Chance3290
other than 2.5? I'm just wondering how much difference this can make on a crank.
View Full Version : 172.5 or 175? How much difference?
capwater
other than 2.5? I'm just wondering how much difference this can make on a crank.
My main race bike has 175s as does beater 1. Beater 2 has 172.5 and little crit bike has 170s. I think I can tell a difference between the 175 and 170, but not the 172.5s.
My main race bike has 175s as does beater 1. Beater 2 has 172.5 and little crit bike has 170s. I think I can tell a difference between the 175 and 170, but not the 172.5s.
wilmar13
other than 2.5? I'm just wondering how much difference this can make on a crank.
It isn't much... if you have 100,000 miles with 172.5 and you switch to the 175s you can probably feel the difference. I'm sure there is an aspect of how long your legs are that will play into it as well. When I went from 172.5 to 180 I couldn't tell much difference...except I became much faster (but I have long legs).
It isn't much... if you have 100,000 miles with 172.5 and you switch to the 175s you can probably feel the difference. I'm sure there is an aspect of how long your legs are that will play into it as well. When I went from 172.5 to 180 I couldn't tell much difference...except I became much faster (but I have long legs).
gclark8
I have short legs, my first 2 bikes had 170s, my new Trekking bike came with 175s, it just didn't feel right, seat position, the lot, awful, changed the cranks to 170s, ahhhh :) better. Now I would like to try 165s or 167.5s as I feel I can get my cadence up (to 90) easier with the shorter cranks. Also with the shorter cranks I don't want to put the seat any further forward, 75 degrees will do for now.
lyotard
just out of curiosity, as i have been considering longer cranks (some formula place me at 177.5+) what is your inseam and frame size please?
"when I see an adult riding a bicycle it gives me hope for mankind"
Huxley
It isn't much... if you have 100,000 miles with 172.5 and you switch to the 175s you can probably feel the difference. I'm sure there is an aspect of how long your legs are that will play into it as well. When I went from 172.5 to 180 I couldn't tell much difference...except I became much faster (but I have long legs).
"when I see an adult riding a bicycle it gives me hope for mankind"
Huxley
It isn't much... if you have 100,000 miles with 172.5 and you switch to the 175s you can probably feel the difference. I'm sure there is an aspect of how long your legs are that will play into it as well. When I went from 172.5 to 180 I couldn't tell much difference...except I became much faster (but I have long legs).
boudreaux
other than 2.5? I'm just wondering how much difference this can make on a crank.
I use both, and can't tell the difference.
I use both, and can't tell the difference.
wilmar13
just out of curiosity, as i have been considering longer cranks (some formula place me at 177.5+) what is your inseam and frame size please?
"when I see an adult riding a bicycle it gives me hope for mankind"
Huxley
It is 36". My time trialing and climbing made a marked improvement when I went to 180's. Going by all the formulas I should be riding even longer cranks, and I was really close to going to 185s but then I found an excellent article that looked at all the dynamics and showed that foot size can actually play into it as well, as the longer your feet are, the longer your effective cranks are... so long story short I stay with the 180's. Big Mig used 190's for the hour record and TTing and he has a shorter inseam. Buy a used pair, if you have knee trouble, you can resell them without much out of pocket coin.
"when I see an adult riding a bicycle it gives me hope for mankind"
Huxley
It is 36". My time trialing and climbing made a marked improvement when I went to 180's. Going by all the formulas I should be riding even longer cranks, and I was really close to going to 185s but then I found an excellent article that looked at all the dynamics and showed that foot size can actually play into it as well, as the longer your feet are, the longer your effective cranks are... so long story short I stay with the 180's. Big Mig used 190's for the hour record and TTing and he has a shorter inseam. Buy a used pair, if you have knee trouble, you can resell them without much out of pocket coin.
wilmar13
other than 2.5? I'm just wondering how much difference this can make on a crank.
Oh I forgot about this: while my road bikes have 180's my tandem and mountian bike only has 175's and don't notice any difference... of course though there are many differences in how the bikes fit so all I am saying is that my legs don't notice they are turning a 3% smaller circle.
Oh I forgot about this: while my road bikes have 180's my tandem and mountian bike only has 175's and don't notice any difference... of course though there are many differences in how the bikes fit so all I am saying is that my legs don't notice they are turning a 3% smaller circle.
RC2
When I went from 172.5 to 180 I couldn't tell much difference...except I became much faster (but I have long legs).
You went from 172.5 to 180?!? Maybe the 60cm vs. 52cm frame played into your judgement a bit... :confused:
You went from 172.5 to 180?!? Maybe the 60cm vs. 52cm frame played into your judgement a bit... :confused:
RC2
You probably won't feel or notice much difference...get the one that the fitter at your LBS recommends but don't get 'sold'. And if you hear someone telling you they got 'faster' as a result of shorter/longer cranks, you can save some time and skip to the next post.
wilmar13
You went from 172.5 to 180?!? Maybe the 60cm vs. 52cm frame played into your judgement a bit... :confused:
What are you talking about?
What are you talking about?
wilmar13
You probably won't feel or notice much difference...get the one that the fitter at your LBS recommends but don't get 'sold'. And if you hear someone telling you they got 'faster' as a result of shorter/longer cranks, you can save some time and skip to the next post.
What is your deal? I guess Leonard Zinn doesn't know what he is talking about, or any other taller riders that have to use cranks designed for people much smaller than them, who switched to a crank that fits?
What is your deal? I guess Leonard Zinn doesn't know what he is talking about, or any other taller riders that have to use cranks designed for people much smaller than them, who switched to a crank that fits?
Chance3290
Thanks Kids, I didn't mean to start an argument. If we just sit down and talk, then decide that I am right about everything, then we can get back to our lives.
Seriously, thank you all for the input. Keep an eye out for my compact crank question. I need advice on that too.
Seriously, thank you all for the input. Keep an eye out for my compact crank question. I need advice on that too.
Wurm
IMO, you don't need to have "100,000 miles" on one length crankarm to notice a difference from another length.
I bought a CX bike in '03 that I assumed had 172.5 arms on it. But I hadn't been riding for almost 2 years. About 14 months later when I bought a different frame to build up and was packing the CXer for shipping, I saw that they were 175.
So I ordered a 175 crankset for the new bike since they felt good, but the dealer sent 172.5 by mistake. I didn't notice they were the "wrong" size when I put them on, and I immediately could tell something was amiss. It required more effort and my legs tired quicker on the same routes going the same speeds as I had been before with the 175's. I finally checked the new crankarms and saw they were 172.5.
I returned the 172.5's to the dealer and he sent the 175's. On the first ride, everything was back to normal and I've had no problems since.
So actually, in my case it was like taking a blind test with no biases entering in, because I didn't know I had accidentally "switched" from 175's to 172.5's until I felt the difference on the road.
*Legal Disclaimer: Your Mileage May or May Not Vary. Or not. ;)
I bought a CX bike in '03 that I assumed had 172.5 arms on it. But I hadn't been riding for almost 2 years. About 14 months later when I bought a different frame to build up and was packing the CXer for shipping, I saw that they were 175.
So I ordered a 175 crankset for the new bike since they felt good, but the dealer sent 172.5 by mistake. I didn't notice they were the "wrong" size when I put them on, and I immediately could tell something was amiss. It required more effort and my legs tired quicker on the same routes going the same speeds as I had been before with the 175's. I finally checked the new crankarms and saw they were 172.5.
I returned the 172.5's to the dealer and he sent the 175's. On the first ride, everything was back to normal and I've had no problems since.
So actually, in my case it was like taking a blind test with no biases entering in, because I didn't know I had accidentally "switched" from 175's to 172.5's until I felt the difference on the road.
*Legal Disclaimer: Your Mileage May or May Not Vary. Or not. ;)
cydewaze
but then I found an excellent article that looked at all the dynamics and showed that foot size can actually play into it as well, as the longer your feet are, the longer your effective cranks are
Hey, that's interesting. I'm only 5'10 but my feet are size 13 (47 eu) and I've always wondered what affect the big feet have on the pedal stroke.
Hey, that's interesting. I'm only 5'10 but my feet are size 13 (47 eu) and I've always wondered what affect the big feet have on the pedal stroke.
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