Prefered crank length 24x3"



C

cyberpunk

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Question: 24x3" Uni prefered Crank length

- 140's
- 150's
- 165's-170's
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Whats your prefered crank length on a KH 24" freestyle or equivilent
unicycle?


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160mm is ideal for me, so I couldn't vote.


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You forgot to say -- for riding on what? The more severe the terrain,
the longer you'll want. 170s on my Wilder for serious terrain, and 150s
on my older DM ATU for cruising.


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Man, I thought 150 was long for a 24x3 and would have never thought to
put longer cranks on. I'm getting so I can go up/down some pretty steep
hills.

I just ordered 170's for my Coker, I'll try them on my 24 x3 Nimbus.


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Definately 165/170s.
It's not just about the torque, though I do like that, too.
it just feels more comfortable. My 700c has 150s and they feel small to
me; I think I'd love 165s on that. I'm 5'10".


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I ride with 170's on my muni. I tried 160's and didn't like them
because they forced my legs to work harder to pedal and muni is already
hard enough as it is. But that could also be partly due to the fact
that I'm already very used to the 170's.

It also depends on the terrain you ride and the way that you like to
ride. Longer cranks give you more control on the downhills and make it
easier to do start and stop climbing. Longer cranks also make it easier
to roll over logs and rocks and curbs.

The way you like to ride will also play a part. If you like to attack
hills at a fast pedal speed and maintain that spin all the way to the
top then you'll probably like shorter cranks better. If you go up hills
where you end up going into a stop and go or pedaling in half revolution
increments then you might like longer cranks.

If you ride on trails that are mostly smoother or flatter then you'll
probably want shorter cranks. If you ride mostly on mountain trails
that are rooty and rocky then you'll probably want longer cranks.

There are distinct groups of opinion here on crank length. The opinions
probably seem random because most people don't state the type of terrain
they ride and the style of riding they do. However, if you grouped
everyone by terrain and style I think everyone would group up pretty
consistently. The people who live in areas with steeper rocky and rooty
trails will be choosing longer cranks and the people in flatter areas
with smoother XC style trails will be choosing shorter cranks.


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Rowan wrote:
> *Take that back John! That is an unfair generalisation. Me and Tony
> prefer shorter cranks than you and our mountain trails have roots and
> rocks too. It is just that kind of talk that tricked me into getting
> 170s in the first place when I knew I like them short- wasting money.
> Long cranks are for people who ride bikes in a low gear up hills-
> short cranks allows you to ride more efficiently at higher speed. *

I wasn't talking about absolutes. There are definitely people who
prefer short cranks where I prefer long cranks. It's just rules of
thumb and you also have to take into account your riding style.

I do wish the 2005 KH cranks came in more lengths. An option for 125's
on the trials uni would be nice and more sizes for the muni and 29er.


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I have to agree with Rowan. The argument that if you ride in a hilly
area you'll need/favour long cranks is specious. I've ridden plenty of
steep trails both up and down on 150s and had no problems. In fact I've
even ridden some mountains in Colorado on 150s and in many cases been
faster than the local riders who were using 170mm cranks. I believe
that crank length preference has more to do with rider skill than
terrrain ridden. Better riders prefer shorter cranks, in my experience.


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Unfochently when i broke my 175's on my 24X3 the only local replacment
part was 180's ! so that's what i use for Muni... 180's on a DM ATU ...
it's pretty wicked for techincal terrain... but lacking in speed ! ...
meh i got the cranks for 30 candain dollars (second hand) and they are
freaking strong ... can't complain... but yeah i like 180's now... so
easy for VERY techincal terrian !


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TonyMelton wrote:
> *I have to agree with Rowan. The argument that if you ride in a hilly
> area you'll need/favour long cranks is specious. I've ridden plenty of
> steep trails both up and down on 150s and had no problems. In fact
> I've even ridden some mountains in Colorado on 150s and in many cases
> been faster than the local riders who were using 170mm cranks. I
> believe that crank length preference has more to do with rider skill
> than terrrain ridden. Better riders prefer shorter cranks, in my
> experience. *

Better riders isn't quite correct. I'd say riders who like going faster
and have a preference for spinning the cranks prefer shorter cranks.
Riders who are faster are generally the better riders so there is a
positive corelation there but that doesn't imply a cause and effect
relationship.

Riding style also factors in. Some people like to push hard on the
pedals just like Jan Ullrich likes to push big gears on his bike. Other
people prefer less force on the legs and like to push an easier gear.

There are times when I find the long cranks to hinder my progress going
up shorter but steep climbs. It's easier to get stuck in the dead spot
with longer cranks. Shorter cranks make it easier to carry speed and
momentum up a short climb. Tradeoffs. But that's what you get when you
ride a single speed vehicle. You're never optimized for all situations.


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There has to be an optimal crank length for each rider/wheel/terrain
combination.

If longer cranks were the be all and end all of climbing hills, the best
cranks for a 26 inch unicycle would be 300mm long. But who would want
to pedal in a 600 mm (2 foot) diameter circle?

If shorter cranks were the be all and end all of fast spinning, then why
does no one ride with 25 mm cranks?

The answer is that the length of the cranks has to be matched to the
length of the legs - and possibly even to the proportions of the legs.
Far better to find a size of crank that suits, then adjust your gearing
by chosing the right wheel size for the terrain.

Personally for myself and it's only me, I find 150s uncomfortably long
on my MUni, although the flywheel effect of the Coker makes 150s
acceptable. Yet I used to ride 100 mile days on a bicycle with 170s. I
tried 170s on my MUni and gave them away because I found them jerky and
slow.

I had a go at My Own Personal Everest on 150s last Sunday. I still feel
like I carried a wardrobe up some big steps. I hope to try the same
climb on 125s this weekend, in which case I will be able to make a
direct comparison. Or die.

A poll on crank lengths provokes interesting discussion, but won't help
you to choose your own ideal cranks.


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I just tried 30 minutes of 170's on my 24x3 and I could not get them off
fast enough. Nice for going down hills, but I kept having dead spots
going up hills. Overall they did not seem to be helping me. I'm back
to 150's.

(I do like 170's on the 36" Coker.)


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