Originally Posted by
fearfeasog
when *i* measure i get 34" -- i'm just shoving the zero end of a tape into my crotchal area and reading where the tape hits the floor. sock feet.
my reasearch on the subject led me
HERE regarding a good starting point for crank length choice. and that linked to
THIS article suggesting that folks with patellar problems might want to go even 2.5mm shorter. so i'm considering 170mm ranks. i have an older shimano 105 set, a double, but i really have to check the chainline issues.
i'm hoping to find a triple in 170 to replace the 175 triple on my Surly Cross Check. if anyone has a specific suggestion, let me know! (BB info is in the OP!)
OK, your a long legged guy so ANY standard crank length is reasonable for you. I just didn't want to reccomend a crank length of say 170mm and find that you have only a 28" inseam in which case it would still be FAR too long. I recommend cranks to be from 19% to 20.5% of inseam. Now for your inseam, 175mm is still in my recommended range but that doesn't mean that you should stick with them. Everyone is different and my recommendation is based on a range to cover many factors and preferences.
Anyway you probably couldn't go wrong with many lengths but try some 170mm cranks in order to increase the difference. The 105 cranks should work fine. You just have to put them on and see how they work. You will then be able to find out for yourself how the length is and if you like the length but the chainline is wrong you can then get another BB with a shorter spindle.
Another thing I always recommend is that when you go to shorter cranks you usually need to move the saddle rearwards as well as up to compensate. This is assuming that you were positioned near KOPS (knee over pedal spindle) in the first place.
Anthony