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Cranks


Connor

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There's also the fact that the longer it is the further you have to move your feet so if you were actually able to tell the difference between having an extra 0.5 mm on the end of your crank your foot would have to travel further, this makes it harder to acheive the same fast burst of speed thats needed for good gaps.

The same can be applied to short cranks however, the shorter it is the more of a burst you can put on the pedal stroke but the less actual power physical gets put through.

With this in mind i reckon you'd want something in between to acheive the best of both sizes, as with most things in biking it's to do with compromise... do you go for loads of power but crap acceleration or loads of acceleration with crap power to it. So unless you are a lanky legged and big footed monster like myself i reckon a 170mm crank should suffice for most people. But if your like me maybe a 175mm would be better.

However, this is all based on the unlikely reality that you will actually be able to tell the difference. It won't enable you to suddenly go an extra 2-3 inches further than you can already.

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However, this is all based on the unlikely reality that you will actually be able to tell the difference. It won't enable you to suddenly go an extra 2-3 inches further than you can already.

I beg to differ, it instantly improved my gaps going from 160's to 175's. Longer is better, but maybe only go as far as 170's unless you are really sure you like long cranks.

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There's also the fact that the longer it is the further you have to move your feet

That's the drawback.

I have 170's and i like them. Easier to put your pedal down and have a rest aswell. Only way to find out what suits you is to ride different lengths.

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longer cranks will do a couple of things probably more aswell

make your gear slightly easier (i notice the difference between 18-16 on 170 & 175 cranks big time!!!) throws my pedal stroke out loads.

and it will have more power as the stroke will be a bit longer if you get what i mean, hard to exaplain. but the more you pull the crank back USUALLY the more power you may have so you wouldnt have to do it as much really with longer cranks but the more you do it the quicker and more power you may have (Y):)

Waynio............................

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Mark'll probably tell you. He's playing for the 'long cranks, 12t fixed' team.

Seems like a good team though. I had 158mm (short) Monty cranks and a 12T rear cog but it was just too hard to use. Hindered my gaps and stuff. So I put a 13t on the back which made it much better.

However, I know now I would of been much brighter to of just got like 170mm cranks, so you get the same wheel movement per rotation, but it's easier. I think?

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ye very similar to that nick (Y)

i was speaking to a lad at work about it and he says that shorter cranks will spin quicker as in the circle, but will have a slightly harder gear for example going up a muddy climb (a slightly harder gear is better for more traction) so shorter cranks may make this better of easier, you can fit your pedal strokes (ie FULL revolution) into a smaller setoff or take off.

longer cranks the bikes moves quicker therefore transferring power quicker, therefore bad on muddy banks but for power and responsiveness the longer cranks are in theory for power and static moves loads better.

had a go on hawzee's bike last week down in porthcawl and he runs 22-19 and im running 18-16 and the 22-19 that i used to use for 3/4years felt so heavy and hard to push (this was on 170mm cranks and 22-19 ratio) yet on my 18-16 the gear feels lighter and power exertion is so much quicker and much more responsive. not that i would debate any one is better or worse cos there is two sides to the board. but in my riding style explosive power when i need it id say 18-16 with 175 cranks all day for myself :) a bit like comparing a 2 stroke and a 4 stroke really (Y) 2stroke imminent power but lacks torque/power top end, as a 4stroke has slower delivery yet at a high range has better torque/power ratio.

Waynio...........................

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im just saying my friend in my opinion, i know that is your opinion BUT if you stand by a wall say 2metres away, the shorter crank bike will maybe turn a full pedal stroke yet the longer crank will be (faster to accelerate) but maybe not quite get a full pedal turn in if you get what i mean.

if you measure from "A" to "B" on a bike with 170 cranks and then "A" to "B" on a bike with 175 cranks the one with 175 cranks would have further to travel to do the same "revolution" of a pedal. so in theory a longer distance will be travelled (were talking like minimalist here, but in some situations where space/room is an issue this can play a major part)

Waynio..........................

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no it wont, it would be exactley the same distance rtaveled with 90000mm cranks or 2mm cranks for a whole pedal stroke, this is because the geasring stays the same.

Yeh it would, not taking other factors into account all longer cranks do is make a gearing feel easier, it won't affect anything else.

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im just saying my friend in my opinion, i know that is your opinion BUT if you stand by a wall say 2metres away, the shorter crank bike will maybe turn a full pedal stroke yet the longer crank will be (faster to accelerate) but maybe not quite get a full pedal turn in if you get what i mean.

if you measure from "A" to "B" on a bike with 170 cranks and then "A" to "B" on a bike with 175 cranks the one with 175 cranks would have further to travel to do the same "revolution" of a pedal. so in theory a longer distance will be travelled (were talking like minimalist here, but in some situations where space/room is an issue this can play a major part)

Waynio..........................

It's not opinion Wayne it's the science of physics mate!

To try and explain it:

If they're on the same gearing then no that's pretty much impossible. No matter what length the cranks are if the gearing is the same it will still take the same number of crank revolutions to turn the wheel the same number of times, thus meaning the bike will still travel the same distance.

The only possible difference is that with the longer cranks more force is put through and due to friction limitations the wheel spins meaning the longer cranks will require more revolutions to cover a similar distance.

BACK to the actual point: In theory longer cranks will give you more power but will require you to move your legs further in order to acquire the same amount of rotations although this may not matter in trials as it's that burst of speed you need to give you the power in gaps, hence giving people with longer cranks better gapping/staticing ability (Y)

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