Knee replacement at two years...

[Sylvia]

Wow, thank you so much!! I asked at my lbs about shorter cranks and got a "well, I don't think that will help". Sure wish shops would consider hiring an older person who has experienced difficulties with mobility, there's a HUGE market of us out there. I'm going to take your links in with me and show the guy, see if they can be fitted to my bike. Thank you!!

Yeah, I don't think bike shops will typically know much about this , I spent a lot of time researching this just to get this dialed in for myself. So I'm glad if I can help someone else as well.

In your signature, it says you ride an Electra Townie 7D, so I googled it but couldn't tell what type of cranks it used, although it appeared to be a single chain ring.
Typically cranks come in a 130 BCD(road) or 110 BCD(mountain bike or BMX). The shortest road cranks, that I know of come in 145mm length (which is the size I ride). These are the Origin8 145mm that I have on one of my bikes. Cobb cycling also sells a 145mm crankset. In addition there are a number of BMX cranks that come in sizes all the way down to 90mm. They typically take a single chainring, but some can be modified to take a double.

Another possibility would be crankshorteners, you could try those out to perhaps get a feel for what size cranks you might need. Scroll down 2/3rds of the way down on this page and you can see the Tandem East shorteners. Another type of crankshortener would be these Ride2 shorteners. If you go with crank shorteners, be sure to get ones that will fit the width of your cranks.

It would definitely be worth talking with Mark Stonich at BikeSmith design. Many of the smaller cranks and shorteners are designed for kids, so they will probably be designed with their weight and strength levels in mind. He would better be able tell you if these would be appropriate for your application. I wouldn't want to steer you towards a solution that might be a safety issue.

[Pax]

Thankfully a friends husband is the lead trek mechanic at another lbs, I'll see him at their home where he's not pushed to sell their brands and see what he can do with this.

Really appreciate all the links and info, Slyvia.

[Pax]

Sylvia, I emailed Tandem East yesterday and they got right back to me. The shorteners will work for adults, no problem! Very excited, thanks so much (again), this gives me hope.

[Jean_TZ]

Shorter cranks would help you cope with your reduced ROM. But I don't see that they will help you regain full ROM since they won't facilitate stretching of the scar tissue and muscles. (Note: I have no medical training, only experience with the same problem you are having. Maybe a search for "range of motion" and "scar tissue" might lead to some insight as to possible approaches to fixing the problem.)

[Pax]

I think the shorteners (you can move the pedals as ROM increases) may work, loosen the joint up by riding and just getting used to the circular motion, then moving them out on detent, that would add some stretch.

[Jean_TZ]

I think the shorteners (you can move the pedals as ROM increases) may work, loosen the joint up by riding and just getting used to the circular motion, then moving them out on detent, that would add some stretch.

Hmm, are you talking about something like the adapters discussed here:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/re...daptor.197097/

I've never heard of adapters like that before. Kinda clever. Sounds like they could provide good therapy and help you with your ROM.

[Pax]

Yes, very similar, Sylvia posted links above. I just have to decide which style I want to go with.

[Sylvia]

Sylvia, I emailed Tandem East yesterday and they got right back to me. The shorteners will work for adults, no problem! Very excited, thanks so much (again), this gives me hope.

Cool!! I use their shorteners on my spin bike. Just be sure to get the correct width for your cranks. I think they have a wider version and a narrower version. And it is true they do increase your Q factor.

There is one other type of shortener you might be interested in but I've never tried them. The Thorn crank shorteners almost look like they might provide a little better adjust ability. From the pictures, You it looks like they slide a bit, thus allowing you to adjust the distance, but I might be making assumptions. See what you think, and contact them if they interest you. If these do work the way I think, if you adjust them past the length of the crankarm, be sure that you have plenty of clearance when the crank arm is closest to the ground. I don't know the area you ride or if you could make sudden turns, but I wouldn't want to see you catch it on anything.

Oh and one other option... Adjustable cranks, but they are pretty pricey.

I'm so glad I've been able to be of help!! I spent a TON of time researching this stuff for myself, and met some interesting people along the way. I really found that cycling people are some of the best!! If you click on the "Gary fisher beater bike" link below, you can read about some of the stuff I was trying to sort out. You may have to do some similar things. Feel free to ping me, since I've been down this path before.

[Pax]

Yesterday I picked up the letter from my doc to get a temporary handicapped hang tag for my car... I alternately want to barf or cry. Sure hope the new crank things help out some.

[Sylvia]

Yesterday I picked up the letter from my doc to get a temporary handicapped hang tag for my car... I alternately want to barf or cry. Sure hope the new crank things help out some.

Pax, I know it's tough, but try to avoid allowing yourself to go there if you can. You are taking the first step in trying to sort this bike thing out.
And there are a lot of options from what you have seen. I went from not knowing the difference between a hub and a bottom bracket to learning a ton of stuff about bikes. I took it one step at a time and sorted out each piece of the puzzle as I went. I was amazed at how much stuff was available for tweaking and modifying my bike. I found a ton of stuff by searching various phrases using google and searching through bike parts for sale on ebay. I'm not saying you will have to do the same, but for me I needed to because no one person had all the answers I needed. Just take it one step at a time and focus on that one step. Try not to get scared or discouraged by imagining where this might or might not go. It is a journey, and it might be short or it might be long and it may or may not end up where you think. I don't regret my journey for a minute.


And about the handicap placard, I graduated from red temporary tag to blue permanent a few years ago, even though I have always been disabled. I pushed off getting one for as long as I could. It wasn't until I got in a cycling accident a few years ago where I fractured my tibia and (according to my doc) likely got a small tear in my meniscus, that I got my first placard. The problem was I just didn't want to wear that label, but the problem wasn't the label it was all the associations that go with it. All the associations that weren't me and never have been. And aren't anyone else either.

Hang in there!!

[Pax]

Thanks, Sylvia. My doc has been trying to get me to use a tag since 2009 and I keep refusing, but there are days now where I stay home rather than go out because of the distance in the parking lots, so it's time. Red placard coming up.