|   HELP PLEASE........I'm sooo confused!!! | Jeromelo
Sep 21, 2003 2:53 PM | | I know this has been addressed countless times so please bear with me.
I have a 34 inch inseam and run 175's on the cranks I have on the ss. It's time to change my drive train. I never paid much attention to the whole ss crank length issue, but am riding my ss as my main bike and am going to race some local short stuff, out of town centuries and 24hr. events on the ss, I'm trying to get a feel for this "crank length thing. Knee problems don't seem to be an issue for me.
I'm soo confused. I would appreciate advice from anyone who has gone through this. The events I participate in have a pretty even match between single track, flats and climbs. I have ridden a buddies geared bike with xtr 180's for short spins and didn't notice any difference at all. |
| That's what your parents said... | 1x1 Speed Craig
Sep 21, 2003 4:23 PM | | ...when trying to debate whether to leave your ugly butt at the hospital after you were born ; )
Sorry, no input on the 180mm crank length issue. I think Sparty here on the board is a long crankset guy...you may want to try paging him.
Spreadin' the single speed love,
Craig
My Biking Website |
| Bastard......and about your site on the subject....... | Jeromelo
Sep 21, 2003 6:08 PM | | ......it was no help at all ;-)
Love ya, Craig |
| re: HELP PLEASE........I'm sooo confused!!! | TZZZZZROCK
Sep 21, 2003 4:41 PM | | I run 180mm cranks on my single speed and didn't notice a big difference until I went back to the 175's on my multi-geared bike. I will never buy anything under 180mm again. Its really nice to have a bit more leverage in order to muscle up the last few feet of a steep up or to get through a technical section without running out of steam. Your inseam is about an inch longer than mine so I would almost consider going even longer (185-190mm), that is if your knees can handle it and you don't feel like slamming every rock on the trail would be an issue. I find that getting that completely even and smooth spin was a bit harder to accomplish with the longer cranks but the extra power to be had is well worth it. I guess what I am trying to say is go 180mm and don't look back. This has been my first season on a SS and I am now completely hooked. Good Luck! |
| first questions | bn
Sep 21, 2003 5:27 PM | | Are you a grinder/masher or spinner? Then, do you have enough clearance or get pedal strike w/175s? Best thing to do is try and see if you notice any differences.... if not, don't stress. |
| first questions | Jeromelo
Sep 21, 2003 6:05 PM | | I have very good spin technique that doesn't seem to be hampered by the 180's, maybe it has to do with my long inseam. I don't mash I stand when I can't spin proper. |
| Crank length is a confusing issue | Sparty
Sep 21, 2003 8:48 PM | | My inseam is 36". I have ten built bikes with crank lengths from 175mm (road) to 202mm (road and mtn bike). Other bikes of mine have 180mm & 195mm cranks. I've been riding ultralength cranks since 1992.
When I first went to 202mm cranks in 1992, I immediately though I'd made a terrible mistake. Not because my pedals kept hitting the ground. They didn't, because I was riding a custom frame built specifically for cranks that long. The problem was my legs were not used to turning circles so large, which made the bike (and me) feel sluggish. But I was excited about my new bike, as different as it was, so I rode it a lot. Thirty days later I could make that bike sing and found myself climbing better than I ever had, and climbing lots of trail sections that my mates couldn't. It took a while, but my muscles had adapted.
My point is that if we're used to a certain crank length, we can't just jump on a bike with a different crank length and be objective about the change. We're used to one length; our legs feel right riding that length because that's the length we've ridden for a long time. But just because a change initially feels wrong doesn't mean that it is wrong.
Nowadays I like 195mm cranks best. If I want to feel relatively powerless and run out of energy quickly, riding a bike with "short" cranks like 180's will accomplish that for me. But that doesn't mean that 180mm cranks are wrong for me either, it just means that I'm used to turning cranks that are longer.
But I do prefer longer cranks, and beyond simply being used to them there is another reason. It is because I have legs that are long enough to employ their greater leverage. I've tried lots of crank lengths over many years. I believe if you have short legs, you should use short cranks. But if you have long legs, long cranks fit your body. Why not take advantage of this fit? Bigger guys ride bigger frames, like wider handlebars, wear bigger shoes. Utilizing long cranks for long legs is just logical.
--Sparty |
| Sparty my man....the all mighty 1x1 Craig was right about you | Jeromelo
Sep 22, 2003 12:47 AM | | Great explanation. I assume that I having something like 185's on the ss and 175's on my geared bike may be counter productive. What do you think? Another thing to take into consideration is that the bb is relatively low on both of my 95 Diamondback Axis Ti frames and I prefer low volume tires for most of my riding, that being said I don't have any issues at all bumping my 175's on anything.
You've given me something tangible to chew on and I thank you. I have these long legs and it does make sense to me that a longer crank may be appropriate for me. |
| Sparty my man....the all mighty 1x1 Craig was right about you | Sparty
Sep 22, 2003 6:03 AM | | As much as I like long cranks off-road, I can't put anything longer than 175s on my road bike. While cranks so short would drive me crazy off-road, I can handle them on the road. Paved roads are built to codes that limit grades and lack technical sections or anything unpredictable. I'd prefer 180s or 185s, but I can tolerate the 175s on pavement.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about a 10mm difference between my road and mountain cranks.
As for hitting pedals on the ground, I have 195mm cranks mounted on an '01 Gary Fisher Sugar 1, a race bike known for its low BB. While it's true that I probably smack my pedals on stuff a little more often than average, it doesn't happen as often as I expected it to and the occasional pedal strike is not as bothersome as I feared it would be (maybe it's become that way through familiarity). Ideally, however, if you're going to go with way long cranks you'd be served best by a frame designed to accommodate them. But I doubt 180s would be any problem on the bikes you're currently running. 5mm is such an insignificant amount.
--Sparty |
| Crank length is a confusing issue | martin
Sep 23, 2003 12:42 AM | | Hi Sparty,
please, where are available as no standard long cranks? Any custom built? I have trouble to get 180!
Martin |
| Crank length is a confusing issue | Sparty
Sep 23, 2003 5:29 AM | | A couple of companies that offer extra length cranks:
Profile Racing: Up to 190mm
High Sierra Cycle: Custom lengths in 1mm increments up to 210mm
I don't personally use eithe of these companies' cranks, but shiggy runs the Profiles and raves about everything except their weight. As for other manufacturers, I've heard that Bullseye is still around but have never found them online nor seen anyone produce a link. My other long cranks were made by Boone and Caramba, neither of which sell cranks any more.
--Sparty |
| Crank length is a confusing issue | martin
Sep 24, 2003 2:42 AM | | thank you (nm) |
| Crank length no longer a confusing issue;geta penile enhancement | Ziggy Stardust
Sep 24, 2003 4:40 AM | | |
| Crank length is a confusing issue | Jeromelo
Sep 24, 2003 11:14 AM | | You can get Race Face Turbine LP cranks only in 180mm $199.00 at Cambria |
| re: HELP PLEASE........I'm sooo confused!!! | Marteeta
Sep 22, 2003 3:18 PM | | J,
First off, Sparty is a GOD...listen to him. But, just to give you a another perspective, I'm a small person 5'2" and 122lbs (a wee girl actually) and I, too, ride longer cranks on my SS. I usually ride 170s and I have 175s on my SS. I race the 24 hour solo stuff, as well as shorter 30 mile races on my SS and I am convinced I made the correct choice. Whenever I switch to my back-up bike for a lap during a 24 hour race, I totally notice the crank arm difference and how much harder it feels climbing with the shorter crank arms (my back up bike is converted bike with 170 cranks). I also race and train on my geared bikes (road and MTB), both of which have 170 cranks, so I'm used to both. What better way to "feel" the difference than to switch bikes and ride exactly the same trail back-to-back in a 24 hour race? As for hitting more stuff on the trail with my longer cranks, yeah, it happens, but you get used to it and you just become a better rider by picking better lines and being more conscious about what you might hit.
M. |
| Oops... just read that. Red alert... Big typo................... | Sparty
Sep 23, 2003 7:40 PM | | Marteeta, ya know ah loves ya, but ya misspelled "DOG." Other than that and tellin' peeps ta lissen ta me, ya wuz rite on, Sistah!!!
--Sparty
P.S. We hopin' you and Jared can join us for a little Barbie Campin' next month... Mo' fun than a truckload o' gnomes... Please be there, girl. |
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