It's been a great ride!

Kick-It marketing will no longer be selling Footbikes.

 Please contact www.Footbikeusa.com for all of your Footbiking needs.

Footbiking is still the most rock'n sport of all time.

Keep Kick'n it!

Sarah

What is your Footbike doing today?

During the months of March thru November my Footbike gets so much use I don't have to ask What is my Footbike doing today? Most days my Footbike sees the local trails and race courses, but sometimes my Footbike gets to go somewhere Fabulous.

Included are some pictures in Moab Utah on a great vacation. Oh and when we drove through San Francisco we couldn't help ourselves we had to stop and get out the Footbikes for a kick across the Golden Gate Bridge.

So as the season get's underway don't forget to snap a picture or two of

"what your Footbike is doing today"

send them our way and we will post them on the blog. Thanks

ps. Not interested in seeing a picture of a Footbike hanging in your garage collecting dust.

Get out and KICK IT!!!!!!!

Looking back...

2011 was a fantastic Footbiking year for us.

We participated in many events and added many new friends to our Footbiking circle.

Salt Lake City Marathon

We started out the racing year in April with our 2nd appearance in the Salt Lake City bike tour.

We had 5 Footbikers, one of which was a first time marathoner. Although we started out in the rain the weather cleared up and we had an enjoyable kick. All participants had fun and did well.

Brain Injury Association 5K

In May 5 Footbikers showed up at Liberty Park to support a friend and neighbor in the Brain Injury Association 5K. My 6 year old son raced his first race and had so much fun. He kicked hard and loved being a part of the event. The race atmosphere was exciting, getting a race shirt was awesome, but I think the best part for my six year old was wearing his own bib number.

Way to go Weston!!!

Utah Valley Marathon

Pictured: Lisa, Sarah, Chris, Andrew

June brought on our 3rd year participating in the Utah Valley Marathon.

What an event!

Up so early in the morning, standing for an hour freezing at the starting line. I loved the atmosphere and felt just like my six year old did at his first race, soaking in everything I could. 10 Footbikers raced, several were first time racers who did awesome. There was exciting competition among the experienced kickers with record setting times. This was the most incredible event we have taken part in yet.

The best part for me was taking Jeff at the finish line by one little second.

Jeff and Sarah coming in to the finish line.

Wow talk about some adrenaline!

Jeff, Mat, Chris

Sarah (not pictured Ruth 2nd and Lisa 3rd)

Pedal Away Parkinsons 10 mile ride

July we did the Parkinson's disease 10 mile bike tour in

honor of my father with many family members on Footbikes and on bikes.

Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon Running race (no footbike this time)

August was my 1/2 marathon running race. I had to prove that footbiking

is an excellent training tool for long distance runners. See my previous post.

I think I proved my point.

Viva Bike Vegas 60 mile Bike Tour


Sarah and Ruth at the starting line. Ready to ride the lights of the Las Vegas Strip

October at the Viva Bike Vegas was a perfect way to end our season with a

timed 60 mile race (30 miles of uphill) What a challenge,

but truely satisfying and it made all those training miles worth it in the end.

Chris, Jeff and Mat at the finish line!

Utah Kick Group Days

On top of all of the races we had several kick group days which gave us the opportunity to kick together with fellow footbikers and share our love for kicking with them.

2011 was a kick'n year. Here's to 2012!!!

Numb hands?

I used to have numb hands.

It started out that it would happen only every so often, but then as I increased my training time and distance it would happen every time I went out.

I sent out a facebook discussion on the matter and received so many comments and suggestions and I tried many of them and finally resolved the problem.

I biked 60 mile in October for the Viva Bike Vegas without my hands going numb at all.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with this.

Here are some of the things that I tried.

I bought new gel padded bike gloves, mine were wearing thin.

I changed the angle of Ergon hand grips, flattening them out to hopefully relieve any nerve pressure. I also raised the height of my handlebars back up as I had previously lowered them completely. I made a conscious effort to hold lightly on the handlebars instead of gripping them tightly.I made a very conscious effort to put my weight into my legs instead of leaning or resting down on the handlebars while riding or coasting, one of the exercises that was suggested to me that i practiced regularly was to only ride with one or two fingers touching the handlebars therefor forcing my legs to bare my weight and my fingers were for balance only. Another trick that was suggested was to do quick switches. Only kick 3 times on each side before switching legs. All of these suggestions were great and helped to an extent,

but it wasn't until I got a new short stem which brought my handlebars so much closer to my body that my numb hands went away entirely.

If you suffer you may want to look into a new stem.

Where have I been?

I know it seems that I fell off the face of the earth, but I simply ran out of time. Not enough hours in the day to train and keep up with four kids and the house. I had to let something fall aside and so it was my blog. I kept swearing I would catch up to it after the older kids were in school, then after the Viva bike Vegas race in October was over and then after the holidays it certainly would slow down. It is now the end of January and I am finally catching up on life. I only have about 5 weeks until the training starts again so I'll give ya what I can.

Footbiking/Running Experiment

What is the longest you have ever spent

physically exerting yourself?

1 hour, 2 hours, 5 hours, maybe longer?

I think the longest most intense physical exertion for me is probably backpacking.
I carry a 45lb+ pack and hike for at least 6-8 hours carrying that weight on rocky, hilly terrain.
Next on the list is probably...
Footbiking the 50 mile Viva Bike Vegas ride in Oct 2010, my finishing time 5:30. This ride has at least 23 miles of uphill.
Okay put that aside for a minute.
With Kick-It Marketing I spend a lot of time with runners and cyclists participating in events and marketing in booths to runners. I have heard from many long distance runners that Footbiking is an excellent cross training tool and that it improves running times and so I pitch this to potential Footbike customers. I have found this to be true in my own short runs. Yes I do
run, but the longest I had ever run was 7 miles once on my treadmill and I did a 10k last fall. I did not consider myself a long distance runner and really had never wanted to run any farther.
I got thinking though and I decided that if I had the mental and physical strength to do one kind of physical activity for a long period of time then really shouldn't I be able to do another.
I decided to prove my theory of Footbiking being a great cross training tool and even a main training tool for a long distance run. Many times when I talk to runners about Footbiking I feel like they don't have respect for us because we are on wheels therefore it must be easier to Footbike. Often times when I tell runners about what a great tool a Footbike can be for their running they give me the " sure whatever, like you would know" look. I am currently training for a 60 mile Footbike ride in October so I thought surely with all of my Footbike training I could complete a 13.1 mile run. Right? Well...
Tomorrow I run my first half marathon!
To prepare myself for this run I have been Footbiking 3-5 times a week usually one of those is a 25 mile ride. I have been doing 1 run each week usually a 5 mile run. I thought I would work up to a 13 mile run slowly, but then one Saturday I started out to do a 7 mile run and I decided to just keep going and going. I ended up doing a full 13 miles which kinda makes tomorrows run a little anticlimactic since I have already run the distance, but tomorrow it will be an official timed race and I did not spend hour after hour running my joints into the ground, but I am ready to run the 13 miles none the less.
I think I can officially say that my experiment is conclusive. If I can Footbike for 2 hours I can run for two hours. (Is the reverse true then? If a runner can run for 2 hours then he can Footbike for 2 hours, I think so.)

Besides the Footbike is a running machine and can be a replacement for worn out runners, a cross trainer for runners, a trainer for runners, a fun alternative to running, a resting work out for runners.

Footbiking and running are very compatible.

I think every runner should own a Footbike!

Cannibal 20" bracket

Many of you have asked how we put on a 20" wheel and have wanted to get one for yourself. We have the wheels custom made and then Chris makes a bracket that allows the wheel to work. Please read all of the information below and then if you want to place an order please send an email to kickitmarketing@gmail.com

Cannibal’s 20” bracket
Here’s the scoop!
First and foremost you need to remember a few things before one dives into this purchase.
1. This is a handmade custom bracket. It will be made in my garage, will take me approx. 4 hours from start to finish, and I will make it as close to perfect as I can get but I make these in my garage.
2. The wheels are professionally build by a bike shop where I use to work and have maintained relationship with for 20+ years. They are good; dang good wheel builders!
3. Your existing rear FB skewer can be used but will fit tight, very tight. See my notes below about the skewer. Does it work? Yes, 4 of us have been kicking on them for almost 6 months now but you need to know going into this all the info about the current skewer challenge. We are looking into getting a longer skewer threaded deeper and then sized to correct length.
4. The Tektro R556 brake can be purchased on the internet and has worked wonderfully for us. Other brakes that we have tried are very difficult to get to function correctly due to clearance. See attached pic #191.
5. Will it make you faster? Kick it and find out!

This bracket was engineered for a FB track model that has a carbon front fork already installed. I need to make this clear because it does matter that the person has made these changes to their FB first because it does change the height of their deck and the angle of attack. Again, this bracket was engineered for a FB track that has already had these upgrades. As you can tell from the pictures(#133) attached that the deck drops another 1/8” in addition to the results alone with the carbon fork. Together with Carbon fork and Cannibal bracket you still remain virtually level. It is unknown what type of angle and results you will get if you still are using the stock FB fork.
Cost to build bracket set only(comes with mounting hardware) would be $85.00. This does not include the 20”wheel,tube, and tire, and rear brake(if wanted).

I can provide the kit (Less the Tektro R556 brake) of below listed parts for $255.00.
Cannibal’s 20” bracket kit includes:
20” custom build Alex Rim R390 wheel with wheelsmith spokes, tube, and tire(110 PSI, 20X1 1/8”). *You will have to provide me with Your rear FB hub.
Cannibal 20” bracket set for FB in flat black finish.
Mounting hardware for bracket.
Instructions of how to mount
Shipping

*Note that the existing rear skewer will have to be used for now but with caution not to strip threads due to the wider spacing caused by the bracket. It works and has worked for us wonderfully however, this issue is being addressed to see about obtaining longer skewers that are threaded deep enough to use on the FB hub. It is for this reason that you take on yourself all responsibility to making sure you put the skewer on correctly and carefully not to break it but to also insure that the wheel is secure. Again, it works but with tenderness not to strip the limited threads.

Footbiking the UVM 2011

4 days to the UVM (Utah Valley Marathon), are you ready?
I feel more ready this year than last. Last year was a bogus trip for me. Two weeks before the race I came down with a bad head cold. As the race got closer and the more I trained and pushed myself, the worse it got and the deeper into my lungs it travelled till finally the week of the race had arrived and I had a full blown case of Bronchial Phenomena. Did I let this stop me from kicking it? No, I am one of those brilliant individuals that push themselves till they drop which is about what happened. I recall vividly at mile 18 feeling as though I was going to faint due to the lack of O2 and being surrounded with the prettiest dazzling stars that circled my head and made it very difficult to see the lines on the road. Finally arriving at the finish line I remember the kind folks helping me off my Footbike and desiring me to put one of those O2 masks over my face and escort me to the red and white wagon with the soft beds and people dressed in blue scrubs. Yea, I declined but probably should have gone with them. Glad that’s over with!
So this year what am I expecting from the UVM? Bring it on baby!! First and for most this year I am in good health which is huge, I have been training pretty regularly, the weather looks like it’s going to be beautiful and not 43 degrees and snowing at the starting line, I got this new 20” rear wheel that I will be kicking that totally rocks, and finally I have my Rokit Fuel bar to give me that extra needed kick. I would highly suggest that you give one a try. They are natural, they really do give a boost of energy to draw from, and honestly they taste pretty dang good for something being made of twigs, berries, and bark. I know the guys behind the bar and they got their “Shizz” together. So that’s my plan; go kick hard and enjoy. I’m pleased to see that there will be a few more kickers this year and am very excited to meet our kicking visitors from out of town who have traveled to our wonderful state to be part of this great event. Good luck, run strong, and have a great run to those who are doing the 26.2 the old fashioned way. As for all you kickers be safe, enjoy, and JUST KICK IT!
See you bright and early on the busses!
The Cannibal

Footbike a 5k for a Cause

Here is a shout out to all of you Footbikers who want to be involved in an event,

but think 26 miles is a little crazy.

We are joining the 17th annual 5k run, walk and roll for the Brain Injury Association of Utah.

The event will be held on May 21st at 8 am at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.

Registration is only $20 before May 9th and then the price goes up to $25.

You can register online at www.biau.org/events

I will be riding with Chris and two of my boys to support Charlie our little 4 year old neighbor who experienced a brain injury 3 years ago.

Salt Lake City Marathon 2011

Another great event behind us. We had 5 kickers total for the 25 mile tour. We started out in a rain storm (yuck), but then the weather cleared and the streets dried out and we had a lovely morning kick. One T and The Cannibal finished in 1:28, Super Sonic had a time of 1:37, X finished around 1:40 and Larene who was a first timer finish at 2:04.
I don't have any pics yet, but if I can get some I will upload.

20" wheel is faster.

After some feild research... I think I have determined that the larger rear wheel does increase my overall speed and it takes less effort to maintain higher speeds. I haven't done enough on the hills yet to decide how much that will slow me down. Maybe after the 3" of new snow melt I can get back out and find out.

Is Bigger Better?????

Sometimes bigger is better, but the question at hand is...

Is a 20" rear wheel better than an 18"?

I have even seen and heard of some people in Europe kicking

on a full sized rear wheel.

So what are the benefits? What are the draw backs?

Draw backs= slower start, slower getting up to speed,

more effort pushing up a hill.

Benefits= rolls faster once you are up to speed, maintains higher

speed with less effort.

Faster overall.

This is what I understand.

Now I get to put it to the test.

Chris surprised me last weekend with a new 20" rear wheel.

I am going to start training on it and see what differences I notice.

I will let you know if I think

"Bigger is better."

Here are some notes I found about this very subject, but refering to different sized tires.

"The most common wheel is the 700. They have a larger circumference and less rolling resistance. This means they will decelerate slower than a smaller wheel would, which is beneficial in races like triathlons where you mostly maintain a constant speed. If you were to stop pedaling, a larger wheel would roll faster and longer than a smaller wheel, which translates into saved energy when you are trying to maintain a high speed. The smaller 650 wheels accelerate and climb better due to their lower mass and size, but have a harder time maintaining high speeds. You basically have to work harder to hold a certain speed with 650’s than you do with 700’s."

Another thing to consider is with the new 20" rim I am also riding on a more narrow tire with a higher pressure rating. Many factors.

I will do some feild work.

First Kicking Group a Success

Saturday was great!

It was overcast, but temperatures in the 40's made for perfect kicking weather.

We had 7 Kickers join us this time, an awesome group and good company.

We kicked the Legacy Parkway from 500 South to Farmington and back.

Our total distance was 16.5 Miles.

This was an incredible first kick for Andrew. Way to go!

We swapped stories, traded kicking techniques, talked components,

and just had an all around good time.

I am really looking forward to our next meet up on April 9th.

We are going to work laps around Sugar House park on that day.

It would be great to see more people join us.

'til next time.

Music for the Cannibal

I posed a simple question and got a very complicated answer.

I asked Footbike racer "The Cannibal"

What is your favorite song to kick to?

Here is what I got from him.

I guess there is just too much kick'n to narrow it down to just one song.

Thanks Cannibal!

So Sarah from Kick-It Marketing (the Footbike Rep for Utah and Idaho) asks me a question the other day that I have struggled to answer and have pondered and wrestled with for over a week now. Her question to me was “What is your very favorite song that you like to listen to while you are Footbiking?” Easy question to answer right? Wrong!! Especially for a music lover like myself.
Before I tackle her question with an answer I must preface my response and share with all that I am a 80s music junkie. My i-Pod is chuck full of some of the finest tunes that were created during those magical music years. Typically this is what I am tuning on during the day but Footbiking brings out a different need in me.
So what do I crank to as I kick a comfortable 12-14 mph down the Legacy Parkway? It kind of depends on the mood and the kick. As with music, no kick is the same. I have different licks for different types of kicks. No one song can fit the bill to answer Sarah’s question. Typically I lean toward the harder steady bass beating music that carries a rhythmic pond. Marilyn Manson’s version of the classic “Personal Jesus” or “Tainted Love” would be great examples of what I’m talking about. Some other select songs from the same artist also has that same bass pond that I need from time to time. I’m not a Rap guy however I do have a few old school artists like Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Tone-Loc (Funky Cold Medina or Wild Thing), and Run-D.M.C (tricky) that fills the need. On longer kicks when I fight though the ups and downs of the course and energy reserves I tend to grab a tasty Cliff bar (FBUSA sponsor plug) and mix in a few lighter more electronic “poppy” tunes from artists like Owl City, Angles & Airwaves, David Tavare (Oh la la la), Eiffel 65, David Guetta (World is Mine), The Prodigy, Ace of Base, and don’t forget Beck (Looser). Don’t laugh the stuff rocks! And finally for those times when the kick is needing all I got to eat up the asphalt and pull those mph’s up a few clicks, I’ll crank up the volume and try to blow the drivers out of my ScullCandys (another FBUSA sponsor plug) with the heavy sounds of Chemical Brothers (The Boxer), Cirrus (I Got So Many Eyes Watching Me Now, Catch you On the “B” Side), some of Maynard’s creations with Puscifer, and my latest wicked beating fetish, Matthew Dear (You Put A Smell On Me, I Can’t Feel). You got to try them.
I hope this helps to answers your question Sarah. Some day I most likely will be deaf or at least short of hearing due to the volume level that I kick too but when I’m old I’ll look back with a smile on my face, take a deep breath with strong healthy lungs, stand tall with a strong heart beat on legs as solid as Oak trees and think, yea that kicked!
Be healthy, love music, enjoy life, and Just Kick It!
The Cannibal

Footbiking in the USA- Facebook Group

Do you know about this facebook group?

It is called

Footbiking in the USA.

I love it! It is a great place to meet others who scooter too.

This group is for everyone who scoots regardless of brand and even though when the groups started it was for the USA, it has members from all over the world.

There are good discussions about upgrades, types of kicking shoes, reasons to scoot, favorite trails, upcoming events, past events and all sorts of other fun things about the sport.

Jump on and see what it's all about.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=10150154398450393

Training Time!!!!!

I have picked Monday February 28th as my official training start date.

The days are getting longer and occassionally a little warmer.

Besides I have spring fever so bad.

Who is up for the training?

If we start on 2/28 then
that gives us 7 weeks to train for the 25 mile Salt Lake Marathon Bike Tour
http://www.saltlakecitymarathon.com/
which is on Saturday April 16th.
This is a bike tour and is not a timed race, but is still great fun and we are accepted and respected by most bikers.

This training start date will then give us 15 weeks to get ready for the Utah Valley Marathon

http://www.utahvalleymarathon.com/

which is on Saturday June 11th.

The Utah Valley Marathon has an official Footbike division. This race is so fun and gives us the opportunity to join up with other kickers. This is also a timed event for those who want to get their names in the books for U.S. Footbiking records.

If anyone is interested in seeing the training schedules I have set up. I would be happy to send them to you if you email me. These worked really well for me when I was training for my first Marathon.

Do you kick with Music?

I love to crank up the ipod and kick as hard as I can.

I like hip hoppy music that has a fun beat.

One of my favorites right now is Taio Cruz- Dynamite

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpGgBYeOgi0

What do you like to kick to? I would love to know.

Tell me what songs get your heart pumping!

How do you transport your Footbike?

Typically I step out of my garage and my Footbike workout begins, but what about when you want to meet up with friends or need a change of scenery or you are going on vacation?

How do you take your Footbike with you?

Really it's easy. We have done it so many different ways. Footbikes are actually pretty small especially if you remove the front wheel and the back wheel. You can fit them just about anywhere inside or outside of your vehicle.

Bonus**** no greasy chain to worry about.

This is one of those tiny "Smart Cars" and a Footbike fits easily in the passenger seat.

Here we took four Footbikes with us on a Jeep Wrangler.

We have a Thule rack that we use on the top of our Tent Trailer that works great.
I've heard that the Europeans use a Yakima space case on the top of their vehicle and they can fit a couple inside safe and secure.

I've helped many people fit their Footbikes in many different types cars. In the trunk, in the back seat, in the passenger seat.

Where ever and however you make it work.

Take your Footbike with you and

JUST KICK IT!!!!!

Miss'n it big time!!!

Yes I am still here, just took a break from the blog because I haven't had much Footbiking to blog about.It has now been six weeks since I have been able to get out on my Footbike. I am missing it big time. I have been planning though for the new season. Getting some things organized and looking forward to start training for April when we do the Salt Lake Marathon. It is still winter here in Utah, but I am already dreaming of a warm spring and a HOT summer.

50 MILES- VIVA BIKE VEGAS

WOW!!!!!!

We did it!!!!!!

50 Miles

This was a great ride.

Personally the longest I have ever gone

on my footbike in one day.

50 miles is long,

but it is really long when the first 22 miles is

up, up, up!!!!

The downhill felt nice on our very fatigued legs.

I did the whole course with my sister Ruth.

She was great company.

Our Finish time was 5:25

Mat, Chris and Jeff all finished together at 4:45.