Well the Nelo pull bar foot rest was a great success, ensuring that my feet were always in the right position and didn’t move across the width of the footrest. This is particularly advantageous for portaging as my feet “naturally” slipped under the pull bar when I got back into the boat, immediately ready to go.
It is reminiscent of my bike pedals where the shoe is clipped into the pedal allowing power to be exerted on the up stroke. Being clipped-in means that the foot is always in the optimum position.
The only problem with the Nelo configuration is the weight. By the time I’d added a couple of pieces of plywood to support it on the footrest flanges, it weighed 1kg. This is ok when trying to add weight to meet the ICF C1 sprint weight of 16 kgs, but not beneficial for portaging in a marathon.
Anyway, as it happens, I spotted a Wey paddler offering another K1 pull bar setup on facebook and I was lucky enough to get it.
Pull bar Mk II
This is made of plywood and much simpler. It doesn’t look as impressive as the Nelo one, but I have fitted and tested it and it is just as effective and 250 grams lighter.
The pull bar also appears to improve stability especially in choppy water as I feel more “part of the boat”.
Now that I’ve proved the concept, I’ll have a go at designing a bespoke model for the C1.
Darkside Canoes 