Blind Taste Test: Crank Length

[Louis]

Let’s say somebody secretly swapped out your cranks with another pair that was 2.5mm longer or shorter, do you think that you’d even notice?

Assuming you are starting with 172.5 remember that:

170 / 172.5 = 0.9855 and 175 / 172.5 = 1.0145

Louis

[dirtdigger88]

I think they would taste the same-

some may notice- I would bet that most would not

Jason

[Louis]

This is amazing - you guys must be incredibly honed racing machines to be able to tell the difference. I haven't done a true "blind" test, but I doubt that I would notice.

Louis

[mdeeds71]

I FEEL the difference when I go out of the saddle...170s feel tighter on the cadence, very controled, almost restrictive, but I can keep a higher cadence...While my mtb has 175...sheer torque it seems compared to the 170 on the road bike...but like I said only when I am out of the saddle.

[53-11]

Let’s say somebody secretly swapped out your cranks with another pair that was 2.5mm longer or shorter, do you think that you’d even notice?

Assuming you are starting with 172.5 remember that:

170 / 172.5 = 0.9855 and 175 / 172.5 = 1.0145

Louis

I would definitely notice a 5mm difference if the saddle was in the same spot for both. We are talking 3% difference though.

[William]

Let’s say somebody secretly swapped out your cranks with another pair that was 2.5mm longer or shorter, do you think that you’d even notice?

Assuming you are starting with 172.5 remember that:

170 / 172.5 = 0.9855 and 175 / 172.5 = 1.0145

Louis

I can't speak for going 172.5 to 175, too small. I could probably tell something was up. I knew something was up when my post slipped down about a CM. I could tell a big difference when going from 175 to 180's. Especially when climbing.

William

[Ginger]

Finely honed racing machine? No...such a wuss that I notice any change in climbing torque...yes.

This year I switched from 172.5s to 170s and I could tell the difference in lack of torque going up a hill. Not so much on the flats, but the hills...yep. Of course, I go over to my mtb with the 175s and that difference is huge...


What I wanna know is why people think you need to be some a racer geek to notice a change in your equipment or position. Especially if you've been riding the first one for a lot of miles. Admittedly, this is a small change, but if you ride a bit I don't know how you'd NOT notice. But I think it's more of a annoyance notice than a power output notice.

[Ray]

...but I'd know something had. Years ago, I rode mostly 170 cranks. I bought a bike that had 175s, but I wasn't aware of it. I could never get comfortable spinning on that bike like on my other ones. I wasn't all that conscious of the variable affecting cycling then like I pretend to be now, and I had no idea what was going on. I rode it for months and couldn't ID the problem until a shop guy suggested shorter cranks. Made all the difference in the world. I've since moved to 172.5 cranks on all but my fixie. I'm still comfortable on 170s or 172.5s, but I've been on bikes with 175s since and, again, immediately knew something was different (and in a way I didn't like), but didn't always know immediately what the problem was. At this point, I'd only ride 175s on a mountain bike, which is practically a different sport anyway.

And I'm ANYTHING but a finely honed racing machine.

-Ray

[Kevan]

complained about the varied length cranks I installed on his bike. I'm still waiting. I hate a joke that goes flop.

I don't get it... he's usually so cranky.

[Too Tall]

I'll tell you a NOT funny story and the person remains anonymous. This person is a very accomplished rider who relays this tale of his discomfort and subsequent futzing with cleats and all sorts of bike position stuff because "something ain't right"...after an entire yr. of this BS he breaks down the bike to swap equipment to a new frame and discovers he is riding two diff. crank lenghts. No moral to the story.

[Ti Designs]

After spending the first 10 years of racing trying to convince myself that longer cranks are better, I've come back to 170mm cranks which I use on every bike I own. I have lots of other cranks, pairs of 165 and 167.5 Nuovo record arms, 180mm C-record arms, a box full of 175mm mountain bike cranks - and they're all for sale!

If it were on my bike, I would be able to tell a change in crank length in minutes. If it were on some random bike I don't know that I would be able to tell.

Note: this is not an invitation for y'all to come over and mess with my bike.

[Tailwinds]

When I went from 170's to 172.5's, I could feel the difference in my pedal stroke for sure. Eventually, I switched back to 170's after a coach at Walden School of Cycling recommended it. Guess what -- it felt better. I am a spinner w/a 32.25" inseam, FWIW. Since I've moved from FL to CO, I wonder what 172.5's would feel like w/all the climbing I do now.

[Bradford]

I bought a used bike a few years ago and assumed the cranks were 175s, but they were actually longer. I noticed something was wrong on the first ride and the feeling didn't go away until I swapped out the cranks and realized that they were a different length.

That was on a bike I'd never ridden before and I could still tell the difference right away.