Heels hitting the cranks - solutions?

[emily_in_nc]

My DH has always had the same problem with his heels hitting the spindles. He has very large feet and toes out. He has used both Speedplay X-2s and Zero pedals and still has the problem. Kneesavers worked for him. They may not solve your problem, but they are an inexpensive solution compared to some of the others, if they do happen to do the trick for you without being too much.

Good luck, ny biker!

[Wahine]

Going with a longer spindle has already been mentioned several times. It will help you clear your heel and if you were comfortable on a triple before and are not on the compact double, it may be all that you need.

However, it sounds like you are collapsing into valgus with the right side being worse that the left and you will likely benefit from working on muscle balance around the hips. It's a lot of the same kind of motion that you worked on with your PT to correct knee alignment, you likely just need to learn to apply it to your pedal stroke and build up your muscle endurance. I'm basically talking about the same issue that OakLeaf mentioned. Foot orthotics in your cycling shoes can help correct some of the valgus collapse but ultimately, you want to address the muscle weakness that is causing it as well.

If muscle weakness leading to valgus collapse is the issue, going to a wider pedal stance may aggravate your knee pain.