Low bottom brackets in real life?
#1
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Low bottom brackets in real life?
Okay, I've tried searching for this, but didn't come up with much. I'm interested in a few frames out there, (Steamroller, The Orange One, Jamie Roy) but I'm concerned about the 7 cm bottom bracket drop on all of these frames. Is pedal strike a real concern here? I'm planning on running 170 crankarms, FWIW.
Any stories of horrendous pedal strikes/crashes from low BBs?
Any stories of horrendous pedal strikes/crashes from low BBs?
#2
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Nope. I run 170s on a conversion and have not wiped out yet---I have had just one little smooch on a hard left turn. You do have to keep strike on your mind in the corners but it's really not a big issue. I run dual compound tires and when they start to sing as the soft compound engages the pavement it's kind of a pedal strike proximity alert.
Last edited by mander; 08-28-07 at 08:13 PM.
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the only time i've ever clipped is when i had a road conversion with 172.5's, fat platforms, and even then i only scraped (twice) when i clipped a curb
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I don't know what the BB height on my schwinn world conversion is but I've struck my pedal multiple times with 170mm cranks and MKS GR-9s. Not to the point where I crashed but the outsides of the pedal are worn down. I know when it is coming so I usually just barely hit.
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You'll be fine with a 7cm drop and 170mm cranks- this is where I set it on my fixie frames and have had no trouble. Also, I had a Jaime Roy w/170's, rode it aggressively for quite a while and never hit a pedal.
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it's not like getting 165s from 170s will be the solution to all your pedal strike problems.. just think about it and it wont happen.
#8
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conscious, cogent thought usually doesn't go hand in hand with split second traffic situations where you may be forced to make a hard emergency left or right turn to get out of the way of a potential accident.
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is it just me or does it seem that the conversions that aren't having problems are a different issue... the frame design should put the pedals higher on the fixed frames...
and the reason road frames don't have a problem is because people know what pedal strike and can do and lean accordingly. i stroke a few times when turning into an incline(leaning into a curved incline) and quickly learned not to lean that much. if anyone has a frame mentioned in the OP with 170 cranks, that would be more helpful.
and the reason road frames don't have a problem is because people know what pedal strike and can do and lean accordingly. i stroke a few times when turning into an incline(leaning into a curved incline) and quickly learned not to lean that much. if anyone has a frame mentioned in the OP with 170 cranks, that would be more helpful.
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i just swapped my cranks and wheels over to a kilo TT which has way more aggressive geometry... it's got a lot more clearance, but pedal strike has more to do with riding technique and quackfactor/pedal width because of leaning over.
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Depending on the bike it's either something you'll have to think about every time you corner or not.