Originally Posted by
cubewheels
I run 150 mm crank (I'm 5'8"). Short crank. Does improve aerodynamics (as the racing experts claim) by allowing you to crouch down even lower without closing your hips. Made me cruise at higher speeds without straining my legs.
It will not work for everybody because in order to take advantage of the aero benefit of shorter crank, you must be able to handle a more crouched down position without issues.
And you gotta be able to spin a lot faster to get the same power with the same pedal force that you'd use with longer cranks.- the same force at that higher cadence. It's true that aero does trump power to some extent. Big Mig rode higher than many because he could develop enough more power to go faster, but everyone's different.