I know this is discussed a lot. On a road bike, if I make the switch, will I actually feel any difference on my knees , pedaling effort, speed, etc. or is this just a lot of hype to get me buy another crank set?
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Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [coyote pelon]
[ In reply to ]
How tall are you?
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [coyote pelon]
[ In reply to ]
coyote pelon wrote:
I know this is discussed a lot. On a road bike, if I make the switch, will I actually feel any difference on my knees , pedaling effort, speed, etc. or is this just a lot of hype to get me buy another crank set?Probably not to all of those unless your fit is just really off. I go back and forth between 175 and 170's all the time Road vs Track+TT. I find it's a little easier to turn higher cadences, but beyond that there's not much else.
Heath Dotson
HD Coaching:Website |Twitter: 140 Characters or Less|Facebook:Follow us on Facebook
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [coyote pelon]
[ In reply to ]
Coyote is tall , so probably won't help. I guess riding style matters too, spinner or masher
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [jimatbeyond]
[ In reply to ]
Thanks for the input. I’m 6’1”. I put some 170 on my bike. I was surprised how little or no difference the shorter cranks feel in any way. I think I now have some 170 Dura Ace to sell. An expensive grand experiment. LOL
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [Ex-cyclist]
[ In reply to ]
Ex-cyclist wrote:
coyote pelon wrote:
I know this is discussed a lot. On a road bike, if I make the switch, will I actually feel any difference on my knees , pedaling effort, speed, etc. or is this just a lot of hype to get me buy another crank set?Probably not to all of those unless your fit is just really off. I go back and forth between 175 and 170's all the time Road vs Track+TT. I find it's a little easier to turn higher cadences, but beyond that there's not much else.
Same here. Will vary between 165 and 170 depending on the track, and I regularly use 175mm for everything else. Other than a couple of minutes noticing minor differences, they all pretty much feel the same.
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [DonV]
[ In reply to ]
DonV wrote:
Ex-cyclist wrote:
coyote pelon wrote:
I know this is discussed a lot. On a road bike, if I make the switch, will I actually feel any difference on my knees , pedaling effort, speed, etc. or is this just a lot of hype to get me buy another crank set?Probably not to all of those unless your fit is just really off. I go back and forth between 175 and 170's all the time Road vs Track+TT. I find it's a little easier to turn higher cadences, but beyond that there's not much else.
Same here. Will vary between 165 and 170 depending on the track, and I regularly use 175mm for everything else. Other than a couple of minutes noticing minor differences, they all pretty much feel the same.
We have a weird geared bike points race on our 500m track here (converted car oval) and I usually run 170's out there to mimic what I do on the velodrome. I had 175's on last week and felt like I couldn't get the pedals over. I've been sick this spring, so might have just been the legs, but 110-120 rpm definitely felt rougher than with 170's.
Heath Dotson
HD Coaching:Website |Twitter: 140 Characters or Less|Facebook:Follow us on Facebook
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [Ex-cyclist]
[ In reply to ]
Ex-cyclist wrote:
DonV wrote:
Ex-cyclist wrote:
coyote pelon wrote:
I know this is discussed a lot. On a road bike, if I make the switch, will I actually feel any difference on my knees , pedaling effort, speed, etc. or is this just a lot of hype to get me buy another crank set?Probably not to all of those unless your fit is just really off. I go back and forth between 175 and 170's all the time Road vs Track+TT. I find it's a little easier to turn higher cadences, but beyond that there's not much else.
Same here. Will vary between 165 and 170 depending on the track, and I regularly use 175mm for everything else. Other than a couple of minutes noticing minor differences, they all pretty much feel the same.
We have a weird geared bike points race on our 500m track here (converted car oval) and I usually run 170's out there to mimic what I do on the velodrome. I had 175's on last week and felt like I couldn't get the pedals over. I've been sick this spring, so might have just been the legs, but 110-120 rpm definitely felt rougher than with 170's.
Years ago, I used to race on a 154 meter track in Fonthill, Ontario, and there I needed to use 165s, which felt odd at first. I've been racing like, forever, and started in 1979, when longer cranks on the road were pretty normal. 175 feels right for me, despite my height (5'7"); I can get more more RPMs out of short cranks, but all of this can be adjusted by gearing. I'm okay with going up to 120rpm on 175s, but more than that I want shorter cranks. What you describe makes sense--you're willing to adjust your crank length to match conditions and other variables. I've found on the road that transitions in pace are a lot gentler, less abrupt than on the track, so longer crank lengths don't tend to be an issue. I suspect that most of us accommodate whatever crank length is on our bikes in relatively short order.
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [DonV]
[ In reply to ]
DonV wrote:
Ex-cyclist wrote:
DonV wrote:
Ex-cyclist wrote:
coyote pelon wrote:
I know this is discussed a lot. On a road bike, if I make the switch, will I actually feel any difference on my knees , pedaling effort, speed, etc. or is this just a lot of hype to get me buy another crank set?Probably not to all of those unless your fit is just really off. I go back and forth between 175 and 170's all the time Road vs Track+TT. I find it's a little easier to turn higher cadences, but beyond that there's not much else.
Same here. Will vary between 165 and 170 depending on the track, and I regularly use 175mm for everything else. Other than a couple of minutes noticing minor differences, they all pretty much feel the same.
We have a weird geared bike points race on our 500m track here (converted car oval) and I usually run 170's out there to mimic what I do on the velodrome. I had 175's on last week and felt like I couldn't get the pedals over. I've been sick this spring, so might have just been the legs, but 110-120 rpm definitely felt rougher than with 170's.
Years ago, I used to race on a 154 meter track in Fonthill, Ontario, and there I needed to use 165s, which felt odd at first. I've been racing like, forever, and started in 1979, when longer cranks on the road were pretty normal. 175 feels right for me, despite my height (5'7"); I can get more more RPMs out of short cranks, but all of this can be adjusted by gearing. I'm okay with going up to 120rpm on 175s, but more than that I want shorter cranks. What you describe makes sense--you're willing to adjust your crank length to match conditions and other variables. I've found on the road that transitions in pace are a lot gentler, less abrupt than on the track, so longer crank lengths don't tend to be an issue. I suspect that most of us accommodate whatever crank length is on our bikes in relatively short order.
Yeah we are quite adaptable. I could probably ride 170’s across the board, but I’ve got a few too many 175 power meters that makes the complete switch not likely to happen.
Heath Dotson
HD Coaching:Website |Twitter: 140 Characters or Less|Facebook:Follow us on Facebook
Re: 175 mm cranks to 170 mm cranks [Ex-cyclist]
[ In reply to ]
Same here!
A taller rider on a road bike is the least "over-cranked" situation in cycling. Still 5mm is a significant change and most riders in your situation are going to prefer that change when it's presented properly on a dynamic fit bike. Whether they prefer it enough to justify the expense is generally what it boils down to. But most riders definitely "feel it" in the knees and hips when we chop 5 mil off the cranks.