crank length
 

does the ability to keep pedaling during a turn really play a part in picking a crank length?

Some people do find this an important prioroty -- especially those that do heaps of criteriums -- but I think most people don't bother shortening their cranks for these races.

EDIT: It's also easier to get your revs up quicker out of corners

531 is right. Shorter cranks do offer more pedaling clearance. Track bikes have 165 cranks and higher BB distance because they cannot coast through turns.

Depends on what sort of riding or racing you are doing if this is important or not.......

Most riders lift the inside pedal during cornering, so outside of a track or fixie it is not so critical. There are times when your pedal hits a rise or bump and higher pedals suffer from this less. Ideally people using long cranks should have a bike with a higher bottom bracket to account for clearance (and conversely for short cranks..).

Excellent!! :)

Great. If this used to be the "thanks to my cranks" site, then I've lost it for couple of years.

In my opinion, even though this guy obviously advocates longish cranks, the site is impressively
even-handed and objective. There's a couple of long crank advocates that refuse to acknowledge any possible negative aspects of using long cranks.