Effect of Pedal Stance Width Manipulation via Pedal Spacers on Lower Limb Frontal Plane Kinematics During Cycling

Anecdotal evidence suggests that frontal plane kinematics of the lower extremity may be an important aspect of bicycle fit, however, frontal plane adjustments are often overlooked during common fit procedures. The purpose of this study was to manipulate pedal stance width through the use of pedal spacers to determine their influence on frontal plane kinematics of the hip, knee, and ankle during cycling. Twenty-four young healthy subjects (12 female) recreational cyclists completed five minutes of pedaling at their preferred cadence and power output under three stance widths conditions: no spacer, 20 mm spacer, and 30 mm spacer. The pedaling cadence and power output were kept identical for all experimental conditions. Lower extremity marker position data were captured at 250 Hz for the last two minutes of each condition. Sixty consecutive crank cycles were analyzed to identify peak hip, knee, and ankle angles in the frontal plane. With an increase in pedal stance width, hip and knee peak abduction angles increased and peak adduction angles reduced (p