Wondering how hard this would be? The benefit is to build it 1 cm higher for my shorter leg.
I would cut it out of aluminum the wrap the middle around a pipe of the right radius for the bend?
This would be for a Campagnolo Record SL (1975)

Hmmm... It would seem like it should be a pretty easy mod, although 1cm of unsupported cage would be quite tall.

Which pedals screw the cages on vs pedals that peen the cages on?

Any chance you would have access to a shop that could anneal the aluminum, then heat treat it?

Are you also using toe clips?

Do you know if your femur or tibia is short, or both? It might make a difference on how it pedals.

Instead of bending the plate, why not make it "rattrap" style instead of "quill" style. Ie like Campagnolo track pedals, not road quills. Then all you have to do is cut out the plate.

1 cm higher? What is your leg length difference? My right leg is 1/2" shorter, so I ride with a 1/4" plate between my cleat and the shoe. Felt right immediately and still does four years later. Also got full approval from my PT (who happens to be a very good and strong rider). She said that 1/4", half the difference, is what she would have recommended,

Ben

Does it make sense to look for a 5mm shorter crank arm for the short side?

I thought about that, and it may well be worth the OP trying.

However, the short crank arm will change multiple parameters including being shorter at the top of the stroke as well as being higher at the bottom of the stroke.

If the Tibia is short, then raising the shoe in whatever method would seem most appropriate (thick pedal, thick cleats), which would get both legs more or less matched.

If the Femur is short (or both femur plus tibia), then it might favor the crank solution.

FWIW you would be well outside the minimum bending radius for 6061-T6 if you were to simply cold bend the pedal cage on your bench. The only parts that might give you problems are the kick tab and the little inside tab that guides the toe strap. Both of those features could be omitted, or you could try and not worry about it if they break.

This might be a somewhat easier mod for track style pedals, and/or pedals that use screws instead of rivets to attach the cage.

A pedal with bolted-on cage plates, like the SunTour Superbe, would probably be easier to modify than one with peened-on plates, like the Campagnolo Superleggero.

FWIW, TA used to market extended pedal cages for exactly that purpose (ref: p4690so "orthopedic track pedals; custom cages to compensate for different leg lengths; hard anodized or silver" ):


Specialites T.A. - pedals & cleats

A friend whose leg was injured in a car accident needed to compensate in a like manner and merely bolted small plates to his pedal cages. They rose higher than the pedal's stock cage and this necessitated moving his cleats fore or aft to allow for the thickness of the plate on the front or the back of the cage and this positioned his foot properly.

I've never seen a leg length discrepancy compensation that wasn't address with the shoe/cleat, as [MENTION=392125]79pmooney[/MENTION] has done, not the pedal.
Do you have an orthopedic device already made that can be transferred to a cycling shoe?

Yes if your shoe has a cleat. What if it is a touring shoe like an Avocet.

I am trying to stick to a 1981 vintage for my bike, but you are right, going to the 1984 Specialized Touring pedal would make it easier. I do not like track pedals.

My right leg is about 1 cm shorter. If I make a cage 1/2 cm higher, what about the other 1/2 cm?

I've seen riders use inserts, heel lifts and custom orthotics in their cycling shoes that replace the OEM foot-bed liner to deal with a number to issues including leg length discrepancy. It might be worth a consult w/ your orthopedic specialist and an experienced local fitter to determine what mechanism(s) best address your best fit.

-Bandera

Heel lift? That is only going to make contact for walking.
I cannot get anything extra in my cycling shoes because I normally wear size 9.5EEEE shoes. There is no room so I can only work spacing outside the foot area.

I am using toe clips.
Its my femur that is shorter.

The Specialized pedals would make it a lot easier. You may be able to buy some aluminum flat bar stock that is 1 cm taller than the existing plates, let's say something like .1" x 1.0". If so, you could simply cut to length, drill and countersink holes, and bolt them on. You'd probably want to screw some material to the outer part of the quill/platform on those to bring it up to the same level. Pretty easy. I'd use delrin...

For the metal, I'd suggest you use 6061 or similar at full T6, and don't bother with annealing or heat treatment. Not necessary.

Campy pedals would be much more involved. You'd need take a pattern from the existing cages by tracing onto paper, modifying it to the new higher pattern, cut out the pieces, bend them, and then do any finishing work as needed. I'm not sure but I think those rivets are peened over extensions of the pedal chassis itself. You'd probably have to drill them out, and then drill and tap the pedal bodies to take screws. Like I said, more complicated.

FWIW my Campy pedals are made from .10" thick aluminum. You can buy this from various online retailers.

How difficult this project would be is entirely relative to your experience level. Also, what tools do you own? Have you done any aluminum fabrication? any metal working experience? If not, how about woodworking? If you commit I'm sure that there are plenty of forum members that could help you with any specific steps.

Main thing is to wear eye and ear protection, and don't ever try to cut or drill metal that isn't clamped down. And watch your fingers!!!!!

If you put a shim on top of the pedal, consider that you might need to put a deep toe clip on that pedal. In this scenario, the shim would have to extend into the toe clip to level it's base with the pedal. MKS makes deep toe clips. Either that, or work repositioning the toe clip attachment into the shim, so it stays level with the new pedal base.

Another possible option would be to have your short leg shoe re-soled with a thicker sole.

I also couldn't help but do a little googling and found this: Cants and wedges

It looks like it can used to drop the pedal on the long leg crank, to compensate for the leg difference.Custom made for a 1/4" to 2" drop.

Resoling would be great if I could get the same sole that is on my Nike Velo.
A longer crank looks a lot nicer than the above picture.

Looks better to have a longer crank than those funny add ons sticking out.

Just found out about this one: Campagnolo Nuovo Record Orthopedic Pedal -5mm higher for the shorter leg.

^That's the Golden Ticket.

Isn't a mismatched crankset the usual fix? What crank size do you typically run? You could switch to 165/170 or 170/175 and get most of the way there.

Shaping the cage to the correct radius shouldn't be a challenge, especially if you are starting from a piece of cut, flat stock. FWIW, I used a piece of 2x4 instead of a pipe to reshape some badly damaged cages:
The "Before And After" Thread