Steve Hogg: Material Challenge to the nervous system

chakattack

What is all this material challenge stuff? Any science to it or complete waffle?

His main competitor is Andy Pruitt who works with specialized......


Currently there are 2 brands of wedging available; Bike Fit Systems and Specialized. BFS developed the cleat wedge in 3 bolt, Speedplay 4 bolt and Mtb 2 bolt versions. They also were the originator of an in shoe wedge that BFS now called the ITS (In The Shoe) wedge. The original name was 'Sole Power' or something like that. Specialized have a similar concept wedge to the BFS ITS and have a cleat wedge as well. I've only seen 3 examples of the Specialized cleat wedge as it is relatively new to the market and have not yet made a judgement. Of the 2 brands and various models, I will not use Specialized in shoe wedges because they present a Material Challenge to the nervous system. A Material Challenge is when a product is composed of materials that have a negative effect on proprioceptive clarity. It appears to me that Specialized copied the original BFS in shoe wedge without fully understanding the implications of their choice of materials. What I'm saying is that X number of Specialized in shoe wedges provide the same degree of cant to the foot as X number of BFS in shoe wedges, but only at the cost of reducing the Central Nervous System's (CNS) ability to 'hear' the feet. Well, they're not alone. Other items that present a Material Challenge are Live Strong and Live Free plastic bracelets and most other similar, charity type plastic bracelets as well as Power Balance plastic bracelets and some sunglass lens coatings.


If you own any of these style of bracelets or use Specialized in shoe wedges, by all means wear them or use them if that is what presses your buttons. But I would suggest that you don't wear them while riding a bike if long term injury free performance is your aim. If you use these items, will you become injured?
In any individual case, only time will tell. Your susceptibility to injury and the volume and intensity of your training play a large part in this. What I am saying is that any using any product that presents a Material Challenge to the nervous system means that you are metaphorically skating on thinner ice than need be. Whether the ice breaks resulting in injury cannot be known in advance. But why heighten the risk?


Note: Regarding sunglass lens coatings, I'm seeing this more often, though it is still a small minority of fit clients. There seems to be an individual component to this in the sense that a particular pair of glasses may have a negative effect on one person but not on another. When a fit booking is made, we ask the intending client to bring their bike(s), knicks, shoes and walking/ running orthoses if they use them. To that list will now be added sunglasses or any prescription glasses that are worn on the bike. As more data comes my way from this, I will sooner or later post on the subject.

Ryder

stuff about wedges, like orthotics for running, makes intuitive sense ie they mask rather than correct a lot of problems and may make things worse long Term. Not much 'evidence' either way........orthotics make money so there is a positive research bias. but that article.......absolute waffle

Lumen

I think he's saying that Livestrong bracelets are gay.