Crank Length

Bazzowmb
Bazzowmb Posts: 227
edited May 2012 in Road beginners
Just toying with the idea of upgrading my compact chainset and looking at the different options out there when I started wondering about the crank length options. Mine are currently 175mm.

I see the different lengths range from 170 - 177.5, what are the different lengths for (I'm guessing height) and how do you know what is best for you?

Comments

  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    Read this.
  • Bazzowmb
    Bazzowmb Posts: 227
    Many thanks Michael, quite some response and obviously not a simple answer.
  • themekon
    themekon Posts: 197
    Over many years I've ridden and raced with 170/172.5/ 175 and not noticed a spit of difference and I'm only 5'6" tall.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    I've got pretty short legs for my height (about 5'10"). My tourer has 170mm cranks on it and they seem to be a little kinder to my knees (there's not much in it though), but the bike seems to want me to 'spin' more; I don't use torque in exactly the same way as I do on my road bike, which has 175mm cranks. The longer cranks seem to encourage a lower RPM with more torque.
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