Originally Posted by
noteon
Much appreciated.
They're currently 170mm. The crank arms on my road bike are 175mm, and I'm fine with them. Does that mean I've identified the wrong culprit for this sensation of pedaling "small?"
One large camp of riders will swear that you'll feel a huge difference going up to 175s. I changed mine to 180s and felt the differences immediately. Another camp will say it's only 5 mm and it's all a marketing thing.
If it feels 'small' and you have 175s on your road bike I'd say you'll feel the difference upgrading to 175s. Your lbs may have a used pair in the parts bin in back which would only set you back $25 or so. They're easy to install (if they're standard) so it could be a cheap experiment.
I don't know how to calculate how long I can go before I wander into pedal strike territory, but I can't imagine another few tens of mm would put me over the line... would it?
Naw - it may mean on some turns you'll want to really remember to have your near pedal up instead of down to avoid it.
I have noticed a lot more pedal strikes when I put my kneesavers on - really have to be on top of that.