Crank Length

doomanic

One of the things I have noticed with the Nuke is that I'm clouting the cranks on the floor when pedalling through bombholes and the like. The suspension is set up with 20% sag on the front and 30% on the rear. As I am swapping to a 1x chainset sooner or later I have to opportunity to use shorter cranks, either 170 or 165 instead of the 175s that are on the bike now. What are the implications of doing this?

cooldad

I doubt you'll notice any difference.

poah

don't pedal through bomb holes

The Rookie

10mm in ground clearance is nothing!

Use shorter cranks when sensible (short legs to reduce knee articulation for example, or single speeders who need to spin at 250rpm downhill) not to fix a deficiency in your riding skill.

doomanic

On my Spesh I clouted the cranks maybe a couple of times in nearly 500 miles this year. I've done 20 miles on the Nuke and clouted them probably 10 times on a route I ride quite a lot. The Nuke's suspension is much more responsive and the BB is lower, this would indicate to me that it's more likely to happen. I'm not sure why you're calling it a skill deficiency? Perhaps if you could explain where the deficiency lies I'd be more receptive to what looks like a snide remark.

kajjal

As above 10mm is not much, sounds like you need to change the bike setup or the way you ride it unfortunately.

The Rookie

doomanic wrote:

On my Spesh I clouted the cranks maybe a couple of times in nearly 500 miles this year. I've done 20 miles on the Nuke and clouted them probably 10 times on a route I ride quite a lot. The Nuke's suspension is much more responsive and the BB is lower, this would indicate to me that it's more likely to happen. I'm not sure why you're calling it a skill deficiency? Perhaps if you could explain where the deficiency lies I'd be more receptive to what looks like a snide remark.

A bike with a lower BB is more likely to get pedal strikes, you need to adjust your riding style to suite, it's a common issue with the latest geo bikes and you need to learn to adapt.

I rode a low BB bike the other day, had two early strikes as I got used to it and not again.

doomanic

What changes did you make to your style? I'm finding it hard to refrain from pedalling in places where I could pedal on the Spesh.

The Rookie

Look at the terrain better, spot were strikes are likely and pause so that as you go over that feature the pedals are level even if you are still pedalling.

doomanic

I was doing that by the end but losing speed as a consequence.

cooldad

That's what happens when you stop pedalling.

swod1

Well downhillers use 165mm crank length but for general trail riding I wouldn't go below 170mm. As already said above its more about choosing the lines better on the trails to avoid hitting the pedals on anything.

But sometimes you just cant avoid it, done it plenty of times in peak district wacked pedals on rocks and allsorts.

doomanic

cooldad wrote:

That's what happens when you stop pedalling.

Really? Wow! And there was me thinking you sped up when you stopped pedalling... :roll:

cooldad

My obvious statement was replying to your obvious statement.

It's a matter of timing. Obviously.

doomanic

My (clearly less than obvious) point is that I'm having to stop pedalling in areas where previously continued pedalling was not an issue. I guess I'll just have to learn to carry more speed before these places.

cooldad

Your point was obvious, and obviously probably yes.

FishFish

doomanic wrote:

cooldad wrote:

That's what happens when you stop pedalling.

Really? Wow! And there was me thinking you sped up when you stopped pedalling... :roll:

Me too!

rpaton

Pedaling can make a difference, sometimes
with Aaron Gwin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B3G2U4O7Kk
...but not always
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBSXR25jmM0

dirkpitt74

Pumping can help you maintain/increase your speed in places where you don't want to pedal.
It's a pretty easy technique to apply too.
It's amazing how much extra speed/distance you can get from it - as the above Aaron Gwin vid shows.

The Rookie

Plus you don't STOP pedalling, you Pause briefly to make sure the cranks are horizontal as you cross a suspect feature, it can take a while to learn to read the ground well.

rpaton

Pumping as explained by Mark Weir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9cwoQpRUqo

doomanic

Thanks.