Geo. Bergeron wrote: < snip > > Higher gears and a lower cadence (turnover) put strains on muscles > and joints. In bicycling, the knees go first with high gear pedaling, but > they're followed by hips, ankles, sciatica. . .< snip > > Washburne I think suggests that shorter paddles with less "purchase" > are like lower gears on a bicycle. Higher turnover results in less stress on > elbows, shoulders, wrists. . .< snip > This is very much like my experience. I'm probably one of those cyclers-and-paddlers who does everything in too high a gear. But I find that it is more comfortable to do things in higher gear (or with a slightly wider paddle) - I seem to be more able to keep the cadence down and get a reasonable momentum going and keep moving, whereas going at higher cadence and less power per stroke it feels like I'm burning up much more energy to go less distance. I'm not particularly speedy on a bike or in a kayak - perhaps above average for my height and gender, but definitely no racer or anything. But I find myself wondering whether simply some people's bodies are more comfortable going along in a higher gear to accomplish the same speed or distance that others would comfortably do in lower gear. I have always biked in high gears (not up mountains, I should say, mostly just around town) and find that downshifting is a more strenuous way to cover distance. (Also much less fun.) Probably I am risking my shoulder, knees, etc. - but is there also an element to this that is simply a function of how different people's bodies get the best momentum? And on a completely different note - a paddle design question. Paddle shaft design, to be more specific. I am in the market for a new paddle, and so I have been trying some out. My current paddle, which is a rather modest Sawyer that I bought when I started paddling two years ago, has a round shaft. I paddle unfeathered, since feathering seems like it would hurt my wrists right away. I like the Sawyer very well, just need a second paddle so I'll have a spare. But I want it to be something I like paddling as much as I like the Sawyer. I've been trying other paddles, looking for something light and easy. Most reasonably good paddles have oval shafts. (This year's version of the same Sawyer also does - otherwise I'd just get another of what I have.) The front of the oval is designed to fit in the second joint of the fingers, with the top edge of the blade lined up with the knuckles. However, I find that if I hold a paddle that way I have to bend my wrist up on every stroke, or else the blade comes into the water at the wrong angle and dives down into the water along its edge instead of being perpendicular to the surface and nicely pushing the water. I can't bend my wrist every stroke - that's why I paddle unfeathered, so I won't have to. Does anyone else have this problem? And does anyone have suggestions for how/where to find a good paddle that doesn't have an oval shaft? I talked to folks from Boreal and Werner at some length at PaddleSport, but they had never heard of people having this problem. The Boreal folks add an additional piece to their paddles to make the oval, so conceivably I could special order one with that placed correctly for my wrists (rotated around 15 degrees from where other people want it) or order one without that piece. (If I wanted to pay $360 for their most wonderfully light paddle, that is!) The Werner person said he thought they actually buy the shaft pieces circular, and then reshape them, so perhaps I could special order one not-reshaped. Does anyone know of other options? And any paddle designers out there, please tell me why everyone else doesn't have this problem, if you have any idea! Joy Hecht Arlington VA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Mar 30 1998 - 19:38:44 PST
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