Originally Posted by
McBTC
Going to shorter cranks will increase rpms in any given gear but being a pusher and not a spinner chances are you'll probably also gear down so for you, it's probably a win-win going to smaller cranks-- i.e., a higher gear at an increased RPM equals a lot more power...
OK, that is what I am managing to confuse myself with.
Briefly, I have an 11-32 cassette and a 50/34 crank, and am about to pull the trigger (after about 2 years of vacillation) on a 46/30T crank, with the hope it will help me grind up some ultra-steep hills around here that I find challenging, even with my current lowest gear.
My impression, which it sounds like might be 180° off, was that shortening the crank would effectively cancel the benefit of having one lower gear.