So, when I got fitted for my bike setup, the coach tugged, and pulled, and measured, and I'm virtually even from one side of my body to the other in terms of the lengths of my limbs. HOWEVER, my left foot is a tad bit longer than my right foot
(it makes fitting ski boots a real joy!
). Of course the coach setup my clips so that they're aligned under my third metatarsal.
What I've noticed is that I feel a strain in my right quadricep further towards my knee than in my left leg. The muscle strain in my left leg feels good -- if I pinpoint the locus of it, it is about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way down my left quad. It just feels like the strain in my right leg is too far at the end of the muscle.
So, as I think about this, intuitively to me
(as a mechanical engineer -- not biomechanical now...
) the force applied to the crankset is fixed. The distance from the center of the crank to the pedals isn't changing. The force then is being driven through the leg and ankles. So, to apply equal force, the distance from the ankle centerline to the clip needs to be the same. It doesn't seem right to me that the clip would go under the 3rd metatarsal.
I have two follow up fittings to go, and I think my first request is to have the clips adjusted, of course. I would also like to have the seat raised and bars moved forward a bit -- I think. So, my questions are:
Has anyone experienced what I'm feeling before?
Any opinions/thoughts/biomechanical facts for responding on my hypothesis of measuring from the ankle centerline instead?
Should I have only the clips adjusted before making other adjustments?
(Disregard cost as an issue.
)