Originally Posted by
themishmosh
My Trek came with a triple M361 crank. That thing was heavy and going to single crank is immediately noticeable. I am inclined to believe that shedding moving drivetrain/wheel weight is more important than overall bike weight. As I said, chain line is much improved with a single crank--at least compared to the inner and outer chainring on a triple. The spacing between the pedals was also abnormally wide compared to a road bike. And lastly, yes, I do like to tinker because cycling is also a hobby for me.
How could the chain line be improved by going from a triple to a single. You've reduced the number of options for keeping the chain in line by 2/3. That does not make sense to me. Changing weight on a large diameter object like a wheel should be noticeable. However shedding two small lightweight chain wheels won't make much difference. You may be feeling a difference related to chain wheel tooth count, crank length, crank size, etc. If the pedal line was moved to a more comfortable position then that could be be what you are feeling too.