those aren't exactly inexpensive. would you consider the used market? you can get some VERY nice stuff for not all that much more.

i guess 165 would be the limiter, though.

Wait, you're willing to drop several hundred dollars on a PM to try a different crank length, but you are sweating the cost of shoes?

As for wide shoe options:
Sidi
Shimano
Specialized
Lake
Bont

Regular Bonts are not wide. Bont has a pretty nifty tool for verifying what size you need. Also, IIRC, Lake posts the width measurements of its shoes.

how many years do you guys generally get out of your pedals? my 5 year old 105s finally let me down. max tension and . cleats aren't pristine but are fine (and I rode a friends pedal and didn't pull out so definitely the pedal).

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Kickr_Climb_P6404432

Lnk to the kickr climb page. Some cool details, but probably just a gimmick. I think it will be ~800$ so way more than I would be willing to spend on a tool that really doesn't do much beside improve a simulation.

It will be cool, however, to see if trainerroad (et al) integrate this into their training platform somehow.

Tacx finally came out with the consumer ready treadmill. The cost of bureaucracy and regulation effectively neutered it. To all outward appearances they made an industrial gym treadmill for running that you can ride a bike on. Still more than any normal person would spend for it.

so i'm kind of in the market for shoes as well, since one of my strap loops is tearing off on my cheap 4 year old pearl izumi entry level shoes. The bont riot looks intriguing (and only $75 at the moment). given that I've had some fitting done with my shoes (arch support and toe wedge), would something like the ability to do heat molding help to create another layer of shoe comfort? my current shoes aren't uncomfortable, per se, but I had some issues with toe numbness on my left foot that have been largely mitigated with the inserts and of course cleat placement

Well I've been sweating the cost of the power meter crankset also which is why its taken me a year of hemming and hawing before making a decision!

Yesterday I met another cat 2 dude, my height and said he has short legs also. His saddle height is the same as mine and he already dropped to 165 cranks. Claimed he almost instantly gained 15 to 20 watts with shorter cranks. But he is also less flexible than I am. I'm not looking to gain power. I just want to be more comfortable and aero and not LOSE power.

if you want to be more aero and look less like a fill in guitar player for Stillwater...

http://www.maths.usyd.edu.au/u/duncans/bike_aero.pdf

I'll take the 8 second penalty until I turn pro and start racing grand tours :lol:

For posterity, what's your saddle height?

i can't recommend sworks shoes enough. an incredible warranty makes them even more worth it.

I had the FSA Gossamer and sold it within a couple of months. The Qfactor or something was ridiculous. My left crank arm felt like it would wobble at the top of the stroke.

And it was absolutely impossible to get on and off the bike (BB386 evo). I was using full-force blows with a hammer and of course it'd knock the bearings out each time. P2Max customer service were just like "sometimes it's tight". Yeah, right.

Never going back to FSA cranks, nor likely p2max.

Not sure how wide aaron's feet are, but for my super wide feet Specialized just didnt fit. I wore Sidi Mega's before, but am currently in a pair of Shimano 321's that are very comfortable...the 321's are not the cheapest pair of shoes, but Shimano may be worth looking into as im sure the cheaper shoes fit close to the same

1.5 years out of one pair of 105 al. Have had 2 years out of another 105 al. They still work okay. Got about half a season out of carbon ultegra. They still work, more or less, just that the right pedal has a l~1-2mm "give" now at the front that I feel when cranking which drives me crazy. Like extra forward float or something. Can't figure out how it happened, but the 105 I trashed did that too, along with the axle bearing getting gross.

Never had an issue with pulling out.

Mentioned it a few times, but I'm 5"11 and went to 165s. No power gains, no power losses that I can see at any point along the spectrum. Just increased drop, easier to stay low for longer (always had trouble with knees in chest), and I can pedal through more turns.

I have the leather specialized, they're great but expensive. In the past I've had issues with fit and their insole system usually has something that works for everyone

http://www.thetallcyclist.com/wp-con...5/img_0485.jpg

I have two sets of the S-Works 6 shoes. Why 2? Because I love them so much and decided I wanted to 'freshen up' after having ridden a pair for ~30k miles. I am still wearing the old pair because they have conformed to my foot so perfectly over time.

All this is to say: S-Works 6 is a good choice, well worth the cash.

From the ground around 37 1/4"
Bottom bracket drop is 68 mm if it's the same as the latest model.
Assuming 73 degree seat tube, BB to saddle is ~28"

I'm surprised I've never measured this. I found 20 data points of rider height vs saddle height from various forums on the web, and scaled them all to 5'-10". The average saddle is almost 2" higher than mine! :eek:

It's no wonder I can't get a low position on the bike :lol:

Btw, I finally went ahead and bought the Rotors. They said i can exchange cranks after trying them, but I suspect I'd rather ride for at least a few months. One ride won't be enough unless it's REALLY bad.

I wouldn't look at total height vs saddle height. I'm 5'9.5" and run a 70cm bb->saddle height, somewhat forward. Setback also comes into the equation, as well riding style. I like to err on the side of too low. It's comfortable for me to move around the saddle between climbing and on the rivet. I've got stubby little legs. It's comical that I can't even get my saddle low enough on some bikes I've looked at for sale. I use 172.5s because that's what I've got. I do have a set of 167.5 Campy cranks that I might try out on a winter beater to see how I like the length. I'd be willing to bet the different between the crank length is dwarfed by the cleat changes I've made recently (moved back).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYY8iEFAru9/

Looks cool. I'll get into tting eventually.

I was looking at this as a way of determining if I do in fact have short enough legs to justify my experiment. Turns out I might.

I also move around for climbing vs. TT off the front. I feel like my saddle is low enough for this, but not crazy low. One season I had it shoved all the way forward and a tad (nothing like the 2" I cited) higher. It was a way of compensating and getting more aero, but I moved it back, preferring to have the option for better traction and climbing position as required (for a while I shifted it back and forth, but that was a pain).

If I finally buy shoes that fit (width) I'll probably also move my cleats back a tad automatically because the shoes won't be as long. May move the saddle forward a bit but not as crazy as I had it a couple years ago. I'm all but resigned to never being able to hang on climbs longer than 2 to 4 minutes by now.

Maybe you can get with one of the guys local to you - MattM or Fudgy to help you figure out the fit on your bike?

[MENTION=349187]aaronmcd[/MENTION] and I are on the same team - there’s a lot I’d change with his fit, but he wouldn’t listen to me anyway!

Matt would likely tell me to do whatever he does and ignore all physiological differences.

Fudgy would attempt some joke about my fit and then fish for compliments on his TT position.

The one so-called professional fit I got was a ridiculous waste.

I'd listen to pretty much anyone who gives me a reason for whatever they tell me. Hell, I'll listen regardless, but I may roll my eyes if it sounds bogus or the reason is "muh authoritay" or "but cyclists have always done it this way".

You should try platform disco cleats. Just IMO.