andrew_carter said:*They're perfect! I can picture myself being almost as happy with
155's and I now know for sure that 170's are far too long for my
liking. *
Riding with longer cranks requires some different technique, especially
when climbing.
The difficulty with longer cranks is keeping the pedal stroke circular
and consistent. It's very easy to start pedaling in squares which will
affect your riding style.
With longer cranks it is more difficult to keep a smooth circular
pedaling motion, especially when climbing while standing up out of the
saddle. With longer cranks you need to learn how to dance on the pedals
and keep that circular motion going even when standing out of the
saddle. It takes practice.
When I'm climbing I try to stay light on the pedals. I also try to
point my toes down at the bottom of the pedal stroke and pull back and
up on the backside of the pedal stroke. It's the same things you should
be doing with shorter cranks, but it's more critical with longer cranks.
If you loose the dance you start pedaling in squares and at that point
the technique and riding style changes. If you're trying to power your
way up a short steep climb you don't want to loose the dance because
that kills the momentum and the climb becomes a grunt from that point
on. That's when longer cranks on a climb can be a liability.
Riding a Coker or other street uni with long cranks (170's or so) will
teach you how to spin with the long cranks. That'll transfer over to
the muni.
I have a second wheel for my muni. Right now it has 160's on it. I've
tried it for muni and didn't like the shorter cranks. It takes
noticeably more leg work to climb with the shorter cranks. I could feel
it in my legs during the ride compared with the 170's. I didn't like
it. It was like riding around on the mountain bike one gear too high.
If I was on the bike I'd of shifted down a gear.
Long cranks aren't going to work as well for everyone. People with
shorter legs may find long cranks more awkward than people with long
legs. Some people have different body mechanics that may favor shorter
or longer cranks. Everyone's not the same. It's good to find what
length works for you.
--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo
john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
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