Got a bike fit 3 months ago and got 3mm under my right cleat. For the first time ever, I can sit on saddles in relative comfort as my weight is shared equally on the saddle. Prior to this, my left sit bone would really suffer - I thought I had a longer LHS sit bone! The pain was pretty bad after a long ride, and fixed by my shoe! Seriously amazing how a small change brings a huge result! Happy riding Katie!
Katie im definitely a fan. You and I nave a common love of the climb.. Me - I want to test myself and see how deep can I go and how much pain can I endure. I'm 5'7" 140 lbs ( I'm American and don't get down with all that stone thing) This video epitomizes you and your enthusiasm for cycling to act as a prompt for me to get my sometimes lazy ass out on a ride. You're a beautiful person, not only easy on the eye but sharing your personal journey and your infectious advocacy for the physiological and emotional benefits of cycling are so uplifting. I'm 75 and have to fend off questions qwhy I "still" ride my bike but my answer has been distilled to :" Because It makes me feel good!" Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of us out here on the other side of the screen. We all love you! Ah yes the devil truly is in the details! We all await the results in a while.
Years ago I ruptured my right achilles playing football. Cycling was part of my long term physio and I ended up loving it so much I dropped football and took it seriously. I got a race bike and fit and did rides every week. But the body doesn't lie, I do notice at times that get discomfort issues on the right side, particularly the knee. This video is invaluable as I don't have a power meter but the right leg imbalance and an uneven leg length could be the answer I've been looking for all these years. Thank you so much!
Love these videos with Phil. After joining Audax and doing much longer rides, I picked up a knee injury. Currently working step by step through Phil's bike fit book to better find my 'Fit Window'. Here is another option to consider in turn. Cheers Katie and Phil. Keep up the collaboration to keep us pedalling! ❤️
Never thought of that. I broke my tibbia n fibbia. 40 some year ago. A compound fracture. It made my left leg shorter. I get some pain in that knee. Brilliant.
I had a bike fit when I got my bike from Northern Ride in Malton (Yorkshire). Turns out I had a similar problem - although probably not from doing the splits. I couldn't believe how such a small, relatively cheap, fix sorted me out.
I have a 20mm leg length discrepancy which is in my tibia , 3 mm packer under my cleat and I'm nice and even now. Packers do work for some like Phil said. Great video
So timely! Travelling about at the mo without my bike, my mantra this year is about improving all things off the bike.... decided to pack Phil's book as a means to a least make sure I have a reasonable riding position.... he should've just called it Bike Fit Wizardry... it's not that it is without the emperical bit of science, but his common sense practical approach is so reassuring. Shared distillation of knowledge is a rare thing.
REALLY helpful video, thanks Katie & Phil. From watching it I could instantly relate to what you were saying about one foot just not feeling as connected. Had a quick pedal today with a 2mm shim today and it felt much better balanced. Never would have occurred to me despite having had a couple of fits and checks for a knee alignment issue. Look forward to seeing the follow up!
50 years cycling and alway had a left sided saddle soreness I have had so many saddle try to fix it, and it alway came back Lately have been experiencing with leg leight and seem to have one and never give it a thought??? Have make a cleat adjustment for the shorter let and its has help, need more time. Great video thanks Phil
Very interesting. After breaking my hip 7 years ago I know that leg is about 6 or 7mm shorter. I keep telling myself I need to get another bike fit and this has spurred me on. Thanks Katie
I've been wondering what to do about my L/R imbalance for several months (it's 40%L/60%R). Thanks for this video! I might try to find a product for my Assioma cleats.
I'm actually affected by this because of an accident when I was young. I added a 1mm shim and I felt much better. A 3mm shim is huge and might indicate an underlying bone injury (in Katie's case pelvis misalignment due to the splits was a key indicator). A professional fit is highly recommended and not just throwing on shims as they can cause additional injuries if not needed.
Katie, me duck! Another useful video. I also sit mostly on the right side of my saddle and have some discomfort. I'll have to check my leg length and a gizmo for leveling out the length.
Actually, today, cycling back from work I was wondering (for the umpteenth time in the pas decades) why my left leg feels quite different from my right leg. I'm now even more convinced I'd find something similar as you did today ..
The splits photo I've seen that before. I think many power meters are slightly out practice single leg drills, left tight left tight for 30 seconds each side for 6 reps per side. It can help reduce bias.
Brilliant video, enlightening, and thanks for the link. I was recently diagnosed with the same leg discrepancy as you BUT. although I don't have individual power meters, I feel my LEFT leg is the weaker of the two. I used the 'extended right leg heel on pedal' technique to set my seat height so I'm thinking that my left leg might not be extending as much as my right as I ride...? Definitely worth buying a shim to see how it feels! Quite exciting! 😂
its actually really interesting , on so many levels , from the indiviual aspect to the mechanical ,cant help wonder if you could build a bespoke bike ergonomically correct for a rider once all the fit aspects have been worked out .. as in build a bike mechanically perfect for the imperfect rider ..all nonsense i understand but it does make me think of the advantages ,if any , building a non symmetrical machine to fit an imperfect being .. engineering in flaws to make perfect as possible .. such an interesting subject from a lot of angles lol....
Great info … ta very much! As it happens, many years ago when I started running, I developed knee pain. A sports physio clinic sent me off for a lower body x-ray and lo and behold, left leg was 12 mm’s shorter than the right! They made me some custom shoe inserts. Lately, I’ve started riding with those same orthotics in my bike shoes to address some knee discomfort on long rides … seems to be helping. I also use SPD clips so maybe I should look into those shims.
Great vid I wouldn't worry too much Katie, you've ridden this far. How many km's in the last 9 years ? Events like that APN are gonna take a toll though. ☀️ Take care 🦘 🚴♂️
Well Katie, that was very interesting and educational. Hope it does the trick, Personally, I find the best test for leg length difference is if you keep going around in circles, you defo have a problem! haha 😂😂
Good video. I also suffering right side/leg problems including an achillies issue and saddle sore dominate one side. The data he captured was very interesting. I already know my right foot is bigger than the left, but leg length, knee flex etc and all those other angles is something only a fit like he does will tell.
I noticed my imbalance because my right SPD felt like it had vertical play as I came out of the bottom of the pedal stroke when i was fatigued, almost as if I was trying to lift my foot off the pedal, and my right cleat would wear out faster even though I clip in and out at the lights etc. mostly with the left. 2 mm shim (about the thickness of a 2p coin) is all it took to fix it, hard to believe such a small change would make such a big difference.
Hi Katie. I love the videos generally but this one specifically. I have about a 15mm leg difference- right leg is shorter. I too have been having several problems on the bike which seem to be mainly the right hand side. Currently using about a 3mm shim under my spd sl cleats. Just wondering if the shim you’ve received is also available in the spd sl version as I feel I need more adjustment than the 3mm I currently have. During a prolonged illness & injury period ( now over 2 years ) your videos have certainly entertained me & helped keep my enthusiasm & motivation going. Hoping to get properly started on the bike again soon. Thanks & good luck 👍
My left leg is about 1cm shorter than the right one, i dont give a shit and ride without any adjustment stuff my whole life and i am Happy. Just a matter of Habit.
Very interesting. I hope there’s a follow up where you tell us how much more power you’re making 😁. Alternatively, maybe the same power in more comfort and for longer. You certainly don’t produce much power when laid up injured.
This lady's nickname suggests she is from Australia, where the sarcastic laugh of the Kookaburra bird haunts the outback... But her (super) accent is from the North of England. Great video anyway!
Hi Katie, brilliant video, very interesting. I wish Phil was somewhere in NSW Australia. What are those spacer blocks called that you used on your RHS cleat? Cheers from Oz.
I had a major injury to my right knee 20+ years ago, and where I have seen issues is an unusual wear spot on the seat of my bibs on the right side, and piriformis discomfort on my left side. There are lots of times where I feel I "reach" on the right side to maintain pedaling symmetrically. Even after a professional fit, I have often wondered if I should be shimming my right side to see if it would help with my issues on my left side.
How timely is this video for me... I recently upgraded to the Garmin Edge 1040 and on my NeoBike with L/R power I noticed the same thing you were seeing, only opposite to you on my left side. I am running 56% to 44% on average Rt to left. I also noticed I have a longer power stroke on my left compared to the right. I guess I'm compensating for the difference maybe.?. Going to try out the Form Bike fitting site. Thanks, JD
Hi Katy, I am now 76 and have done a good few rides with 10+ hours in the saddle. I don't seem to have any physical pain apart from dead fingers which I cured with aero bars. However, I do not seem to be able to overcome pain in the sit bones. I have tried a number of saddles with very small improvement really. I do notice that I am always wanting to push back on the saddle even though it is as far back as possible. My bike is already slightly over the recommended size. Any thoughts ?
Hi Katie, brill video , I love watching your videos, I know I have one leg longer than the other and it's because of my pelvis too,as I saw a chiropractor last year and his scan confirmed it but my left leg is shorter, where is Phil based in the uk as family live near scunthorpe, I could do with a shim off him , I also have spd pedals, I have been trying to get something for it but hard to find as I live in mallorca, I have registered for my first triathlon half ironman distance in oct this year in mallorca, and would like to get these small things sorted so I feel better and more comfortable on the bike x tia kaye
Phil seems to be the best in Manchester or North West. A question about the video and your riding. Have you always used SPD on your road bike and not SPD SL? Also what do the plates do I don't understand. They make an SPD Cleat into a SPD SL?
I have used SPD SL but for long multi day rides SPDs just were better :) the thing we added acts as a stack to go beneath the clear to add a few more mms to even up the leg length difference :)
I had a bike fit and had a wedge shaped shim under my cleat to turn my foot inward and up. Problem was that the cleats wore out and I lost the setting. Never had it right since and don't want a bike fit for every set of new cleats. There should be a simpler way of setting shoes or pedals.
Might be worth looking at insole options instead Keith. Or different branded shoes sometimes compensate for that e.g. Specialised. Francis Cade did a video with James at Richmond Cycles just recently on this topic.
I'm wondering, is it worth it or even possible to do bike fit if i'm just using flat pedals? The legs are much more free to move around, so i guess it would give inconsistent results
Q). How long should saddle sores normally take to fully repair, 'cus mine took me 2 weeks, though it was after a 12hr trip/57mile last year. But it damn well burnt my skin out.
It depends on the sore and if you rode when the skin had broken. It can take days, weeks or sometimes months for a really deep tissue sore to get back to normal. But just make sure you're getting plenty of air to it! And keeping it clean.
Hi Katie, I got an e mail reply from you saying I had won a prize following my original comment about this great video. I replied twice to the nicegram e mail address specified but haven’t had any response. Just wondering if this was a wind up ( obviously not by you but perhaps an unwanted third party infiltrator 😮 ) just wondering if you could clarify the situation. Many thanks 😊
