Crank lengh advice needed please.

I've searched the forum and read a lot on crank length, but I'm still
unsure what to do so would appreciate some suggestions.

I've been learning now for about 2 months and can pretty well ride as
far as my legs will allow on flattish bike tracks and the road (no off
roading yet) and can successfully freemount about 30% of the time - so
overall I'm pretty happy but I feel that now I need to start getting
some miles under the wheels to really build up my skill.....however I'm
finding that on the flat and smooth I'm just not going as fast as I'd
like. Today over a 3 mile ride my max speed was 8.5 mph (legs flying!)
but my general comfortable speed was only about 6 mph - which I think is
too slow and makes my ride feel a bit unsteady and wobbly.

I would like to add at least 2 or 3 mph (or more?) to those speeds but
can't figure out what crank length's to get, so all suggestions
welcome.

The facts a
24" Onza Muni
Hookworm tyre
165mm cranks
I'm 48 and not as fit as I should be - but getting fitter!


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Splodge
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I have to say that 8.5 mph on a 24" MUni with 165's is impressive. I
was in a similar situation and the solution was a 29'er with 125's.
Shorter cranks will make spinning much easier, but you will lose a lot
of leverage for mounting, braking and controlling speed. I am putting
150's on my Onza MUni, and I suspect they will be a better fit for that
kind of riding.

I am finding that 8.5-9 mph is a comfortable cruising speed on my
29'er, and that when I really get into the zone I can go good distances
at 12mph. I commute to work 4 miles, and it takes 25 minutes, but much
of the time loss is due to a 1 mile downhill section that I ride slower.
My time is getting better in that section as I get more comfortable
using the hand brake.

In the end crank length seems to be a fairly personal decision. There
are folks on this forum that like long cranks, and some espouse the
benefits of really short (89mm) cranks.

I hope this doesn't just confuse the issue more.


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jtrops
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I went from 165mm cranks to 150mm cranks, I definitely prefer the 150s.
That said, I cannot make any comments about extra speed but I found the
150s did not hurt my knees and the spinning of the pedals seemed
smoother (less peddling induced wobble).

I live in a hilly area so need long cranks but it could be an idea
would be to get the KH Moment 125-150 cranks (if they fit on the Onza).
That would give you more options.


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scoope
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I swapped from 165s to 150s on my 26" muni a few years ago and I'd never
go back. On a 24 I'd say go for 140s, or even try 125s if you're only
riding easy flat stuff. (Or get a bigger wheel)

Rob


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rob.northcott
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A few inches of wheel size will make a much bigger speed difference than
a few centimeters of crank length.

An extra inch in wheel size adds an extra 3.14 inches to distance per
revolution.


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kevinalexandersmith

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have to add to the genreal consensus, if you're not riding heavily
technical and want to go faster a 29er is your best bet, i went down the
140s on a 24" route and although it is noticebaly faster, a 29er is
nicer.


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kington99

Dave

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I have 125 mm cranks on a Nimbus 24" with a hookworm tire, and find it
comfortable to ride. I do not go very fast (and I generally have not
been measuring my speed) but the leg motion is understated. I have been
on a 26" with 165 mm cranks and it feels very strange. There was just
so much pumping with my knees to get anywhere! For road riding I would
definitely recommend shorter cranks. You will be more comfortable, even
with some hills and may get more speed as a bonus.


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scott ttocs
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The spin rate doesn't change with shorter cranks, but it may feel
smoother and easier to spin. That said, if you want speed then you'll
need a larger wheel. For muni, anything shorter than 150 at your skill
level is going to make climbing vert diffucult. If you have yet to try
muni, I'd stick with the 165's until you learn how to climb on rough
terrain, then drop to a 150 after you know what you're doing. Speed is
nothing, for that you can ride a bike, try managing that 8.5 mph speed
on single track or downhill, that'll work for sure


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Nurse Ben
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Nurse Ben;1149966 wrote:
The spin rate doesn't change with shorter cranks, but it may feel
smoother and easier to spin. That said, if you want speed then you'll
need a larger wheel. For muni, anything shorter than 150 at your skill
level is going to make climbing vert diffucult. If you have yet to try
muni, I'd stick with the 165's until you learn how to climb on rough
terrain, then drop to a 150 after you know what you're doing. Speed is
nothing, for that you can ride a bike, try managing that 8.5 mph speed
on single track or downhill, that'll work for sure



The spin rate does increase with shorter cranks. That's half the
reason for going shorter!

And as for speed, if you want to go fast, you wouldn't ride a bike
either, you'd drive a car.


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Good answers everybody - thanks, made me think through my original
thoughts.
I'm only after more speed to make my ride smoother and feel more
controlled, in actual fact the best way to do that is to learn to ride
smoother and with more control!!
Therefore I figure that I should leave my crank length alone and just
do more, and harder, riding on the stuff that gives me a problem.
Since starting to ride a Unicycle I've found I like it more than I
thought I would - I can feel a collection starting!!


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