thanks for the butterflies, T. It was a relief to get the fitness back (though it took some time!). I really don't deserve any extra credit as I had no choice but to be on my bike for rehab - walking was out of the question - but it was so ironic to ride everywhere and then need my cane to walk the bike to the car! I have a long way to go before my legs have equal strength again.

I'm familiar with Andy's book and his approach. Basically I'm not sold (yet) on either approach but with regard to the arthritis, I wonder whether a shorter crank would mean less stress on the ball? My cleat-fitter friend thinks Andy's work is a sensory/proprioceptive approach, where shimming (and also moving shorter leg's cleat back and longer leg's cleat forward, I believe) should make you 'feel' even so you ride more comfortably (a bit oversimplified but that's the gist). Having ridden this way for my first year back I'm really curious to try another approach and see how that feels and, most importantly, whether it will slow down the arthritis. That part is a big bummer.

Eden, does your bike shoe fit comfortably with the insert? My orthotics don't work with all my non-bike shoes - not enough room in there. The shoes with stretchy laces (a la Keen) do well. I have similar thoughts about upper to lower leg length difference. With the big cleat stack (and the 170s) my left knee ends up pretty high on the top of the stroke and not as far forward as the right knee, and I think there's more dead space in the stroke than in the right. So it will be interesting to see if the different crank lengths do help or at least what they feel like. And - a thought - maybe it's not that your short leg is "too" short...maybe your longer leg is "too" long?! Maybe that short leg's length just works better for all the levers and pistons at work. My left (shorter) leg pedals very straight whereas my normal leg needs canting wedges to keep it from tipping in toward the top tube.

Deb, your ITB snapping friend and I should get together and play some tunes . He sounds like he's much more uncomfortable than I am and certainly had a more complex fracture. Anything in the femoral neck brings danger of avascular necrosis which (like Floyd), if it occurs, means eventual hip replacement, and all that. I'm sure they're monitoring him closely.

Does anyone know how common it is for (uninjured) cylists to get arthritis in their hip joints? I always thought we were better off than impact sports people who primarily run or ski (other than getting bad marks for osteoporosis). In my case the femoral head is probably out of alignment so that it's rubbing in a way it didn't pre-accident.

Oh well, so much to think about. Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. I'll be checking back!
O.