Powercranks-I want to purchase but can't get

[Rochefan]

I have an uneven pedaling action and I think powercranks will be a help. From what I have read they should help though they are a lot of hard work.
Anyway, before I purchase through their website I have a question or two for them. I have sent 2 emails (one in mid November) and left a message on their voice mail but have had no response. This makes me worry about contacting them in case anything goes wrong and I need them repaired.
Does anyone here have had dealings with them? Do they normally respond? I have looked at buying 2nd hand on ebay but I prefer to get the lock out version and I have yet to see these for sale.

 

[MMMhills]

I have never heard of them.

I can say that if you can not get a hold of a company when you want to buy there product you definitely will not be able to if there is a problem.

What exactly is your pedaling problem? There is probably a more conventional way to correct it and maybe someone here can help.

 

[CalicoCat]

Originally Posted by Rochefan .

I have an uneven pedaling action and I think powercranks will be a help. From what I have read they should help though they are a lot of hard work.
Anyway, before I purchase through their website I have a question or two for them. I have sent 2 emails (one in mid November) and left a message on their voice mail but have had no response. This makes me worry about contacting them in case anything goes wrong and I need them repaired.
Does anyone here have had dealings with them? Do they normally respond? I have looked at buying 2nd hand on ebay but I prefer to get the lock out version and I have yet to see these for sale.

Try single leg drills or riding a track bike for a while. It doesn't take very long to smooth out a pedal stroke.

 

[Rochefan]

As much as I stretch and do core work I just can't get even power through my legs. I have done single legs drills but probably didn't do enough of them. I know a guy who bought powercranks a few years back and he is totally smooth on the bike now.

 

[MMMhills]

If you want to be smooth get a set of rollers. Ride them often until you can do one legged drills and sprints on them. I use rollers all the time and if you are not smooth on the above exercises then you go down. You have to do them alot a 1/2 hour of drills will not make you better but all winter long 3 times a week will.

Rollers have helped me out a ton.

 

[Rochefan]

Rollers don't suit me as I do my training going in and out to work (have 2 kids so no evening training). I think powercranks would be better for me but I just can't get onto the them at www.powercranks.com

 

[Pommylump]

I've had a set of powercranks for a year, after about 6 months a part broke, I emailed them explained what had happened and they airfreighted the part I needed to Australia within a week, Andrew was answering my emails at 1am his time. The service I got was second to none, Having said that I emailed him about buying a second set a week ago and have heard nothing since

As for are they any good, I think they definately make u better, everybody who says they are a waste of time has never ridden them for a year, if they no good why do people all do one legged drills, I rode 170kms on mine today that is equivalent of 7 hours one legged drills on each leg.

 

[gman0482]

Originally Posted by Pommylump .

if they no good why do people all do one legged drills

I think people do one legged drills, because one legged drills work, and the best part ?? They are FREE !! IMO, (and it is just my opinion), you shouldn't have to pay that much $$ for something, when there's a free way to accomplish the same thing. Just my $.02

 

[64Paramount]

Originally Posted by gman0482 .



Quote:
I think people do one legged drills, because one legged drills work, and the best part ?? They are FREE !! IMO, (and it is just my opinion), you shouldn't have to pay that much $$ for something, when there's a free way to accomplish the same thing. Just my $.02

There you go being all logical and stuff again......

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif /img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by gman0482 .




I think people do one legged drills, because one legged drills work, and the best part ?? They are FREE !! IMO, (and it is just my opinion), you shouldn't have to pay that much $$ for something, when there's a free way to accomplish the same thing. Just my $.02

Originally Posted by 64Paramount .





There you go being all logical and stuff again......

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif /img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif

That'd be logical if one legged drills did the same thing as riding powercranks - but the last time I checked when you're on a bike you're trying to make one leg go down while the other one comes back up. Can't replicate that motion in it's entirity with just one leg.

Regular cranks are free now? I thought you had to pay for those too. The Hollowgram Si's on my fancy schmancy bike cost (or would have cost if I had bought them seperately) about the same as the Powercranks on my training jallopy.

 

[Pommylump]

After riding powercranks for a year now, admittedly on and off a bit till last 4 weeks when I committed to them for 6 months. ( am only a month in but am starting to feel the difference)

Doing one legged drills for a couple of minutes on the trainer once a week, is a complete waste of time. It has taken me months of powercranking with sessions between 1 and 3 hours before I finally think my legs are learning how to pedal correctly.

I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars trying to buy speed in cycling, and now for the measly sum of $999 I think I have. I could ride them for 2 years and still sell them on ebay for $500-$600. So that works out about the cost of less than a pint of beer a week.

So admittedly they r not free but they certainly arent expensive

 

[IMBACKFINALLY]

I've had three sets of PowerCranks. The first departed with the stolen bike they were attached to. The second (triple, adjustable length and lockable) are attached to my training bike which I use in all but the most foul weather. The third (a double, adjustable length) pair may end up on my Tri bike.

My first PC's were going strong after 5+ years of my sporadic commuting cycling, often in truly bad weather. I have no complaints about their durability; they are unbelievably overbuilt.

I've interacted with the PowerCranks people maybe 6 times and they have always been hyper-responsive. Andrew has text-messaged me from his vacation!

I definitely recommend using PowerCranks. Their website somewhere describes the best strategy to adapt to them. My experience has been: try to ride most every day. Do two-a-days if possible. These early rides need not be long rides. From the beginning, there will be two classes of limiters: (1) both your hip flexors and your hamstrings will just plain not have sufficient muscular endurance to last long; (2) but much more challenging will be the 'neural muscular timing'.. your body simply doesn't know what hit it. Consequently, various leg muscles will be firing off at the wrong times, working against one another. If you've ever picked up an technically demanding sport as an adult (say inline roller skating, skiing or snowboarding), you know what I mean. It is exhausting, humbling and frustrating... so challenging in a good way! Just keep trying... in a few weeks you will have a breakthrough. After perhaps 4-6 weeks you'll be able to cover your former distances.

I agree with a previous poster: the people who actually use them tend to love them, while people who have never used them insist they cannot possibly work. It is one of the weirdest debates in cycling forums.


PowerCranks are an awesome overall leg workout and if you do cycling and running, they are an absolute must-have. If you want to trade training experiences, send me an e-mail.

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by Rochefan .

I have an uneven pedaling action and I think powercranks will be a help. From what I have read they should help though they are a lot of hard work.
Anyway, before I purchase through their website I have a question or two for them. I have sent 2 emails (one in mid November) and left a message on their voice mail but have had no response. This makes me worry about contacting them in case anything goes wrong and I need them repaired.
Does anyone here have had dealings with them? Do they normally respond? I have looked at buying 2nd hand on ebay but I prefer to get the lock out version and I have yet to see these for sale.

Strange... I've never had a problem getting in touch with them. As one other poster has said, Andrew seems to return calls from anywhere and everywhere. But, if you called them and asked about products for sale off eBay then I'm not too surprised they didn't return your call.

Lockouts huh, you mean like mine?

McCrankDaddy.


The best thing since sliced bread. My hands are not cold and dead so you can't have them and even when I die I'm gonna be buried with them so you're SOL on buying them from me.

I've always though of PC's as the near ultimate theft deterant - just wondering how far the thief that nabbed IMBACKFINALLY's bike had to run with his velocipede.

 

[Rochefan]

Thanks for the replies. I still haven't heard anything back from them. Anyway, racing season has started here so they will have to wait until October before I try again. I am still convinced that they will do me more good than not

 

[Fday]

Rochefan,

My wife was doing a little search to see what was being said out there about us and came across this thread and was concerned. I am sorry we missed your emails and calls. We are a tiny company but Andrew usually is very responsive and what he misses usually finds its way to me. Anyhow, try us again but you may not want to wait until October because we are coming out with a new, lower cost, entry level crank, and we are offering an "early bird" discount to those who order before we are ready to ship. 15% off for the next week or so, which can get the price down to almost $500. Because of the difficulty you had, if you call us in the next two weeks and mention this thread I will offer you an additional 5% off of this price or 10% off any of our standard products.

Frank
PowerCranks

PS, Swampy, nice seeing you at Death Ride. And, to the other customers who came here and said some nice things about us, thanks for the kind words. Those who like us already please check out the latest thing I am pushing, shorter cranks - I have a link to a discussion about this on the home page. The combination of PowerCranks and short cranks I think may be especially powerful. I happen to think much shorter cranks may be the next big thing in cycling such that we are now offering cranks that will go as short as 90mm to allow you to experiment with this to see what is best for you. I am currently riding 105mm cranks and loving them. It may sound strange but I think this change can give and additional improvement that seems almost as impressive as the improvement most see from the PowerCranks.

 

[Pommylump]

Hey Frank

Can the rest of us get an extra 5% off because I wouldnt mind a second set

 

[steve]

Originally Posted by Fday .

I happen to think much shorter cranks may be the next big thing in cycling such that we are now offering cranks that will go as short as 90mm to allow you to experiment with this to see what is best for you. I am currently riding 105mm cranks and loving them. It may sound strange but I think this change can give and additional improvement that seems almost as impressive as the improvement most see from the PowerCranks.

The direct link is here; http://www.powercranks.com/cld.html

Frank the effort vs crank length graph is currently dead.

 

[Fday]

Steve, Thanks for the heads up. I forgot to upload the image. Should work now.

Originally Posted by steve .





The direct link is here; http://www.powercranks.com/cld.html

Frank the effort vs crank length graph is currently dead.

 

[Fday]

Originally Posted by Pommylump .

Hey Frank

Can the rest of us get an extra 5% off because I wouldnt mind a second set

Pommylump, We normally give returning customers a 10% break on their subsequent sets.

 

[Pommylump]

You left it a bit late to tell me Frank, I bought another set last week