Shorter Leg and Possible Shim solution?

bluedog99

I have a slightly shorter left leg and I am thinking of fitting a sim under my cleat. Has anybody done this, what did you use and did it work?
Cheers.

imposter2.0

How much shorter? But, yes, obviously a shim/riser pad is the way to go...

sungod

yes, just a smidge, so one shim, plus wedges each side and more arch support

worked very well: went from regular knee problems to no knee problems

i use one of these http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuse ... .zeroshims but there're others of course

but i'd advise seeing an expert to get it right, things may be more complicated than just a shim, with perhaps better alternatives for your specific situation

bluedog99

Imposter wrote:

How much shorter? But, yes, obviously a shim/riser pad is the way to go...

As far as I know it is 3 or 4 mm. I have a tiny wedge in my left shoe. I have tried an insole in my left cycling shoe, but because the point of contact is the ball of my foot/cleat, I thought I would try something else. Any suggestions on what to use would be welcome.

bluedog99

sungod wrote:

yes, just a smidge, so one shim, plus wedges each side and more arch support

worked very well: went from regular knee problems to no knee problems

i use one of these http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuse ... .zeroshims but there're others of course

but i'd advise seeing an expert to get it right, things may be more complicated than just a shim, with perhaps better alternatives for your specific situation

Thanks for that, I will check it out, now I know you can buy specific shims that helps a lot.

l0n3rider

i would suggest to confirm the LLD first .. whether it is skeletal or functional. if functional .. the most probably your hip is uneven. working on muscles should helps ..

if skeletal .. whether it is at the femur OR tibia .. femur mostly works horizontally when we extend the knee with quads .. cleat position should helps in some cases .. if tibia .. vertical .. then shim maybe the correct answer ..

whatever it is get an expert opinion .. it is better the know exactly rather than guessing and trusting advice online

i'm not a certified bike fitter ..

DeVlaeminck

I put a couple of thin wedges under my right cleat - self diagnosed shorter leg/reach and tilted the foot a bit - feels better and no longer get saddle sores on that side which I think were from over reaching.

bluedog99

Thanks once again for the replies. DeVlaeminck, I get a slight rubbing on my shorter side, that is the main reason for my OP, and do not get any joint pain at all. Could you tell me where you got your shims from?
10n3rider, thanks for the info. I will have a search for bike fitting and prices in the Manchester area. I imagine they are expensive but I will see what comes up. Thanks once again.

sungod

be careful about checking bike fitters, some will not have the knowledge/experience you may need

cleat shims are available many places https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cleat+shims but as i said above, it's best to get proper advice, trying to self-diagnose/correct is iffy, you could end up making things worse/causing other problems

bluedog99

sungod wrote:

be careful about checking bike fitters, some will not have the knowledge/experience you may need

cleat shims are available many places https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cleat+shims but as i said above, it's best to get proper advice, trying to self-diagnose/correct is iffy, you could end up making things worse/causing other problems

Thanks for the link and the advice again. Really appreciate it. Cheers.

sungod

there's a series of articles by steve hogg on shims, wedges etc.

might be worth a read to get a feel for things

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/po ... orrection/