|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
[crank lenght] Better leverage ??
After reading alot about cranks, I still have doubts which lenght is best
for me. I'm around almost 6' tall and my inseam is 86 cm (33.88 inches). Now I have crank 172,5 mm long. Ocassionally I participate in amateur road races where the terrain is very hilly, with steep (+10%) climbs. I thought of swithing to 175 mm crank, which, according to this http://www.airborne.net/eready/janet...zing_step3.asp is right for me. As a rider, I like low cadences and I'm build more like a sprinter (80 kg) than an up-hiller. I've read that longer crank is useful on uphills but is the leverage benefit big enough to justify extra money spent on the longer (175) crankset? All the best, Lechu |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
[crank lenght] Better leverage ??
"le-sheq" (clip) is the leverage benefit big enough to justify extra money spent on the longer (175) crankset? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 175/172.5= 1.4% I hardly think you would notice it. It would be equivalent to half a tooth change on a 34 tooth rear cog. (Please don't tell me you can't change less than one tooth. ;-) |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Better leverage ??
le-sheq wrote:
is the leverage benefit big enough to justify extra money spent on the longer (175) crankset? Save your money. That 2.5mm difference is extremely tiny, and the "benefit" even with something much longer (or shorter)might be zero. Studies on the effect of crank length on performance have not been able to find any meaningful correlations. Practically all riders can perform optimally with the standard lengths, unless they are very short. BTW, this has been discussed many times on this newsgroup... and recently, too. Do a search if you'd like some light reading... |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Better leverage ??
le-sheq wrote: After reading alot about cranks, I still have doubts which lenght is best for me. I'm around almost 6' tall and my inseam is 86 cm (33.88 inches). Now I have crank 172,5 mm long. Ocassionally I participate in amateur road races where the terrain is very hilly, with steep (+10%) climbs. I thought of swithing to 175 mm crank, which, according to this http://www.airborne.net/eready/janet...zing_step3.asp is right for me. I suspect that Airborne has more 175 cranks to sell, so they say that. Put 4 people in a room and ask about crank length, get 5 opinions. I use 172.5 for anybody in your height range. 175s won't make any appreciable difference. Climbing 10%+ grades is hard for everybody. A crank 2.5mm longer won't make it any easier, "may" make your knees complain. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
[crank lenght] Better leverage ??
le-sheq wrote:
After reading alot about cranks, I still have doubts which lenght is best for me. I'm around almost 6' tall and my inseam is 86 cm (33.88 inches). Now I have crank 172,5 mm long. Ocassionally I participate in amateur road races where the terrain is very hilly, with steep (+10%) climbs. I thought of swithing to 175 mm crank, which, according to this http://www.airborne.net/eready/janet...zing_step3.asp is right for me. As a rider, I like low cadences and I'm build more like a sprinter (80 kg) than an up-hiller. I've read that longer crank is useful on uphills That's widely repeated nonsense. but is the leverage benefit big enough to justify extra money spent on the longer (175) crankset? Absolutely not. If you want more "leverage" use a smaller chainring in front or a larger sprocket in back. Crank length does affect leverage, but that's not a reason to select a crank length. Select a crank length for biomechanical reasons. Especially, if you get sore knees, shorter cranks can sometimes alleviate the problem. There would be zero performance advangage from swapping out your crank to one an eensy bit longer. You would be throwing money away for nothing. See: http://sheldonbrown.com/cranks for more details on this. I'm about your height and generally use 165 or 170. Tried 180s but they made my knees hurt. Tried 150s but I had to set my saddle too high, but otherwise they were OK. Sheldon "Cranks" Brown +--------------------------------------------------+ | What's not worth doing is not worth doing well. | | --Don Hebb | +--------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|