Badgercat,

Thanks so much about the information about the Chaco's. I think they look mighty cool, and it's great to know that they work people to do heel lifts or orthotics. Did you get a set of Chaco's with lifts from the cobbler in the FAQ? If so, how long did it take between ordering them and receiving them?

Everyone interested in cycling & leg length discrepancies,

I received my "temporary" adjustable crankset from Tom Slocum and had it installed on my Merlin. So far I've only ridden ~60 miles on it, but so far, so good. A couple of comments:

1. The workmanship on the crankset is fantastic! When I mentioned that to Tom, he said that the finished product would be even better!

2. The crankset has the dropped pedal for my right leg, which is my longer leg. The pedal is permanently attached to the crank in a way that the Q-factor is equivalent to the pedal/crank on the uncorrected side.

3. It's hard to explain, but the crankset is adjustable in a way that makes it elliptical. The rings are round, but the middle is adjusted so that it's off center (like its owner. ) Ahem. Anyway, this resulted in the bike shop having to raise the front derailleur a bit to accommodate it.

4. The adjustable crankset is a standard double -- 53/39. Since my Merlin has a 12-27 cassette, this means that I'm not bringing it on my climbing rides. The Trek has been on Mt. Hamilton and Mt. Diablo duty and will be coming up to Crater Lake this weekend. The Trek will most likely be participating in the Waves to Wine ride as well.

I'm starting to think that if I want to get the miles on the Merlin to test out the crank, I'm going to have to change to a mountain cassette/derailleur. What a slippery slope this upgrading business is.

5. Based on the video I sent Tom, he recommended a couple of adjustments to my seat and my right cleat.

I really need to put more miles on the Merlin so I have something to report back to Tom. After that, we can get the adjustments dialed in and he can make the "real" custom crankset.

- Melissa