice to help your feet last longer and give you a more comfortable ride. (Read more)

Edited September 24, 2020 by shwinston
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[daaavid]

Thanks for the guide! I'm still a beginner rider and I've been running into foot fatigue; something like this is just what I need.

[toffer]

Thanks for the tips, I'm just under a month of riding and it prevents me from going farther.  I find I need to step off and walk around.  

[EUC Addict]

9 hours ago, toffer said:

I find I need to step off and walk around.

Hey that's a great tip too. I've done that too.

[360rumors]

I find that a lunge stretch can relieve foot pain. While riding I raise my heel from time to time. 

[Punxatawneyjoe]

Foot pain solved

Edited January 10 by Punxatawneyjoe

[sbb]

Or,

[KiwiMark]

After more than an hour riding a 5-minute break makes a big difference to how my feet feel.

Another trick - pedals with a little give in them, I'll be fitting my NyloNove pedals to my V12HT and trying them out, hopefully they will be a little less fatiguing on my feet.

[Cerbera]

I'll tell you what not to do. Don't come wandering downstairs in a sleepy daze at 4.30 am in a dressing gown and socks, put the kettle on, then decide it is the time to do some mounting practice on your wheel while you wait for it to boil. I did that the other day, forgetting the spiked pedals, and that I was only in socks, and now I have 5 neat little holes in my feet that have only stopped hurting a full day later ! Ah well - I was rained off today anyway. Sigh...silly humans...

Edited January 12 by Cerbera

[KiwiMark]

OK, I've had a couple of long rides with my NyloNove pedals and my initial impression is that I still need a break, but maybe a bit less often.  Today my feet didn't feel too bad after 2 hours non-stop riding, which is better than with machined aluminium pedals.  Maybe I need to stop and give my feet a rest after 2.5 hours using NyloNove pedals vs after 1.5 hours using other pedals.

Note: This wasn't a scientific test.  It was done with the same shoes, but with a different wheel (V12HT with NyloNove Pedals, RS with Clark pedals).