Originally Posted by
bicyclridr4life
Longer crank = more torque?
I don't think so. A longer crank can reduce the force requires by a little (though not necessarily the fraction of the length difference, since the lever has so many joints). But if you're pressing a little less hard, you're going to need to compensate somehow. The amount of power available is determined by the engine, not the transmission, and the transmission's job is to transfer power, not create it. If my thinking is flawed, please help me, because I'm just speculating.
In imagining what life would be like at the extremes, I'm sure I would not like cranks shorter than about 140mm. I realize this when I try a little kid's bike. Turning a high gear with cranks so short would be painful and might injure my knees. Cranks that are too long would bring my knees too high up at the top of the stroke, and that would probably be uncomfortable, but I haven't tried that. It would reduce force required, as mentioned, but it would also reduce the maximum comfortable cadence. What is the effect of that? I really don't know, but I suspect it could bring fatigue on sooner.