What crank length to go for??

daniel_b

Chaps,

have just decided on a new 105 Octalink 53/39 setup, and as I am buying new, have the choice of lengths of crank.

My Felt is currently on 175's, and that seems fine, my Marin is on 172.5's which also seem fine.

I 'had' decided on 172.5's (These are going on the Felt) but then my cousin thinks 175's would be better, and searching around on the net, I see a whole host of methods, which come up with recommendations of between 172 & 176!

My stats are 5ft 10", with an inside leg of 34".

Any recommendations??

I guess it won't make a huge amount of difference in the long run, but as this is my one chance, for a while, I would like to get the bets setup I can.

I guess I'm after a mixture of flat out speed, and hill climbing ability, not sure if that affects anything at all?

Cheers

Dan (Confused)

croggy

Last year I bought a chainset with 175mm cranks to give me a bit more leverage,previously 170mm,and I can't tell the difference.Can anyone detect such a small difference?

e999sam

I've got 172 1/2 on one bike and 175 on an other and I can't tell the differance.

akcc05

there has been quite a few threads on crank lengths in the past month or so. they were all pretty much inconclusive. but to sum up what different members had said:

us mortals are better off with the intermediate 172.5
pros say they use different crank lengths depending on the stage. 175+ for climbing and TT for better leverage. 170 for rolling stages and crits where there are lots of changes in tempo. which may expain why track racers use 160-170 cranks. i personally find shorter cranks are better with acceleration i.e. at the lights on my commuter.

hope this helps. more experienced members please correct any mistakes i may have made.

daniel_b

Thanks chaps, looks like maybe I should stick with my original idea of 172.5's then....?

But then part of me thinks i should stick with what I know on the Felt and go for 175's......... :?

Mister W

There's a rumour that a couple of years ago a pro-triathlete rode for most of a season with different length cranks and didn't notice. If he didn't notice I expect you probably won't.

Alex_Simmons/RST

It doesn't make much difference and the choice really is about what you feel good riding. Certainly there is no evidence that it impacts our ability to generate power. Whichever you choose, if it's different to before, just make the relevant adjustment to saddle position.

I am currently riding 165s, 170s and 175s depending on the bike (all three will get used during most weeks).

octav

Did you buy the chainset? I have also this permanent question. I used until november a 170 mm cranks(almost 6000 miles) and after that I switched to the winter bike with a 175 mm crank. I couldn't tell the difference. I didn't go to any mountains yet . I hope that in March I will get one week tot the mountains and do some climbing with a 172.5(which I want to buy). Do you think it is a waste of money? I also do some local racing. I am 5 9" - 5 10" with a 33-33.5" inseam.