Wanted E Trike for a short lady

[sneggysteve]

"That's no lady that's my wife"

Anyway, she is only 4'10" and this morning tried out a Jorvik 20" wheel but she was just a little short on the pedal. Anyone have any ideas on alternatives please?

PS Just found something called crank shorteners - anyone have any views?

 

[Liz]

"That's no lady that's my wife"

Anyway, she is only 4'10" and this morning tried out a Jorvik 20" wheel but she was just a little short on the pedal. Anyone have any ideas on alternatives please?

PS Just found something called crank shorteners - anyone have any views?

I am a similar height to your wife. Highpath Engineering - and there may well be other, similar companies - look as if they might soon be responsible for changing my life with their range of crank 'accessories'. Someone here put me onto them. Click on 'products and services': https://highpath.co.uk/

 

[sneggysteve]

I am a similar height to your wife. Highpath Engineering - and there may well be other, similar companies - look as if they might soon be responsible for changing my life with their range of crank 'accessories'. Someone here put me onto them. Click on 'products and services': https://highpath.co.uk/

Many thanks Liz - I will look at them
Steve

 

[Liz]

Many thanks Liz - I will look at them
Steve

Good luck getting something to fit your wife!
Us shorties need to stick together, share resources and use them. Most of the time, being underheight is just an inconvenience which can even be amusing with the right attitude, but when it spills over into inability to do perfectly normal things with ease, comfort and/or reduced safety, it gets beyond that … overheight people have similar problems.

 

[sneggysteve]

Good luck getting something to fit your wife!
Us shorties need to stick together, share resources and use them. Most of the time, being underheight is just an inconvenience which can even be amusing with the right attitude, but when it spills over into inability to do perfectly normal things with ease, comfort and/or reduced safety, it gets beyond that … overheight people have similar problems.

Here's a link to more shorteners and cheaper https://www.avonvalleycyclery.co.uk/folding-bike-spares/gears-drivetrain/circe-crank-shorteners__74396
Steve

 

[sjpt]

Here's a link to more shorteners and cheaper https://www.avonvalleycyclery.co.uk/folding-bike-spares/gears-drivetrain/circe-crank-shorteners__74396
Steve

Presumably shorteners like that push the pedals further apart (Q factor?), which is probably more of a problem for a short rider than a taller one.

 

[sneggysteve]

Presumably shorteners like that push the pedals further apart (Q factor?), which is probably more of a problem for a short rider than a taller one.

No idea I'm afraid. Just trying to overcome the problem of short legs.

 

[Liz]

Here's a link to more shorteners and cheaper https://www.avonvalleycyclery.co.uk/folding-bike-spares/gears-drivetrain/circe-crank-shorteners__74396
Steve

Thanks for that - as I said above, I was sure there would be more suppliers of such things, it's just the finding of them! Those crank shorteners look really good.

 

[Liz]

Presumably shorteners like that push the pedals further apart (Q factor?), which is probably more of a problem for a short rider than a taller one.

Effectively causing the pedals to be further apart widthwise is certainly an issue when at or approaching one's maximum leg-stretch to reach the darned things, but once the cranks are at a suitable length, I honestly don't think it would have much effect. Certainly less effect that having to overstretch continuously and never being able to really get into a comfortable cadence! No doubt the company knows how by how much they push the pedals outwards, a matter of mm I would hope. I might drop them a line and ask.

 

[sjpt]

Effectively causing the pedals to be further apart widthwise is certainly an issue when at or approaching one's maximum leg-stretch to reach the darned things, but once the cranks are at a suitable length, I honestly don't think it would have much effect. Certainly less effect that having to overstretch continuously and never being able to really get into a comfortable cadence! No doubt the company knows how by how much they push the pedals outwards, a matter of mm I would hope. I might drop them a line and ask.

It looks as if it is about the same thickness as a typical crank. I thought it looked fatter than necessary for strength, but realised it needs to be that fat to accommodate the full length of the pedal thread.

 

[Liz]

Very prompt response from the supplier:-
'Hi XXX, the shorteners are 12.5mm thick.
This would increase the overall q-factor of the bike by 25mm.

If this was a problem, shorter pedal spindles could help, but I would suggest that, especially for women who normally have a wider pelvis than men, that this might well provide a more suitable stance width albeit at a (very small!) loss of aerodynamic efficiency.

But I think comfort and keeping one's knees happy trumps aerodynamic efficiency for most of us, unless we're competing at a high level, and lets be honest, which of us on an e-trike or an e-folder is doing that? LOL!