I use a low-end road bike. I can get the ball of my foot onto the pedal. It's not too short. The strap goes on kind of stupid though. I had the clips as close as possible to the crank arms which would give me more surface area. I can make slight adjustments away from them. Should the big toe be between the two plastic pieces? It feels better that way but I get less surface contact on the pedals as I move my foot further away from the crank arms.