Assymetric foot positioning

[Paulus]

That's interesting, because in low gears and e.g. with a tail wind I don't have the problem, it's only when my legs need to push harder that the right foot slips backwards. It's maybe a flaw in technique rather that I should keep an eye on. I'll try it on the way home tonight, but like circular pedalling I'll probably think 'Hey that feels great and powerful, I should do this all the time!' and then 30 seconds later think 'Actually that's quite hard work, let's go back to the way it was.'

Look at your thighs, are the quads the same/similar size? It could be that one set are slightly more powerful than the other.

 

[ColinJ]

It's definitely the case that a few people have one leg longer than the other.
But it's fairly rare that it's actually the bone itself.
It's far more common that the muscles have learnt to extend more, or less due the work they've done.
Which makes the leg, feel or appear shorter, then the pelvis tilts, as a result of this, then the spine us no longer centralised, then the neck is thrown out of alignment.. And so on..

I think that my problem is the bone length, but can't be sure. Anyway, the result is exactly what you described - my pelvis tilts one way, my shoulders the other.

When I look down when cycling, I am looking down the left side of the bike. If I make an effort to make the bike more upright, it doesn't feel right.

I am also very inflexible so I end up with a sore back, shoulders and neck on any ride over about 40 kms (25 miles).

Some might find that rather appealing .

I said 'twist' not 'wiggle'! (I don't think I am moving about as I ride but I am definitely not sitting straight on the bike with the frame perpenicular to the road.)

I ride on platform pedals and my foot is planted right across the platform, a la BLOBBOFOOT!
Most comfy position for me.
View attachment 476585

I only tried pedals like that once and hated them. I put my feet on the pedals but after a few pedal strokes I realised that one of them was not quite positioned properly. I tried to realign it but the pins stopped my shoe moving, so I lifted my foot, moved it in the air, then plonked it down again. Too far forward. And again... too far back. And again... correct fore-aft postion, but foot twisted. And again... aaaargh!

 

[SuperHans123]

I like these particular ones as they have a large platform.
Also, my cycling history is from the BMX days where these were the de-facto pedal style.
Mind you, I am not a roadie and just a hybrid scum!
I find I like to make micro adjustments when I am riding which you are not able to do and I also like my foot pretty much centred, or 'BLOBBOFOOT', both of which I can't do with clipped in pedals. (I tried)
One last point, no matter how far forward you can adjust your clipped in pedals, it still does not support the blobbo footed man, perhaps a gap in the market?

 

[ColinJ]

It isn't possible to move a foot backwards or forwards (or side to side) with SPDs but it is possible to rotate the heel by a significant amount without unclipping. That is what I like to do. I didn't realise how much my feet rotate when riding until they couldn't!

 

[Twilkes]

Well I rode home, and rather than it being a muscle balance thing I'm finding that the foot just won't stay in place - the left one stays put but the right one slides forward after a few seconds unless I very carefully focus on pushing it down into the pedal. So not sure what I'm doing wrong but, as above, it dunt really matter. Not enough to go for clip(les)s anyway.

These are my shoes, for reference - you can see where one has a clear horizontal line of wear near the ball, whereas on the other the wear creeps further towards the middle of the shoe, and is even close to wearing through the sole.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I ride on platform pedals and my foot is planted right across the platform, a la BLOBBOFOOT!
Most comfy position for me.
View attachment 476585

That probably weighs twice as much as my bike :-)

 

[Heltor Chasca]

A better way of measuring total leg length without any stresses on them is to lie down with your bum against the wall , and stretch your legs up the wall - get someone to observe the height of your heels - or if you're careful put a book or similar on your feet and see if it is tilted.

That sounds like a job for youngest!

Sorry: To clarify I meant the angle your feet for toe-in or out. I need a proofreader in my life.

 

[fossyant]

The shoes aren't ideal, look to flexy, and unless your pedal has some sort of grippy pin, or rubber it will move. Be very aware of MTB flat pedals with the pins, they can make a very nasty mess of your leg, hence me sticking with SPD's, as a slip means a bruise, not stitches.

 

[simon.r]

A lot of people have a significant leg length discrepancy. That might be the case for you?

My left leg is quite a lot shorter than my right leg. That affects me on the bike. When I used a shoe/pedal system with external cleats (Look type) I put a shim under the left cleat to ease the problem. Not really possible with the MTB (SPD) system that I use now.

In my case the cleats stop my feet moving forward on the pedals, but my body twists instead.

View attachment 476544

You can get purpose made shims for SPDs; https://www.i-ride.co.uk/products/accessories/bike-fitting/leg-length-shims-x1-spd/?sku=BFT-3230103 (Although at that price I think getting hold of a thick bit of plastic, a dremel and a drill might be an idea!)

I have a couple of issues with one leg which mean I use a pendulum crank on my bikes with clipless pedals https://www.getcycling.org.uk/Disability-Cycles/Accessories/Pendulum-Crank ) - it allows you to shorten the crank and cycle with a knee that doesn’t bend very far.

On my bikes with flat pedals I’ve fitted a shorter crank on one side, which isn’t as effective as the pendulum crank (a similar issue to the OP in that one foot sits further forward than the other), but does the job.

If your only issue is one leg being shorter than the other it may be worth trying a shorter crank on one side?

 

[ColinJ]

You can get purpose made shims for SPDs; https://www.i-ride.co.uk/products/accessories/bike-fitting/leg-length-shims-x1-spd/?sku=BFT-3230103 (Although at that price I think getting hold of a thick bit of plastic, a dremel and a drill might be an idea!)

3 mm is only about half the thickness of the shim I used on my Look shoe - it would be better than nothing, but would only half tackle the problem.

The cleat would stick out of the bottom of the shoe, negating one of the big benefits of SPDs - being able to walk about comfortably off the bike.

I think my foot would be less stable on the pedal because only the small cleat would be touching it - I have suffered from 'SPD hotspots' in the past when the parts of the sole surrounding the cleat wore down so I think I need a wider contact area with the pedal.

On my bikes with flat pedals I’ve fitted a shorter crank on one side, which isn’t as effective as the pendulum crank (a similar issue to the OP in that one foot sits further forward than the other), but does the job.

If your only issue is one leg being shorter than the other it may be worth trying a shorter crank on one side?

I accidentally did that on one bike and it did seem to help! I had 175 mm cranks but ended up cracking the left one. I used an old crank from my junk box to replace it, not realising that it was only 170 mm long. It took me a while to realise why it felt different. I now have a 172.5 mm crankset on so if I stuck a 170 on it would only give me half the benefit. Going back to 175 R and 170 L might be the best solution.

 

[GuyBoden]

Asymmetrical foot positioning

After tearing my right ankle ligaments last year, since it healed my toes point to the extreme right and my ankle is nearly touching the crank arm on my right pedal. I had to change back to using flat pedals, because the SPD's didn't feel good (even at their loosest). My left foot is reasonable straight and has no problems.

 

[SuperHans123]

That probably weighs twice as much as my bike :-)

No doubt! (430g a pair)
They are fantastic pedals though, near the top of the three i'd say in terms of platforms.