Crank Replacement Question

mgt01 said:

I have a Trek 1500 with the stock Bontrager Race 52/42/30 triple crank and wanted to switch to the Bontrager Race X-Lite Carbon Crankset 53/39. What is the crank arm length of the stock crank on a 56 cm frame, or are they the same length on the 1500's no matter the frame size? Would these be a worth while change on this bike or better to wait for the next bike upgrade?

Why don't you look on the back of the crankarm for the length.Or failing that, measure it. What's is the point unless you need some bling or poseur' points?

mgt01 said:

I have a Trek 1500 with the stock Bontrager Race 52/42/30 triple crank and wanted to switch to the Bontrager Race X-Lite Carbon Crankset 53/39. What is the crank arm length of the stock crank on a 56 cm frame, or are they the same length on the 1500's no matter the frame size? Would these be a worth while change on this bike or better to wait for the next bike upgrade?

Agree with boudreaux...save the money for the next bike. Saving 200 grams by going from triple to double isn't worth the expense. If you never have to climb steep hills, you can always get a double on the next bike.

As for the poseur factor, I read that Team Navigator used triples on the big climb stage at the Tour de Georgia this year. Lance went with just a 27 cog on his double, but he's a pretty strong climber compared to the rest of us.

Great, thanks. I am not good with hills yet so it is better to stick with the triple until my tree trunks develop. The next bike will be in the garage late next year or early 07. I only have about 800 m on this one so not even broken in yet. Thanks for all the input.

mgt01 said:

Great, thanks. I am not good with hills yet so it is better to stick with the triple until my tree trunks develop. The next bike will be in the garage late next year or early 07. I only have about 800 m on this one so not even broken in yet. Thanks for all the input.

Instead of going from triple to double, check out a compact crank instead. They are usually a 50-34. FSA makes some good ones, including carbon models.