Anyone else sit sorta 'crooked' on the saddle?

[nscrbug]

I'm thinking the same thing that 7rider regarding orthotics. I recently had a PT bike fit done and he found a whole bunch of weird stuff going on with my right side. I was rocking my right hip, my right knee was swinging outward, and my right foot was supinating at the bottom of the pedal stroke. I too, have a leg length discrepancy (right is shorter than left). I've been using an OTC heat-moldable insert by Sole, but it's their slim-design version that is ideal for cycling shoes and other low volume footwear. REI sells them for $45. My fitter approved of these inserts, but also put a Specialized valgus shim into my right shoe to help tilt my foot more inward. It seems to be helping, because I haven't had the toe numbing and pain that I normally get on rides over 35 miles. My feet seem "happy" at the moment...which is a huge improvement for me.

Linda

[Xrayted]

You've already gotten sound advice about getting checked medically. I would suggest a leg length x-ray on your legs, maybe a scoli x-ray for your back at the same time. It will tell the whole story in just a few pics. It will show where exactly the length discrepancy is so it can be properly handled. IT can twist your pelvis to one side a bit, twist your spine a bit, lower or raise a shoulder, etc. It's not always about a shim in the shoe kind of fix. Actually, it's rarely a shim in the shoe kind of fix as far as riding on the bike. Or, as Knot can attest to, sometimes things just pull themselves one way or the other and you need to rebalance that.

For me, I have a shorter left tib/fib due to being hit by a car but my femur on the right is slightly shorter compared to the left femur from birth. So, while my left leg is overall shorter, when I'm over the pedals, my right femur is shorter. It makes me want to twist my pelvis towards that side, but when my foot is in the down stroke, my left whole side is shorter, making me want to rock that way. No professional bike fitter in the world will be able to fix that without the proper measurements from a good ortho xray series. Many of us fall into this category, one femur is longer on one side while the tib/fib is longer on the other.

I remember reading a thread in here, maybe a year or two ago, where you can get custom crank arm adjustment thingies made. They study your leg measurements and how you pedal and make something that attaches between the pedal and crank arm, or something like that. It can account for one leg being overall longer but the other side having a shorter femur, or any combination... It's hard to describe with out the pics.

Any of you who've been on here for years remember that? I don't have time for the search right now as I'm about to head out the door. But, I know it's here. Whoever it was that did it, loved it and it really helped them on the bike. I really thought of doing it at the time but then life went in another direction for a while.

[OakLeaf]

I''ve got longstanding issues with a rotated pelvis and severely tight erector spinae on one side. I think it's because of a weird transverse process on one side of my transitional 6th lumbar vertebra. Running on crowned roads probably doesn't help, either ... I try to run down the center line if there's no traffic, good sight lines, and it's quiet enough that I can hear traffic approaching from the rear, but that isn't always possible! It goes together with a locked SI joint. I've been working on it with yoga, massage and chiropractic, and it's definitely improving.

[zoom-zoom]

You've already gotten sound advice about getting checked medically. I would suggest a leg length x-ray on your legs, maybe a scoli x-ray for your back at the same time.

Would I be getting a referral to a sports med. facility from my PCP for this? Any idea if most ins. pays for such a work-up? Our current ins. is pretty mediocre...I miss the plan we had before I became active. They covered just about everything. Now we are lucky if 80% of things are covered.

[spokewench]

The first question is are you having issues with riding the bike, i,e. pain, etc. You may have a leg length discrepancy and this may be increasing pain when you are riding, or it may be just tight muscles - we are all tighter on one side.

My husband has a leg length discrepancy which caused him pain in his knee so he got a cycling specific orthotic done by a cycling specialist and it helped him a lot. He wore it for years when he rode a lot and raced. He does not wear it now because he does not ride that many miles and the issue does not seem to bother him when he is doing less miles and less hard effort type workouts.

I ride off to the side of my saddle and always have. I do not believe that I have a significant leg length discrepancy. I have always ridden this way and I think it is because I broke my lower back in my early 20s and I think this has something to do with the way I ride. Other than the normal issues that I have with my back, I do not think that riding off to the side a bit has caused any other problems/pain when I ride.

I do have and am stiffer on my right side, but I think this is more just the nature of my body rather than caused by the fact that I ride off to the side. I also am stiffer on that side when I am not riding as well.

[KnottedYet]

I remember reading a thread in here, maybe a year or two ago, where you can get custom crank arm adjustment thingies made. They study your leg measurements and how you pedal and make something that attaches between the pedal and crank arm, or something like that. It can account for one leg being overall longer but the other side having a shorter femur, or any combination... It's hard to describe with out the pics.

Any of you who've been on here for years remember that?

Drop pedal systems.

http://www.hscycle.com/Pages/cantsandwedges.html

[zoom-zoom]

Drop pedal systems.

http://www.hscycle.com/Pages/cantsandwedges.html

Huh...so it's just that bottom piece?

[kermit]

I have pretty much the same thing going on with my rides. I do have a BG fit scheduled for this saturday and am interested to see what he suggests. I have a 1/4 inch leg length difference from a broken hip and back and I know I sit crooked on the saddle. I am not sure what exactly makes me crooked, my hip or just my back from my injury but when I measured on the ***-o-meter one side was at 70 and one side was at 80, making one hip wider. The last saddle I got rid of, my SI max flite actually got twisted on the left side (my shorter side) from pushing down more on that side. The weirdest thing ever, it was a great saddle and one day it just bit me. I took it to my LBS looking for something else and it was twisted front to back towards the left. This fit I am getting is $300 bucks but I am really hoping I can finally get even on the bike.

[zoom-zoom]

This fit I am getting is $300 bucks but I am really hoping I can finally get even on the bike.

Oh, I hope it works! $300 is a lot of cash to drop if you don't have marked improvement! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

One other factor I totally forgot to include in my original post: DH discovered that my saddle on my current bike was somehow set almost a half inch higher than on my previous bike. He thinks when the shop set it up that they took my original fit measurements and we all forgot that we'd lowered my saddle on bike #1 a hair, but never applied that measurement to new bike.

Hubby hasn't ridden behind me since he made this tweak...so perhaps this is no longer an issue. My outer right foot crampy/irritation is still there, but I'm suspicious that this is more a too-narrow shoe issue than anything else.

[kermit]

Yeah $300 is a lot but this guy is REALLY good, fits racers and top tri folks. I have never really have a complete fit other than a new saddle "tweak" so I am hoping a revelation will happen. That BG fit system is pretty in depth so...and yeah it's Miami prices, another reason we are retiring to Georgia. This fit is my retirement present.

Hope you find happiness...