Is there some leverage advantage that exists for those with longer leg bones? Can short legged people compensate with fitting adjustments such as crank length, bike geomety, ?
Tom
It sure seems like it as they fly by me on the flats. I usually catch them on the uphills though.
another Tom D?
Can you change your name to Rufus to avoid confusion?
It’s a longer lever.
Cyclists with disproportionately longer femurs are said to have an advantage due to the extra leverage they get. I’ve noticed that most of the “best” cyclists tend to be quite tall, so I guess the leg length could be an advantage. Then again, everyone’s tall to me. 
so my 180 cranks are kicking ass???
I like to think so, heheheheheheheheeheh
I’ve got long legs and it doesn’t seem to help me, LOL!
I’ve got a 37" inseam and use 180mm cranks…I should be flying!! But then again…I’m 50! : )
No Khai, I can think of one maybe two St’rs who are shorter. Sedi and Miami79 comes to mind, maybe even francois, I can’t remember which of you towers over the other.
I have heard this also and I do have freakishly long femurs…5’6" w/a 34" inseam…but I sure seem to get passed by a fair amount of short, stocky gals, so who knows?
G
Longer levers can help, it’s just one piece of the puzzle, neithe the whole picture nor the reason while some short riders are faster than their long legged breathen.
I don’t know, seems like Paolo Bettini does pretty well and he can’t be any taller than 5’8".
That is some serious leggage…
your 51.5 % leg
This is interesting:
to calculate (inseam/height)*100
I’m 47.9% leg. (not including the 3rd)
ill agree with you on that… My legs are long and on the flat im able to hold 46 km/h for a good bit, but when it comes to climbing, god damn…
Lol - yes, I’m taller than Sedi.
I have relatively short legs and fit on my bike really well. Having a 27" inseam hasn’t hindered my performance on the bike. I’m only 5’4" and am normally in the top 15% on the bike, the run is another story but it’s gotten much better. Don’t use short legs as an excuse for not doing well. My attitude changed this year after meeting Shelia T and realizing that she is only about 5’3"
48cm Felt S32
110mm -7deg stem, no spacers
Vision clip on aero bars
170mm cranks
Seat pushed allmost all the way forward
jaretj
It seems like the 170 crank is used in 90% of fittings. Probably because most comp. groups come with this length because statistically it is the most common needed?. If longer legs equate to “longer levers” wouldn’t longer cranks help short legger’s?
I think it’s more of a reach issue with the cranks. Having a longer crank would mean that your leg would come up higher on the top of the pedal stroke. For me with 170’s, that puts the top of my leg into my rigcage, 180’s would bring the top of the pedal stroke 20mm higher.
That being said, a longer crank requires less force over a greater angluar distance to turn the same power as a shorter crank. Since the total output power would be the same for both at any given speed, I feel that body fit and comfort would be the factors that determine which size crank someone would use. The type of bike and the terrain could also be considerations but I don’t have enough experience to comment on that.
I’ve been looking for a pair of 165’s for a while now and am not willing to spend $150+ on a trial pair.
jaretj
Is there some leverage advantage that exists for those with longer leg bones? Can short legged people compensate with fitting adjustments such as crank length, bike geomety, ?
Tom
Interesting question, I was noticing that the TDF riders all seemed to have long femur bones for their height. Even relatively short guys (e.g., Lance) seemed to have longer femurs. I am curious if any studies have been done, regarding their leg length compared to general cycling population?
greg welch is 5’6", 132lbs when he raced.
go figure?
go to http://www.gregwelch.com/vid_02.htm.
welchy is my hero!