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New bike is very low so I'm considering a 160 crank?
I normally ride 170/175 so I'm concerned the 169 will just feel plain weird.
Anyone have any experience?
Cheers!
I run 165s on my full suss, and 175s on my single speed. Swap between the two without noticing the difference to be honest. Can't see 160s being a problem unless your really tall or have weird legs.
Got 160mm cranks on my ebike, it feels fine, even when riding with no assistance.
My capra has 170mm cranks, they also feel fine
I've ran 175 170 and now 165mm, all pros no cons, never going back to longer.
Hope 165 cranks are shorter than most (from a clearance perspective) as they’ve supposedly removed a lot of the excess material from the end of the crank to give a shorter crank with the same pedal length.
Not sure if that helps.
https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/chris-boardmans-seven-tech-trends-2016.html
“I don’t think anybody’s really messed around with crank length yet because we’re constrained by history. I’d like to see a lot of people using 150mm cranks. All of the physiology data I’ve ever seen says that for an endurance athlete crank length actually doesn’t make any difference. But shorter cranks mean you’re more aerodynamic – if you’re trying to get into a tuck you can get lower because your knees aren’t coming up. So shorter cranks could produce a really big net gain but it’s a fashion thing.” Chris Boardman
Mike Burrows has a lot to say about shorter cranks and same as above the lengths have been set in a small range presumably to make it easier for the manufacturers (offering 170 and 175 rather than 140,145,150,155,160 etc,.)
You will be able to spin faster with shorter cranks and run lower gears for same speed.
I would happily run 160 if I could get them but even 165 are not that easy to get depending on what crankset you want.
When I last owned a DH bike (quite a while ago now) I ran some 165mm cranks believing it would improve pedal clearances and bring my feet that bit closer together making me more stable, which I suppose it did technically, but the main thing it helped me realise was that 175mm cranks were just not as comfortable to spin...
I reckon most pedal strikes probably come from the comically large platform pedals the comics keep convincing new golfers they need, but a shorter crank can't hurt either.
Shorter cranks will mean less torque for a given effort, simply because they’re shorter.
Whether the difference is measurable would be another matter of course, also you need to balance this against the ability to pedal faster (think of riding a kids bike with tiny cranks), therefore (perhaps) needing a lower gear.
I remember a guy coming into the shop in the 90s, who had limited mobility in his joints, one of the things we did for him was to fit shorter cranks, it worked for him.
Iirc, he went from 175 down to 165mm.
https://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/product/ro1-square-taper/
https://rotorbike.com/catalog/default/3d-crankset-bcd110x5-167-5-mm.html
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/rotor-aldhu-crankarms-691101
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BBK-155mm-Crankset/193624673625?hash=item2d14ee0d59:g:u-sAAOSwLz1fNyWR
https://www.miche.it/en/products/strada/guarniture/young.html
Shorter cranks will mean less torque for a given effort, simply because they’re shorter.
1Nm = 1Joule
Great list paton, but pretty much all of them are square taper (how quaint). The options for 165 110bcd 5 arm for 24mm axle are very limited which is what I am after and awaiting something to come up second had.
Shorter cranks will mean less torque for a given effort, simply because they’re shorter.
That is countered by increased power due to spinning faster. There is clearly still going to be a range where they are too short (120?) or too long (190?) but that range is way bigger than the standard 165 - 175 that we tend to see.
Shorter cranks will mean less torque for a given effort, simply because they’re shorter.
Well it means slightly less mechanical advantage on the first of four components that translate your effort into forward motion, and at least one of those elements can be changed to make more effective use of said effort irrespective of the length of the cranks, where are you measuring torque exactly?...
Cranks should be comfortable to use before worrying about "torque"... Shorter cranks (even a little bit) can help knees, hips and various associated muscle groups.
Alternatively you can bollox your joints because some interweb stranger said 'more longerer levers is betterer for make many strongnesses!' all choices have their merits and drawbacks...
TBF though the OP was worried more about pedal strikes...
I rode a bike with shorter cranks than I was used to. It wasn't comfortable. YMMV of course.
Well it means slightly less mechanical advantage on the first of four components that translate your effort into forward motion, and at least one of those elements can be changed to make more effective use of said effort irrespective of the length of the cranks.
^This.
It gets more complicated, though, because your legs are a collection of levers, and the torque applied to those levers by your muscles increases as your legs get straighter (imagine standing in a half-crouch for a few minutes).
A few years ago I swapped from 175mm cranks to 155mm in an effort to treat knee pain*. I expected to have to gear-down slightly to compensate for the shorter cranks, but in practice I found I was pushing a slightly higher gear than before - something that I put down to having the leg slightly straighter during the power stroke.
For me, the 'feel' of crank length depends on pedalling style. When in the saddle I barely notice the difference. OTOH, honking out of the saddle does make short cranks very noticeable. In those conditions the 155s felt too short. I eventually decided that 160mm is optimum for me, and have fitted 165s to all my bikes** as they're easier to get than 160s.
* It worked.
** Not quite true - the 155s are now on my recumbent, where standing on the pedals isn't really a thing! 😉
Not fussed about mechanical advantages or disadvantages but I can feel clear difference between my 165mm and 175mm crank.
Just different feel underfoot...
Cheers!
I.