Guys, you srsly won't believe this

[alpinerabbit]

Remember me?

Remember this thread?
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28141

well it gets better. I've really been off anything much because the aches and pains would keep coming back. Yeah, I rode some.

This spring I started back and I felt so "off" on the bike. Asymmetrical. My right foot pointed down more than my left and I felt like I needed to shift my butt off the right hand side of the seat to be comfortable.

I finally went to the sports doc to have a suspicion confirmed.

My right lower leg is one cm shorter than the left. OTOH, my left thigh is also a bit shorter. The hips end up straight again but that's why the PTs never saw a thing.
It seems logical as well, why I would have all my problems in the "shorter" leg. It needs to reach further down to reach the pedal = less training and f*ç%ed up tibialis anterior muscle.


I now ride fairly comfortably with about 1cm lift under my right cleat and the cleat moved a good bit back. This only really works with my mtn. shoes, the road cleats don't move back far enough. But I have mtn. pedals on the one road bike, and if all else fails the other will get them too.

Problem is - i'm only even when seated and not when I stand up.


Maybe someone has some ideas how to perfect this setup?

[KnottedYet]

Ditch the lift.

Keep the right cleat farther back relative to the left (right femur is the long one). Optimize the KOPS for each. See if that messes too much with your standing, then find a happy middle ground.

Or...

Use platforms so you can automatically adjust KOPS on the fly as you switch from standing to sitting.

Or...

Get a sprung saddle so your pelvis can tilt laterally on alternate pedal strokes. This might be the best bet, since it's the compensation your body was originally trying to use. (scooting one hip off the saddle) A leather saddle would eventually give you the same effect, but would take a good while to break in a deep enough dent for you to feel relief.

ETA: has anyone done a gait analysis on you? If you do a compensation at the hip or pelvis as you walk also, then I'd definitely go with the sprung saddle. Everybody is lopsided in one way or another, there is a solution out there! You will find it!

[badger]

I'm lopsided, too. My right hip is about an inch higher than my left due to scoliosis. My legs are the same length, but because my right hip is higher, my left jean leg always gets wet from the rain when I walk.

I don't notice a huge amount when I ride, I just notice that my left sit bone hits lower and harder on my saddle, and I used to think it was a defect on my Brooks. My car, which I drove for 15 years had a mould of my butt which was askew to the right.

Sorry, I guess I just wanted to moan about my imbalances. I hope you get yours sorted out!