Originally Posted by terrymorse
If you're at the limit aerobically, a longer crank won't let you produce any more power. Only more torque, but that's usually a good thing when climbing. More torque means a lower peak quad muscle output, reducing fatigue.
First two sentences, I follow you. Care to explain on that last sentence? I would have thought more max torque is good for the same max power when climbing because it lowers the optimal cadence range. And this may be a good thing when climbing since your speeds aren't as fast, so you have more useful gearing if your optimal cadence in your lowest gear is at a lower speed. I guess I don't understand how more torque translates into lower peak output in the quads.