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Crank Length, Height, Riding style

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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

Crank Length, Height, Riding style

Old 12-18-09, 06:56 PM
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Crank Length, Height, Riding style

Please tell us the following:

1. How tall you are?

2. What length cranks you run?

3. What kind of rider you consider yourself to be (sprinter, crit specialist, climber, recreational rider, etc.)?

Hopefully this will be an informative thread. I've always found this aspect of one's bike fit to be the most 'subjective' out of all. Perhaps this survey can help reveal some patterns.
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Old 12-18-09, 06:59 PM
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I'll go first:

1. 5'6
2. 170 (but about to try out some 165s)
3. crit rider
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Old 12-18-09, 07:21 PM
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1. How tall you are? 5'10" (32" inseam)

2. What length cranks you run? 175mm on my road bike

3. What kind of rider you consider yourself to be (sprinter, crit specialist, climber, recreational rider, etc.)? endurance rider, more of a spinner than a masher
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Old 12-18-09, 07:34 PM
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1. How tall you are? Irrelevant. Inseam is 80.8 cm

2. What length cranks you run? 172.5 mm

3. What kind of rider you consider yourself to be (sprinter, crit specialist, climber, recreational rider, etc.)? I just try to hang on.
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Old 12-18-09, 07:38 PM
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1. How tall you are? 5' 8"

2. What length cranks you run? 172.5 on road bike

3. What kind of rider you consider yourself to be (sprinter, crit specialist, climber, recreational rider, etc.)? I don't race but I would consider it to be more than recreational.
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Old 12-18-09, 07:46 PM
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1. 5' 10.5" and 32" inseam
2. 172.5
3. I ride a bike
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Old 12-18-09, 07:50 PM
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6'2"
172.5
sprinter
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Old 12-18-09, 09:27 PM
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1. How tall you are? 5' 11"

2. What length cranks you run? 170 mm on road bike. (I have 175's on an older bike and much prefer the 170's on my new bike. Can spin much better.)

3. What kind of rider you consider yourself to be (sprinter, crit specialist, climber, recreational rider, etc.)? Recreational.
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Old 12-18-09, 10:02 PM
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5'10
172.5, but going to switch to 170's for increased cadence, lessened dead spot on slow grind climbs, and better cornering clearance in crits.
Crit racer, sprinter, trackie.
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Old 12-19-09, 02:27 PM
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I am 6'2 with 34 inseam my bike at 175's and I hate shorter cranks. You get more power potential with longer cranks, I don't remember the exact figure. I am recreactional ride but I like to go for speed over time. I find I probably spin better even with longer cranks but sometimes I like push the pedals. Also, I almost never get out of the saddle to pedal even on the worst hills I just go lower gears. The fastest times are those that are even and even spinning so that is what I do.
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Old 12-19-09, 03:33 PM
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6'
172.5
climbing is favorite, but i would not consider myself a climber.

the only reason i chose my crank arm length was because it's considered "standard". i would not worry about it unless i was riding track
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Old 12-19-09, 04:05 PM
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6', 35.5" cycling inseam, 175mm cranks. I am least bad at climbing.
I could probably go with 177.5s- I have no problem spinning the 175s to 120 or so.
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Old 12-20-09, 12:28 AM
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5 feet six, 28 inch inseam and 165mm cranks has me spinning up very fast...just the way I like it - even on hills.
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Old 12-20-09, 12:47 AM
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I'm 5' 2", 165lb, commuting, distance/century rides, starting cyclocross. My bike came with 170's but I can tell by my quad burn and knee pain, I could use 160's. Knee my gut less, get down in the drops better. My dogmatic lbs says crank length doesn't matter but that makes no sense. Looking for the shortest cranks I can find to replace FSA standard road size.
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Old 12-20-09, 01:49 AM
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I'd be curious to know how many people have tried different crank lengths, or have just always used what came on their bike. I've never tried anything but 175's.
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Old 12-20-09, 05:53 AM
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5'10
32"inseam
170 and 175 Pref 170
tourist.

Crank size doesnt matter if you are medium size since almost all production cranks are med size. If you are tall or short then it does start to matter.
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Old 12-20-09, 09:14 AM
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Seems to me like trying out 165 should be a good idea. I have short legs, apparently. 5'6 ft tall with a 29in (or, more accurately 740mm) inseam.
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Old 12-20-09, 09:26 AM
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6'
175mm
Climber.
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Old 12-20-09, 10:22 AM
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1. 5'11" 29" inseam
2. 172.5
3. Club rider
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Old 12-20-09, 10:30 AM
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i use 160s.
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Old 12-20-09, 10:31 AM
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5'5", 28 inch inseam (or somewhere around there)
165 on commuter, 167.5 on track bike, 170 on road bike, 172.5 on cross bike
all-arounder.
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