------------------------------------------------------------------------ A poll associated with this post was created, to vote and see the results, please visit http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/47466 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question: Do you like the "Q FACTOR"????
- YES - NO - WTF IS 'Q FACTOR'? ------------------------------------------------------------------------
The only place the Q factor has been an issue for me is Moab, where I had more than one pedal strike while riding across insanely steep slopes. I never seem to have that happen around here.
-- paco
Every time I see this thread I wonder what happened to Paco's back. -John Childs
If you look at some cranks (like the KH/Onza ones), you'll notice that they don't stick out perpendicular to the axle, they actually have some angle to them. This puts the pedal (and your ankle) further away from the hub.
I'd like to try a set of cranks with q factor. I always bash my ankle on my DX cranks.
I like my 03 kh crankset (no Q factor) on my trials, but i also like my nimbus 26" muni with ProWheels (Q factor). (without the Q factor on my muni i would bash my knee on the crown more, i have a permenant bruise🙁 )
I don't know if it is the Q factor or the fact that my cranks are 170's on my muni, but I can hop higher (+8"😉 on my trials.
Bicycle cranks generally angle out so the cranks can clear the chain stays. Most modern bikes can't use straight cranks because the cranks would hit the chain stays (the tubes on a bike frame by the chain) so the cranks need to angle out.
Q-factor can have an effect on the pedaling motion and ergonomics for different people. People with really wide hips may be more comfortable with a wide q-factor. People with narrow hips may find a narrower q-factor to be more comfortable. You can also fiddle with q-factor to minimize knee problems. For best pedaling ergonomics you want your knees to move up and down and not side to side as you ride. If your knees move side to side as you pedal you could develop knee problems or exacerbate existing knee problems.
The effect of Q-factor and ankle hitting isn't always obvious. I had cranks on my Coker with some angle increasing the Q factor, then I switched to torker LX cranks which look to have no angle for a lower Q factor. Switching from the wider higher Q to the lower Q cranks resulted in less ankle hitting.
I thought an angle on the crank (higher Q), away from the pedal would have provided additional space for my ankle not to hit. I guess I must have compensated for the width and kept my foot planted closer to the crank.
With the lower Q, I must be planting my feet on the pedals further away from the crank. My ankle now misses the crank.
Q-factor is good stuff man...on my old 2004 KH cranks, they nubs would cut open my ankle LIKE NO OTHER, it hurt so bad, and after unicycling my socks would always be all bloody.
-- James_Potter
i still believe that all you need is love...john lennon
i just got q-factor wheni got my kh-onza hub and i like it... is 140mm cranks on a 20" whell good?? cuz that is what i have and i was wondering if smaller cranks would be better??
I find it weird how theres ppl (like me) who have never had a problem with or without a q-factor, then there are others who only like unis without q-factors, then others you cant ride without a q-factor cause they hit their ankles.
All it is to me is a slight adjustment that i make in aobut 5 seconds and my ankles are safe =p
Please use correct terminology; I'm tired of having to correct this.
Q-factor is the *distance between the pedals*. Cranks don't "have Q-factor" or not; cranks just contribute to the distance between the pedals. Cranks can be straight or not, and whether they are straight or not affects to the Q-factor of the unicycle. But a unicycle with straight cranks still has Q-factor.
