Originally Posted by thad
I was thinking about this today actually. So we are talking about a difference of a quarter to a half centimeter right (170 vs. 172.5 vs. 175)? I was just wondering how much of a difference that actually makes, in terms of feel, leverage, etc. Just doesn't seem like much on the surface, but I know tiny adjustments can make a big difference in other areas.
The difference between 170 and 175 is 3%. That's 3% more torque into the cranks.
I certainly can tell the difference of 3% in torque, especially on a steep climb. I use 175s and tried a bike with 172.5s. It felt like I was trying to pedal through the bottom of the stroke. My leg length is 88 cm, which is on the long side (classic ectomorph body type).