Bikes with different sized cranks

[Jack Brunk]

I'm running 175's on my Cervelo and 172.5's on my Look 595, Meivici and other bikes. Do any of you ride different cranks on your bikes and do you notice a difference in pedaling?


Jack

[Fixed]

I do bro but I ride what ever i can find ..after a couple of miles i don't notice .. i do like shorter cranks for sprinting around town on though
cheers

[J.Greene]

I'm running 175's on my Cervelo and 172.5's on my Look 595, Meivici and other bikes. Do any of you ride different cranks on your bikes and do you notice a difference in pedaling?
Jack

I can tell, so I stopped riding 172.5's. I feel like the higher leg speed with the 170's help me.

BTW, has the sachs been to the track yet?

JG

[Waldo]

Mine range from 177.5 to 190. I barely notice the difference 177.5 and 180. I notice the difference between 180 and 185. I don't notice the difference between 185 and 190. I prefer the 190s.

[Jack Brunk]

I can tell, so I stopped riding 172.5's. I feel like the higher leg speed with the 170's help me.

BTW, has the sachs been to the track yet?

JG
The sachs will see the track next month.

[swoop]

its amazing to me how odd it feels and then how fast the body makes it feel normal.. and then how odd the other feels for about two minutes when you switch back.
i stick to the same just cuz its easier and i'm old and slow enough and don't want to hurt myself.

and i dread just changing cleats because they're never exactly the same and it takes me forever to make it feel right.

i think everyone is different, i'm a creature of the familiar.. but i enjoy switching between different feeling bikes too.

go figure.
are you doing the everest challange?

[Dave B]

I was told (By a Serotta trained fitter..and I only mentioned that as he is freakin' knowledgable even more then i am .)
that your kneee adjusts over a period of time if you went from say a 172.5 to a 175. But going back and forth it will increase the wear and tear on your body.

Now we are talking about 2.5mm right. I think the angles where the knee and hips work together change the most. Thus creating a negative affect.

I went from a 172.5 on my road bikes to a 175 to match my mtbs. I have had less knee pain as a result, but honestly I could nto tell you if my cycling got better or worse because of it. I canactually feel the difference when I pedal the smaller crankset. But I imagine it would be over a period of time that is causes damage like 1000's of miles not a few hundred.

But I am not a doctor....I just play one at home!

[Ginger]

Yes, I notice the difference between the 170s and the 172.5s.

What I really can't get used to is the difference between the 170s on the road and the 175s on the mtb...I don't care if my riding is supposed to benefit from the greater torque on the 175s, my knees don't.

Now that I'm down to one bike it's a moot point.

[Jack Brunk]

its amazing to me how odd it feels and then how fast the body makes it feel normal.. and then how odd the other feels for about two minutes when you switch back.
i stick to the same just cuz its easier and i'm old and slow enough and don't want to hurt myself.

and i dread just changing cleats because they're never exactly the same and it takes me forever to make it feel right.

i think everyone is different, i'm a creature of the familiar.. but i enjoy switching between different feeling bikes too.

go figure.
are you doing the everest challange?
That's exactly my findings. Now I can't really tell any difference. The challange is too close to the Furnace Creek 508. I'd like to try it sometime though. Are you doing it?

[Orin]

I notice a difference, but I don't associate it with crank length. For example, I usually ride 170s, but have 165s on my fixed gear bike. If I put 165s on a geared bike, it feels like I'm riding the fixie.

I don't like 175s - it feels more difficult to get my foot across the top of the pedal stroke and my cadence drops.

Orin.

[93legendti]

I'm running 175's on my Cervelo and 172.5's on my Look 595, Meivici and other bikes. Do any of you ride different cranks on your bikes and do you notice a difference in pedaling?


Jack

I have 175's on the tandem and 172.5's on everything esle. I like the 175's and, surprisingly, the switch between the 2 does not bother my creaky knees.

I have the tandem set up for my 4 1/2 yr. old to stoke, so I can't say I can decide much about pedaling differences. I am intrigued enough to consider trying 175's on a single.

[DRZRM]

I have 172.5s on my fixed/commuter and 175s on my MTB, road bike, and SS mountain bike. I can feel the difference on the fixed, but it does not bother me, just a different bike, it has a different feel overall. The much bigger problem is when I try to rest and stop peddling at the top of a hill. :crap:

[Lifelover]

180's on my MTB SS, 165's on my road SS and not sure what I have on the other 4.

Not sure if I have ever noticed if I notice.

[swoop]

That's exactly my findings. Now I can't really tell any difference. The challange is too close to the Furnace Creek 508. I'd like to try it sometime though. Are you doing it?


i was going to.. but i'm too fat right now and not feeling like training. just doing social rides... i think the last three years has caught up and i don't want to have to stuff the bike in the car and drive somehwere and ride till my eyes pop out and go to bed hungry for at least another six months if ever again.

it does sound miserable and fun.

[Too Tall]

No Jack. I stick with the same cranks for everything except the track where I could prob. still run 180's cause the banks ain't that steep and I am not doing match sprints. FWIIW I run 175s at the track...Trexlertown.

Change is bad. Yes I can feel the diff. it is very apparent.

[cleavel]

Hello Jack,

I have 165mm cranks on my track bike, 170mm cranks on my road bikes, and 172.5 mm cranks on my TT bike. Interestingly, I feel more of a difference on the TT bike than on the track bike. 90+% of my riding is on the 170mm cranks.

[jimcav]

my first carbon bike, a used c40 i bought in 1999, came to me with 170--and i rode it for 2 years never knowing. was not until i sold it and was taking the left arm off that i noticed. since then i have bought bikes with 172.5 and 175, and i can never tell. my ankle and foot move enough that 2.5 mm can't matter. If i had a stroke where my foot was locked on perfectly level, and my shoe was tight enough, maybe i'd notice. but i don't.

all i do, is set my saddle so my knee feels good. On my 4 bikes, that is within 5mm on each bike, but it isn't exactly the same on each bike--even with the same 172.5, same speedplay pedals, same saddle, same shoes. I could probably set them all the exact mm, but i think within that range my body does not care--think the same goes for cranks.

perception is reality though--if you think it matters, it will

happy riding
jim

[shinomaster]

I rode 170's for 14 years. This year I just put a set of 172.5's on my cannonpigdale. Instantly I felt faster up the climbs, as if I could get more power to the pedals. I just ordered a longer set for my cross bike because I know the longer arms will help me plow through the mud.
I just started riding my cross bike and it still has the shorter arms. Guess what? I like them too. I feel as if I can turn the cranks over much faster, I have so much more leg speed, and with them I can spin better. I can't decide which is more efficient on my road bike now. Is it just all the muscle memory I have?
I am going to put the longer arms on the cross bike because cross races aren't about spinning, and I'm positive the extra length with help me grind up muddy hills. It's all too confusing though...my brain hurts.

[Ken Robb]

I can feel a difference of 5mm but I can't feel 2.5mm.
My 170s area bit easier to spin but I have to shift down about 1 more gear to make up for the lower leverage (or my imagination). One of my pals got on one of my bikes and immediately said "Oh, 172.5 cranks". I'm not that sensitive--ask my ex-wife. :beer:

[FATBOY]

Jack. In all seriousness, you need to give me all of your bikes that don't have 170mm cranks and start over. You are only hurting yourself, the bike community as a whole and this forum especially by not giving me all of your bikes. Give me your bikes Jack. Jack, give me your bikes.

[michael white]

I used to ride up a pass in Utah with 170s. Then, when I switched to 172.5, I figured my times would drop. Guess what? I think it was about half a minute slower. I kept riding all summer that year, and eventually the times dropped to within a few seconds of where they were to begin with, but I was never faster.

I use 172.5's just out of habit now, but for me, I am pretty sure 170's are at least as fast if not faster.

[Fixed]

bro my china red bike has 170's but i like to sprint I feel best with that right now ...but one thing i notice something i'm sure about now might change next week .... last year if you told me i'd be riding a bike from china i'd say stick it bro ..I'd rather walk
cheers