Huge News - Meet our new Physiotherapist and Ironman enthusiast Kathryn Krosch!!

We are stoked to add to our team another talented physiotherapist and bike fitter who ‘walks the walk and talks the talk’. Kathryn has worked inside multi-sport as a physiotherapist and also races and coaches triathlon as well. Kathryn completed her Bachelor of Physiotherapy at Australian Catholic University in 2017 before starting her career in sport physiotherapy on the Northside. After a few years, Kathryn took on a new role as the rehabilitation physiotherapist for the Queensland Reds Super Rugby team in 2022. Working in this high performance environment was both a challenging and valuable experience. Treating professional athletes sharpened her sports focus and performing injury management work within this group was especially rewarding.

Kathryn has completed further education in Women’s health, and also specialises in running and cycling biomechanics for optimal performance and injury prevention. After completing the Science of Cycling Physiotherapy bike fit course, Kathryn regularly performs bikefit services for her athletes and clients, targeted towards any musculoskeletal imbalances or injuries. 

While working as a Physiotherapist, Kathryn has also competed as an elite age group triathlete where her achievements include racing at the Ironman World Championships in 2018 and ITU Olympic distance age group world Championships in Mexico, 2015. She has achieved International and Australian podium finishes in Ironman Cairns, Ironman Bussleton, 70.3 Liuzhou, and has begun racing and podiuming in Women’s Elite and open races. She is also a triathlon coach, working with beginner and elite triathletes, and understands the musculoskeletal requirements for endurance performance.

We are thrilled to get another talented practitioner who also works hard within their chosen sport. It is always difficult getting practitioners who work and live in their chosen specialities and Kathryn certainly loves the culture of multi-sport and working on athletes in this space.

Give us a call or go online to make a time for Kathryn to work with you.

2023 is almost over!

And we are almost booked out!! Due to high demand, please contact us direcly if you can’t find an appointment spot before the end of 2023. We will make sure no one misses out. Don’t waste your private health rebates. Get something cool for your shoes. Or maybe get new shoes. Whatever takes your fancy.

The Pedaler Team

It almost the end of 2022 and it's time to make the most of your health insurance again.

At The Pedaler we have been running our NO GAP* second set of orthotics offering for over 7 years. If you have had orthotics made with us previously, then we will organise a replacement set or a new set for you at NO GAP*

Whats does this mean? If you have had walking orthotics, we can set you up with a set of running versions. If you have had cycling orthotics, we can set you up with a pair for your walking shoes. If you’ve just purchased a new set of schmick cycling shoes, then we can dial in those shoes for you and have them fitting perfectly. If your old set are just plain worn out, let us know.

We keep all your foot impressions on file so we can replicate for you without too many hassles. If your old impressions are non viable, then we will let you know and recast you at NO GAP*.

We are at the pointy end of 2022 and as the year comes to a close, most of the funds reset.

Give a call or send us an email and we can get the process started. It always gets a little busy at the end of December so don’t wait too late.

Enjoy the tail end of the year, The Pedaler Team.

*must have applicable health insurance.

Carbon Fibre Orthotics? - Why we love this material for orthotic design

Orthotic therapy has been around for many years. In the 26 years I have been prescribing and building orthotic devices, the technology and underlying prescription process has changed enormously. The standard building blocks of orthotic design when I entered University in 1996 were polypropylene plastic shells linked to static lower leg measurements to decide correction levels. These concepts were diligently instructed and practised by Podiatrists for many years.

When I moved back to Hobart in 2007, I got stuck into orthotic creation again in the orthotic lab at our practice. Whilst some of the concepts around orthotic prescription had begun to move on, the underlying materials remained largely unchanged. Most were made from polypropylene shells or EVA foam blocks. It was around this time we began designing orthotics for cycling. This was a huge change in design parameters as the volume and shape required to fit appropriately inside a tight fitting cycling shoe were very unique. We experimented with thin plastics and foams however we found this was still too bulky.

Carbon Fibre Orthotic

We started using a carbon fibre composite around this time to keep the volume down. The first carbon fibre we used was thermo-mouldable and was a simple twill layout. Whilst the volume was more appropriate, the uniform layup of the fibre didn’t allow us to reinforce the shells in the direction where the maximum load was occuring.

After a lot of experimenting, we began layering up our own carbon fibre and baking our shells with different types of carbon weave. This significantly reduced the volume further and allowed us to create strength in directions where we wanted it. It also allowed the shells to bend and flex under load rather then remain a uniform shape.

Cycling shoes have very little space for orthotics

This brings us back to the prescription process and why we love using the carbon fibre for its unique properties. Whether we ride or run, our feet don’t remain a fixed shape under load. The natural tendency is for a foot to change shape through the riding/running process. Carbon fibre flexibility works well with the dynamic nature of this crucial foot function. If your arch flattens under load, we should expect the orthotic shell adapt to this change rather than remain stiff and unyielding.

The overall outcome is a more comfortable lightweight thin orthotic device that tends to be more user friendly and less obtrusive. It doesn’t mean that every orthotic device is the same, or that every version we create is perfect every time, but certainly we try and create solutions with dynamic loading in mind, and the client expectations at the heart of the solution, As I always say, “there is no point in having the ‘best’ orthotic device available to you if it sits in the cupboard not being used”.

Wide Fit Lake MX238 Mountain Bike Shoes

We just landed a bunch of Lake Cycling’s MX238s for our MTB community. These are pretty rare in Australia but if you have wide feet, and need to shred the trails, these shoes might just be for you.

The MX238 is the same wide fitting shoe as for the road CX238 albeit with a rubber outer sole for scuff protection and a harder wearing upper to protect from the rigours of trail riding. They still have a comfortable soft upper feel. These shoes also come in a wide fit which is ‘super wide’. This width is only for the really wide feet.

Lake MX 238

As always, if you need help or are unsure what shoe works for you and why, make a time to see us for a shoe fitting. It may just solve more than your shoe fitting issues.

Why do my feet have Hot Spots when I’m cycling?

We have all heard our friends describe the hot spots on their feet while cycling.  They are the bane of any cyclist’s existence.  What are they though and what causes them?  Let’s run through a few of the most common causes for cycling hot spots and how we treat them here at The Pedaler.

The most frequent cause of hot spots when we ride is ill fitting cycling shoes.  When our feet are compressed, especially in the forefoot, the interdigital nerves fire up and send signals of burning and numbness to our brains (often at the same time - the amazing power of our nervous system).  Once this has been set off, it takes a little while for it to settle down post ride.  Unfortunately once triggered, the discomfort normally returns more quickly each time you try to ride further.  There are those amongst us who are unlucky and the size and location of their interdigital nerves and metatarsals leave them more prone to this problem than most. The simple solution is wider fitting cycling shoes such as Lake or wide fitting Bonts.  Wider cycling shoes may delay the onset of the burning or solve the problem all together.

Bont Vaypor S with Cobra9 Pros

The second most frequent cause of hot spots and burning feet while cycling is pressure points.  When we ride, we squish our feet into our carbon or plastic soled shoes 90 times per minute for 2 to 3 hours at a time.  All it takes is a little more load on a particular portion of the sole of the foot to create a region of pain.  Some feet have more protuberances or shape issues than others.  If you aren’t sure whether this is your problem, then you probably need to chat to a good cycling podiatrist at The Pedaler.  Our practitioners can normally determine whether there is an issue, and whether we can distribute the load to an alternate location.  This can normally be achieved with a quality insole like the Cobra9 cycling orthotics we use.

Another common reason for burning feet while cycling is load management.  If you increase your distances too quickly then your tissue will not have the necessary time required to adapt and better manage the pressure.  If we increase our riding gradually, our feet handle the load on them better.  If we increase the load quickly or violently, then we will likely encounter problems.  The soles of our feet are a network of blood vessels, nerves, skin, connective tissue and a little fat and when we squeeze them against the pedals it creates micro trauma.  A little of this is good for adaptation. Too much is painful and leads to longer term issues.

The above are only a few of the reasons your feet might feel like they are burning while cycling.  Others include underlying pathologies (CMT, Raynaud’s, arthritis etc), poor pedaling technique, poor cleat orientation and location, incorrect bike fit and many more. With so many reasons for hot feet, creating one solution for them all is too simplistic.  Certainly organizing wider shoes for those with tight fitting shoes is a great start.  If you are unsure as to why your feet burn when you ride, maybe now is the time to drop in.

Our Racing Squads update - Cobra9 Leigh Surveying Racing Round 2 report QRTS 2022

TTT Ben Lawes, Jason Thomas, Nick Miller

Our Cobra9 Leigh Surveying Racing squads were back in action in Gympie over the weekend taking on the best riders in SEQ and beyond. In 2022 we are again running 2 teams - an elite team and our masters crew.

The weekend consisted of 3 races (and a sprint event) packed into the 2 days. We were hosted spectacularly in the Mary Valley region by Rupert Leigh from Leigh Surveying in his wondrous abode. Plenty of good chat, beers and war stories unfolded each evening which is what Cobra9 racing is all about. Big thanks to our crew in support.

Phil Cavdarski - Pain Face

Our Masters team rode strongly with Ben Lawes again featuring on the podiums regularly including taking possession of the sprint jersey overall. Nick Miller was strong all weekend especially in the TTT alongside the new phenom for 2022 Jason Thomas. Jason excelled in the hilly terrain and also rode a superb TTT.

It was great to see Adam and Ralph back for their first races in some years alongside the oldest first timer in history Peter Rutherford. Peter was great company all weekend and his efforts in the sprint event were sensational. He also provided routine power updates alongside his cadence data.

Jason Thomas - TTT - Solid

In our elite team, Josh Prete commanded and inspired confidence across the squad returning to about 50% of the form he used to produce. With him up the road, everyone across the other teams were wondering whether the 2014 version might just ride away solo to the victory again. It wasn’t to be, but Ryan Thomas was on hand to delivery another podium fighting it out for a tough 2nd place. Luke Spiteri had a baptism of fire but looked right at home in the hillier terrain. You need to get through your first race to begin the journey and he has well and truly done that. QRTS is tough, and thats why we love it and fight hard to keep it.

Elite Squadra - James Panizza, Josh Prete, Phil Cavdarski, Nick Dougall, Luke Spiteri, Ryan Thomas, Jordan Matters

Nick Dougall returned to racing and was splendid in the TTT. He also has this complexion that remains tanned all year round and really needs to be investigated and commercialised. Jordan Matters has his best event yet with a sterling ride in the first race surviving the distillation process to remain at the pointy end. Phil Cavdarski was Phil Cavdarski providing comic relief alongside some inspired efforts on and off the bike. Our Bridgelane import James Panizza improved every day after coming in hot from a Gastro bug and rode like a trooper on day 2. His TTT/ITT effort will also go down in Cobra9 folklore as well.

Nick Dougall on the charge

If you want to get an idea of the weekend, jump onto the Cobra9 Development Team Facebook page and listen in the to live streams from every race on the weekend. There is some terrible chat and some funny stuff as well to digest. Apologies to all who are offended by our pathetic attempts at humour.

Racing again in 2 weeks at Battle. Should be decent. We’ll see you there.

Sponsored by - Leigh Surveying, Cobra9 Cycling Orthotics, The Pedaler Health and Cafes, Intebuild, Loan Market (Adrian Cross), Dellacorda, J & N Investments, Attaquer and North West Physio. Legacy Sponsors as always - Megabake and Wurkstand - Stephan Small RIP legend.