Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

How tall are you and what size cranks do you ride?

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

How tall are you and what size cranks do you ride?

Old 10-28-09, 12:26 AM
  #1  
ɹǝqɯǝɯ ɹoıuǝs
Thread Starter
 
wheeldeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Earth
Posts: 378

Bikes: Huffy and Pacific

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
How tall are you and what size cranks do you ride?

I'm 5'8" with a 31" cycling inseam.

I ride 165mm on my 54cm (CT) single speed
I ride 170mm on my 51cm (CC) road bike
I ride 175mm on my 17" hardtail

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I can't tell the difference.

The reason I'm asking.....I'm going to upgrade the road bike. Thinking about 165s. But not sure what other folks my height ride.

Last edited by wheeldeal; 10-28-09 at 01:24 AM.
wheeldeal is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 12:55 AM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,132
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Been cycling a long time. Started on my first serious road bike having 165s, the bike was a 21" (54cm). Got an additional bike a 56cm with 170s, I could tell gthe difference, the 165s felt short when I used the bike ocassionally. other bikes aquired used happen to have 170s (some shorter) My last bike, a brand new special order has 172.5s and I can't really sense the difference. Mountain bikes have longer arms in each respective frame size.
I'd wrestled with the decission whether to go with 172.5s or 175s. One seller I'd asked, right-off rec. the 170s, given my 5'10" ht.. 82.? inseam and rel. short legs (short femurs). The place I ordered the bike from told me "your choice", no recs. One member here in the forums had said one thing, very casually , " my knees go up too high" with my new 175s. That answered that.
Trends have changed; M.bikes have influenced ideas in longer lengths.
30 yrs ago bikes your size and mine; med. to med-lg., 54cm to 56cm as a matter of course came with 165s, 23" or 58cm or so with 170s etc..
20 years ago, they went-up-a -notch. Now it's over the top... trends.
Stay with what you know, besides, spinning is better (I suck at spinning)
old and new is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 12:55 AM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
tkehler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: My family and I -- wife and two young children -- live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 723

Bikes: TST ti 'cross bike (commuter); Guru ti road bike; recumbent; Airnimal Chameleon folding racing bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Six foot one (and a quarter inch). 33 inch inseam.

I ride a:

- 19" mtb with 175 crank arms
- 58 CC 'cross bike with 172.5 arms*
- 58 CC road bike with 175 arms

* That just happened to be the length of the crank arms on a 105 crankset I picked up used

Last edited by tkehler; 10-28-09 at 12:59 AM.
tkehler is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 01:29 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 508
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
This thread gets done up every two weeks. Do a search for similar criteria.
plasticmaam12 is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 01:38 AM
  #5  
ɹǝqɯǝɯ ɹoıuǝs
Thread Starter
 
wheeldeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Earth
Posts: 378

Bikes: Huffy and Pacific

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I did a search & felt two weeks is too long for a thread like this. Most "I'm a n00b, what bike should I get" threads appear once a week, so here's my attempt to make this a weekly topic of discussion as well.
wheeldeal is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 01:46 AM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,132
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I saw some just now; one was a silly "let's take a poll" type which always ends weird. others were in tandom and touring. Others are just plain TOO old. Besides, it sure beats "what's the best chain lube"
old and new is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 04:09 AM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
thehammerdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NWNJ
Posts: 3,704

Bikes: Road bike is a Carbon Bianchi C2C & Grandis (1980's), Gary Fisher Mt Bike, Trek Tandem & Mongoose SS MTB circa 1992.

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 722 Post(s)
Liked 353 Times in 226 Posts
6'5"
165's
thehammerdog is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 05:38 AM
  #8  
Banned.
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,548
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
5'5"

165's on all my bikes. I can ride 167.5 or 170 with little to know problem. But when I turn crankarms longer than 170, my knees begin to hurt after long or hard efforts. As far as performance (speed, watts, cadence), little to no difference with respect to crankarm length.
celerystalksme is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 05:51 AM
  #9  
Member
 
ajcurl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Lima, Ohio
Posts: 31

Bikes: Specialized

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
But when I turn crankarms longer than 170, my knees begin to hurt after long or hard efforts.
Im no rocket scientist at all about bike fit and bike geometry etc......but with a proper bike fit, as far as your knee in relation to the center of your pedal, shouldn't it be the same no matter which crank arm you have?
ajcurl is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 06:15 AM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa
Posts: 1,088

Bikes: ?

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
34 in inseam; 175 mm.
saratoga is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 06:21 AM
  #11  
Former grouch, now happy
 
H1449-6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Austin
Posts: 988
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
6'5"
180
__________________
Spectrum Ti Super | Landshark Roadshark | Serotta Colorado | Gunnar Crosshairs | Trek 9800 | Santana fillet brazed tandem | K2 Easy Roller | Dawes (BD) Bullseye 1x1
H1449-6 is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 06:28 AM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Central CA
Posts: 1,414

Bikes: A little of everything

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm about the same size as you (the OP), and my bikes are set up very similarly to yours. 175s on the MTB, 170 road, and 165 FG. I find 175 uncomfortable on road bikes.
Raiden is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 06:52 AM
  #13  
.
 
Namenda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: "The Woo", MA
Posts: 4,831
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
6'2, 175mm. Tried 172.5, and hated it. I really didn't expect much difference, but it was huge.
Namenda is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 07:14 AM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Houston,TX
Posts: 358

Bikes: Giant Defy2, Soul Faith

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
6'0 and recently switched from 175 to 170 and can tell a huge difference. The whole fit of the bike changed for me and I'm looking to go back. Anyone that says there's no difference doesn't spend enough time in the saddle.
PurpleFender is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 07:18 AM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
clausen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Northern Ontario
Posts: 3,659

Bikes: Colnago Master XL, Bianchi Via Nirone 7, Marinoni Fango

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by ajcurl
Im no rocket scientist at all about bike fit and bike geometry etc......but with a proper bike fit, as far as your knee in relation to the center of your pedal, shouldn't it be the same no matter which crank arm you have?
Your knee has to bend more with a longer crank. You also tend to pedal at a slower cadence with a longer crank that is also harder on knees.

I'm 5'7 and use
165 SS is easy to a get a high cadence,
175 is on a MTB for extra leverage on steep climbs.
170 and 172.5 are on road bikes.
Different tools for different jobs.
clausen is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 07:56 AM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
mzeffex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,458

Bikes: Something Canadian, something Italian, something American, and something German

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 64 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 16 Times in 10 Posts
5 9 and use 175. I never used anything else. It came stock.
__________________
Originally Posted by rjones28
Are they talking about spectators feeding the cyclists? You know, like don't feed the bears?
mzeffex is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 08:06 AM
  #17  
Are you with me
 
Flash's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Washington D.C.
Posts: 1,311

Bikes: Giant TCR Advanced SL, Blue T-14 TT bike

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
5'9" 31.5 riding inseam 170mm cranks
Flash is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 08:17 AM
  #18  
.....
 
Jynx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Long Island
Posts: 4,816

Bikes: 2006 Cannondale CAAD8

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
6' 32" inseam 172.5mm cranks
__________________
Weight Listing Index (Feel Free to add to it!)

Buy your bike parts here
Jynx is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 08:17 AM
  #19  
pan y agua
 
merlinextraligh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 31,273

Bikes: Willier Zero 7; Merlin Extralight; Calfee Dragonfly tandem, Calfee Adventure tandem; Cervelo P2; Motebecane Ti Fly 29er; Motebecanne Phantom Cross; Schwinn Paramount Track bike

Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1428 Post(s)
Liked 697 Times in 353 Posts
6'1" 34" inseam, and I ride 175mm, 172.5mm, and 170mm on different bikes.

Can't honestly say I see a whole lot of difference particularly between the 175mm, and 172.5mm
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
merlinextraligh is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 08:28 AM
  #20  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Northeast Mississippi
Posts: 18

Bikes: Dean El Vado Titanium, Trek 4300

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm nearly 5' 11" with a 32+ inseam. Just switched from 175 to 170. (175 was what came on my used road bike when I got it.) The 170s are definitely what I need. The 175s were contributing to some minor knee pain. And it is harder to spin with longer crankarms.

If one thinks about it, the longer the crankarm, the bigger the pedaling circle. The bigger the pedaling circle, the more possible stress on knees. And the harder it is to pedal at a high cadence.

My LBS guy is 6' 2" or so. He uses 172.5 crankarms. He used to race back in the day, so he has lots of experience. He's tried everything up to 180, and prefers 172.5. He says it's all about pedaling at a cadence of 100-120. Too long a crankarm tends to prevent this.
jformsma@mac.co is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 08:30 AM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
BigBlueToe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Central Coast, CA
Posts: 3,392

Bikes: Surly LHT, Specialized Rockhopper, Nashbar Touring (old), Specialized Stumpjumper (older), Nishiki Tourer (model unknown)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
6'4"
175
BigBlueToe is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 08:33 AM
  #22  
Old fart
 
JohnDThompson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,936

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3571 Post(s)
Liked 3,367 Times in 1,916 Posts
Originally Posted by wheeldeal
I'm 5'8" with a 31" cycling inseam.

I ride 165mm on my 54cm (CT) single speed
I ride 170mm on my 51cm (CC) road bike
I ride 175mm on my 17" hardtail

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I can't tell the difference.

The reason I'm asking.....I'm going to upgrade the road bike. Thinking about 165s. But not sure what other folks my height ride.
I'm about the same size as you. I use 170s on my road bikes; 165s on my fixed gear. I can't tell any real difference between the two, but the shorter arms on the fixed gear help prevent pedal strike in corners.
JohnDThompson is online now  
Old 10-28-09, 08:34 AM
  #23  
stole your bike
 
roadiejorge's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: North Bergen, NJ
Posts: 6,907

Bikes: Orbea Orca, Ridley Compact

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4201 Post(s)
Liked 27 Times in 18 Posts
5'8" 31.5" inseam

170mm cranks on my BMC
172.5mm cranks on my Orbea
__________________
I like pie
roadiejorge is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 09:40 AM
  #24  
Fred-ish
 
rogerstg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 1,800
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
5'8" 32" inseam

170mm & 172.5mm
rogerstg is offline  
Old 10-28-09, 10:00 AM
  #25  
No matches
 
Flatballer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 11,647

Bikes: two wheeled ones

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1398 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times in 250 Posts
Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
6'1" 34" inseam, and I ride 175mm, 172.5mm, and 170mm on different bikes.

Can't honestly say I see a whole lot of difference particularly between the 175mm, and 172.5mm
6 feet, don't remember my inseam. 175 on one road bike and the MTB, 172.5 on the other road bike.

And I've noticed a TON of difference between the 175 and the 172.5. My comfortable cadence goes up about 10 rpm, and my power goes up with it. Part of that's probably the completely different bike, but I think part of it is the crank length as well.

I didn't expect to see a difference, but my feelings led me to believe otherwise.
Flatballer is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.