I've been riding my '89 Schwinn Voyageur around of late loaded with four Ortleib panniers (~15 lbs empty), four gallons of water (32lbs), usual high school teacher supplies (10 - 20 lbs) plus the bike itself (33 lbs); an all up weight of around 90 lbs. This my usual training regime in preparation for a possible 2,000 + mile tour this summer. I have always used what the bike came with, 170 mm cranks. Seemed logical,; I'm only 5'6" with a 30" inseam.


Just recently I ungraded to 175mm cranks, wondering here why I didn't do this a long time ago. I'm not a high speed rider who "spins", I just mosey along ~10mph, especially on tour. Where I really notice the mechanical advantage of the slightly longer cranks is when pedalling that 80lb barge up hills and when cranking hard to to get going from a stop or to speed up. From an aging standpoint too (I'm 61) I do appreciate the greater range of motion my knees have to travel too.


Any thoughts?