Originally Posted by
Sportsman9
Yes, I believe the effect is that with shorter cranks you always are riding effectively in a lower gear. You can compensate of course by upshifting, but you always have a smaller circle to pedal. If you keep your seat-to-bottom-pedal range the same, your knee angle at the top is eased up.
No, it's more like being in a
higher gear. You have to apply more force to the pedal to get the same torque and the same force in the chain.