When I had recovered fully from my injury, I discovered that the limited range of motion in my bad knee made riding a my ten-speed, with its "rat-trap" pedals and toeclips, pretty uncomfortable. For a few years, I rode my beater bike, which is an old Schwinn Continental. This bike has no toe clips and rubber pedals. I would place my left(bad) foot on the pedal and push down with the arch of my foot, not the ball as is normal. I managed to get around ok with this arrangement, but cycling was not as comfortable or enjoyable as it should be.

A few years ago, I bought a nice new hybrid bicycle, and resolved to make this bike as ergonomically efficient and comfortable as possible. The bike came with plastic pedals and toe clips. My first experiment was with something called Power Grips, which cost about $20.00. This is a strap used by mountain bikers that is mounted at an angle to the pedal. You slip your foot into the strap at an angle and then straighten your foot to hold it against the pedal. This device worked to keep my foot planted where it should be on the pedal, but, because of my limited range of motion, I couldn't get my seat height adjusted properly. If the seat was raised high enough for my knee to revolve in a full circle, it was too high for my good leg to function efficiently. If I lowered my seat to the right height for my good leg, my left leg would bind at the top of the stroke, causing discomfort.

My next step was the key to making biking enjoyable again. I bought a crank arm that was 10 mm. shorter than the one that came with my bike. ( The crank arm is the part that connects the pedal to the crankset.) Most full-size bikes come with 175 mm. crank arms, but I replaced the left one with a 165 mm. arm. The cost for this modification was $30.00. Fortunately for me, my bad leg is on the left side. On most bikes, the right side crank arm is integrated into the crankset. The same modification I made would therefore cost more and require more effort to find and install for a right leg. I had a hard time finding a shorter crank arm in stock for my bike, but managed to do so after some searching. Any good bike shop should at least be able to order one for you.

The next modification I made was to install new, "clipless" pedals on my bike. I found that after an hour or so of riding, my bad foot would ache from the constriction caused by the Power Grip. Clipless pedals solved this problem. They require that a cleat be mounted on your biking shoes. These clip into special pedals. The cost for this modification is around $100.00, and you may have to purchase new bike shoes as well. Most new biking shoes allow for the cleats to be mounted on the bottom of the sole. This last modification, while expensive, has made bicycling as pleasurable as it used to be before my accident.

On my Peugeot road bike, I experimented with an even shorter 152 mm. crank arm. This seems to work even better than the 165 mm arm, and it only cost me about $10.

Having discovered that the 152 mm crank arm worked best, I tried to find one for my hybrid, but could not. After talking to a knowledgeable bike shop owner, I ordered a set of 9/16 x 20 taps (one for the right and one for the left pedal) so that I can modify my crank arm to any length I choose.

In order to do this job properly, I would strongly recommend that you have access to a drill press with a metal vise. Make sure that you have the crank arm positioned precisely in the vise so that the angle of the pedal will be perpendicular to the crank arm in two dimensions. Then drill a 1/2" hole in the crank arm using the slowest speed at which your drill press can operate. The light alloy of the crankset makes this job fairly easy as long as you use plenty of machine oil to lubricate the bit.. Once you have drilled the hole, carefully start the tap and create the threading into which you will install the pedal. Be mindful that the left crank needs left hand threading.

The above procedure may be your only option if you can't find the proper length crank arm. It can be expensive, however. Expect to pay $40 for the taps, plus you may have to pay another $10 if you don't have a 1/2" drill bit. You may also need a crank extractor to get the crank off the bike if you don't already have one. These cost about $15. And you will also need a drill press, or at least access to one.

Another possible solution is employing crank arm shorteners, which are used mainly by parents who want their kids to ride on their tandems. These cost about $60 per pair, and you must buy the full pair. I have not tried these.