Advice on cranks length

[Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez]

Hi guys, my team will lend me a bike for this new season, I have to choose my crank length. I like flat races (corsswinds and so.. ) but needs to have a responsive setup on quite small hills (1 to 2 km). I've always riden 170mm cranks (for 4 years), but I think I have to change it to be ok with my riding style. I hesitate between 172.5mm and 175mm... I think I will put 175mm cranks on a TT-bike but for normal races, I am unsure of what would be the best.

I'm 1.77m tall, 83-84cm of legs.

Do you have any advice Thanks

PS: I'm not considering weight as a 170mm would be lighter, but do'nt care of it

[mike]

whether the crank is 170 or 175, it should weigh the same. manufacturers normally adjust the spacing as to where to drill the hole for pedal axle....

[kAb]

whether the crank is 170 or 175, it should weigh the same. manufacturers normally adjust the spacing as to where to drill the hole for pedal axle....

I'm not so sure of that... I'll measure cranks at work to find out.

[mike]

i talked to fsa about it. they do that with their carbon cranks.

[nexusheli]

whether the crank is 170 or 175, it should weigh the same. manufacturers normally adjust the spacing as to where to drill the hole for pedal axle....

I'm not so sure of that... I'll measure cranks at work to find out.

For the most part, he's correct. When you're only talking a few mm, it doesn't make any sense to cast (or mold in the case of CF) 3 different lengths and drill the holes in the same place, when you can cast one length and just adjust the hole centers accordingly.

[bladteth]

whether the crank is 170 or 175, it should weigh the same. manufacturers normally adjust the spacing as to where to drill the hole for pedal axle....

Only small manufacturers that don't make large quantities of cranks. Shimano and Campa (and many out of business companies like Suntour) have separate forgings for each length and consequently cranks differ in weight.

[Bikes4fun]

Samuel, are you a spinner or a masher?

I went from 170 to 172 and feel much easier to power up, my cadence is around 70-80, so I'm not a spinner. I did try 175 and found the diff only marginal, YMMV. BTW I'm 178cm 82inseam so we have similar build.

[Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez]

Samuel, are you a spinner or a masher?

I went from 170 to 172 and feel much easier to power up, my cadence is around 70-80, so I'm not a spinner. I did try 175 and found the diff only marginal, YMMV. BTW I'm 178cm 82inseam so we have similar build.

Thanks bikes4fun. In fact I like spin fast uphill, but on flat races, in the wind, you have to be a smasher to do damage in the bunch

At the others, I didn't want to know if there is a weight difference, but an advice on the length of the cranks