Will I notice shorter cranks?

pbassred
pbassred Posts: 208
edited December 2016 in Cyclocross
My 2014 Boardman CX team came with 175mm cranks as standard. According to GCN, at my height (178cm) I aught to have 170mm cranks. The cheapest set I can find is £150. Having bought the bike 2nd hand for £350, do I really want to spend that proportion of its value? That said, perhaps it would be something I would need to do on any bike that I own. And then conversely, I'm not likely to compete on it.

It all comes do to .... Am I likely to notice 5mm shorter cranks.

Comments

  • airborne_warrior
    airborne_warrior Posts: 199
    Differing opinions on the thread below. I had two bikes, one with 175, the other with 172.5 and couldn't feel any difference. Maybe a 5mm difference would be felt.

    viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12806258
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    I'm of the school of thought that thinks - no you won't.

    For a year or two I rode a bike with odd cranks - one Mavic crank cracked just before a big ride so I had to swap it for a spare. I think there was a 7.5mm difference. I couldn't even tell that....

    I'd not spend money on something like this TBH but some people are ultra senstive to stuff.
  • g00se
    g00se Posts: 2,221
    I've got a bike with 167.5 cranks, one with 175mm and another I just got rid of with 170mm. Didn't really notice much difference at all.

    With CX, I would say the main thing is whether you have toe overlap. The bigger tyres and occasional need to wrench the steering around a light turn means overlap can be more of an issue. If it isn't I wouldn't worry.

    One of the supposed benefits of shorter cranks is that it's easier to spin at a higher cadence. With CX, a high cadence is less of a 'thing'. I find it better to grind more, you can float off the saddle more easily.
  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    it will give you 5mm more clearance at the bottom of the pedal stroke .... that might be all the difference between smacking your pedal on that rock or not.

    as for feel though, I just upgraded my Crankset and deceided at the same time to go from 170 to 175 in a feeble attempt to make the slightly too small frame, a larger cockpit by lowering my leg 5mm .... heh, I wasn't totally supprised when I couldn't tell any difference in feel what so ever
  • TriathleteIain
    TriathleteIain Posts: 19
    I think this falls into the category of you may not notice the difference but that doesn't mean your body doesn't. More than simply shortening your crank length you will be reducing the range of movement your knee makes as the pedal circle is now smaller. I am not sure though that it is worth getting new cranks purely for the sake of it, but I am considering shorter cranks if I need to get new ones in the future if only for the little extra clearance they will provide.
  • pbassred
    pbassred Posts: 208
    Well, its done, and no simple task. From a PF30 to a 24mm Shinano crank via lots of PF30 options that did not work. I finally went for 165mm cranks.

    I don't know if its faster but it IS more comfortable. Being comfortable for a length of time suggests that I could put out power for longer.
    With CX, I would say the main thing is whether you have toe overlap.
    Good point. I did have a problem and now I don't.. I don't think its only CX bike that have a toe overlap situation. At slow speeds, lots of bikes could get into trouble.

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