I have going back and forth about which length to use…I currently have been using a 170 because I am not all that long in the leg and find it easier to bring around in an even rotation, especially in a low aero-position. However some have told me I am sacrificing significant power and hence speed over the the ride by not using a 172.5. I a not sure how much I believe this but was curious what others think about this. When I first switched over to the 170 about a month ago I really could not feel a huge difference in torque, but could feel that I could maintain a higher more symmetrical cadence when climbing and at the end of long rides. Major question is whether I am loosing any significant time by using a 170. Thanks!
You should have made this decision around January.
I have going back and forth about which length to use…
And people ask me why do I keep reading ST, why do I post…
A. LP is less than a week away… ARE YOU F-ING NUTS!!! You should have figured this out by now.
B. Ride on whatever you trained on the most, or is lighter or looks cooler on your bike. Whatever.
C. Whatever you choose - it wont make a bit of difference. You’re never going to notice 2.5 mm. Pick a crank, set your saddle height and good luck
Whatever you do, pick the one you have trained with the most and which lets you stay aero, as LP is largely an aerobar course (as you know). Yes, there are hills, but the bulk of the time the aerobars is where you will be riding. See ya this weekend.
no problem, everyone crack over stress before a ironman,… you show it by asking a completly ridicoulous question about meaningless detail. Just relax, everything will be ok and there is no magic way to get more out of you other than the work and training you done. The equipment wont change anything…
i recommend you to forget complety about equipement from now on and focus on mental stuff, be positive… have fun…
by the way, i do have a PHD in stupidity before a ironman… i done it all and beleive me. forget about your equipement …nothing can make the day easier or faster… only the training you have inside of you…
good luck at the race and enjoy
good luck Dev out there… but if i was you… i will keep in mind that you have to race me up apex in a few weeks!!!
have fun!
Jonnyo, LP is only the warmup training event for the Apex Hillclimb. This is the A event for the year. We should do it chase format…how long do you studs take to climb Apex (I believe sub 50). So if you spot me 10 minutes, then we see who summits first for the glory…I might upgrade from 172.5 to 175 after LP for this climb :-). Will there be other Penticton Age group posers joining in, or am I just going to be soundly thrashed by a bunch of pros who do Ironman rides 40-50 min faster than me?
class act jonny…, now I feel like a jerk for my response.
That brings a dilema here…
I have trained the most with me road bike (about 4700 KMs this year), and only 70 KMs on my “new” Lucero… However the Lucero will let me stay “really” aero… Hopefully the bike ride will not hurt like hell… 
Cheers,
Fred.
I have heard that even if you had a 170 on one side and a 172.5 on the other, on the same bike, you would not notice the difference.
“Major question is whether I am loosing any significant time by using a 170.” yea tons…
Let me ask you this, which is more, 200w on 170 cranks or 200w on 172.5 cranks?
Kurt
Fred, that is your call. It I were you, I’d refrain from equipment changes this late in the game
I might actually end up with a new bike but I am saving it till after LP. As much as I love my Lucero, I want to have a bike that is a bit more multidimendional and which can be ridden (GASP…) a little slacker (I might banished from ST for this statement…), espcially in the mountains, where I will be riding (Rockies) during the first few weeks of August (yes, family vacation, but the bike will be in rented van…).
Do a search here… several different university studies have shown that it makes zero difference… none… nada… zipp…
I have heard that even if you had a 170 on one side and a 172.5 on the other, on the same bike, you would not notice the difference.
I don’t know about that. Using Alex’s Cda spreadsheet, Jen’s Crr testing data and my computrainer I’ve determined that 2.5 mm difference slows you down 35.345456 mins over the LP course.
You should have made this decision around January.
January…? Lets not get overly dramatic there sport! For a change so minute where the difference is hardly noticeable I think you are getting a bit self righteous. No one seems to blink and eye when people want to throw race wheels on three days before a big race which is a dramatic difference in ride, performance and handling. Did you put your 404s on in January?
Did you put your 404s on in January?
No, But I’ve had them for about 4 years. THey’ve been on the bike for 3 weeks and my a race is the same day as yours. I also haven’t made any changes to my bike fit since around march.
January may have been a touch over dramatic, but if you’re training for an ironman, you really outta be training like you’re going to race. THe longer cranks will require a greater range of motion from your legs, but provide you with a little bit more leverage. Once your adpated to one or the other, as others have said, overall power is the same.
If you haven’t done several long rides with the longer cranks, then to me, being conservative would be to go with the shorter cranks. As you ride and fatigue, your ROM lessens to some degree.
Thank you…was actually posting a helpful response so hard?
“As you ride and fatigue, your ROM lessens to some degree” Really?
Funny, I was under the impression that ROM for the bike remained the same…