POLL: crank length & height

[LED_now]

Hey all
I've noticed that many LBS have road-blocks put up when it comes to "ordering custom cranks" - re: length.
This is probably due to the factory shipments and the extra trouble it is ...
However -
Since we can get shortened brake levers, for smaller hands (so-called "women's" parts) why is it so difficult to get shorter cranks?

Maybe if more smaller women (generalising here, since women come in all shapes and sizes) made a point of asking for shorter cranks, they would become available without this "custom this/custom that/can't order it/they don't make it" speech I've heard way too often at LBS?

POLL:
How tall r u?
What length of cranks do u use?
Road or MTN ?

:)

[SadieKate]

How short are you talking? And, by "custom" do you mean custom built for you? Or just a different crank than what is on the bike?

[DirtDiva]

1. I'm 160cm tall (five foot three).
2. I have 170mm cranks (what the bike came with - I think the bigger sizes came with 175s).
3. Mountain.

[juvel01]

I am 5'1", but have very long legs.
172.5mm for Road
170 for mountain

[skibum]

1. I'm 5'6"
2. I have 170mm cranks. As far as I know, this is the shortest stock size. Works fine for me but I can see where shorter individuals might want shorter cranks.
3. Road

[eofelis]

I'm 5'2"
I have 165mm cranks on my road bike (ultegra), touring bike (105) and touring/commuting bike (XT).

I have 170mm cranks on my mtn bike (until I find another XT 165mm crankset)

I also have the Ultegra quality short reach STIs on my road bike.

[Trek420]

I'm 5'1"
* 170mm cranks on road bike
* super teeny-tiny hands and no problems reaching Campy Record
* old bike had 165mm cranks, the longer ones were recomended by the builder when he custom fit the bike. Who am I to dissagree?

It's been fine so far though I sometimes debate going back to 165.

[jobob]

I'm 5'7"

My Riv Romulus and Saluki (both road/touring bikes) both have 170 mm cranks.

On the other hand, the Rivendell Road bike that I bought second-hand came with 175 mm crank arms - which according to the 'formulas' out there are a bit too long for me. I figured I'd replace them if I need to. But I've had no problems with them, and to be honest, I've never noticed a difference.

[carback]

I'm 4'11" (yes, I'm full-grown)

Road & mountain bikes have 165mm. My road bike also has smaller wheels (650 CC versus my touring bike which has 700 CC)
Touring bike has 170mm

The 165mm cranks were standard-issue with my Women's Specific Trek road bike.

[Saxa82]

I'm 5' 2"
165 mm cranks (came with my Fisher WSD bike)
mtn bike

[RebeccaAnn]

jobob--I am coveting your Rivendells. A Romulus AND a Saluki sounds wonderful.

I am 5'3" with 170mm cranks on both bikes, road (700cc) and hybrid (26" wheels).

Let me toss another question into this, if I may: For those of you using a non-standard crank (a crank other than the one your bike came with), what prompted the change?

If your bike is a custom job, what determined the crank size?

If your bikes have differing crank sizes, can you tell the difference? How do they compare?

[Pedal Wench]

5'4", and all three road bikes have 170's. My newest bike (my bella Bianchi!) was built from the frame up, but since I knew I loved the fit of my other bikes, I automatically ordered 170's for the new one.

[drplasma64]

I'm 5'2"

my centurion accordo road bike has 165 mm crank arms. I can't remember if it was standard or not (in 1989). I do remember that I got a shorter stem (90mm) than standard at the time. Maybe even narrower handlebars. It was not a "woman's bike" (aka, not a stepthrough, the only option at the time).

my new Trek7200FX hybrid for kid carting will have 170 mm (that's the standard for the 15" size, and it is a "womens", but not a WSD but not a "Ladies Stepthrough") and I hope they'll be OK.

I've actually been obsessing about whether the crank length is going to be a problem...I was looking at the LeMond website and saw their small size Etape bike come with 165mm and shorter stems and narrower handlebars. Sigh.

[newfsmith]

I once was 5' 0", but now I'm shrinking. I'll tell my age (58) a lot quicker than my current height. My Felt road bike, Terry touring bike, and Terry hybrid all have 165 cranks. My Specialized MTB, modified for winter commuting, has 170's.

[Tess851]

5 foot 3, 165mm cranks on both track and road bikes.

Had 170mm on old clumker, but wouldn't go back to them as the stretch is too long for my legs. Felt like a pygmy when I first got the 165s, but now spin my heart out in 42/12 pacing guys grinding away in 53/11 :)

Have 36 ctc handlebars on both road and track bikes. Much comfier than what bikes usually come with. Haven't worried about any other adjustments than getting the right seat.

Stuff's available if you want it - and if your LBS isn't supplying, let them know you can spend your money elsewhere if they want to make it a hassle for you to get what you want.

[jobob]

Sheldon Brown may not necessarily have the Last Word on all things cycling (tho he comes close :) ), but he tends to have a lot of useful info on his website.

Here's his take on crank lengths:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cranks.html

[spazzdog]

5'7", 32" inseam, 52cm bike, 170's

spazz

[Surlygirl]

Another half pint here, 5ft and a tiny bit
I have 165 Ultegra cranks on my road bike. Better for the knees. They told me 170s would help me power up hills better but I have bad knees so the less stress the better, I spin. They are not uncommon so don't let the LBS give you a hard time about special order.

[Pax]

I'm really glad to hear all of these thoughts on cranks. I'm buying a new bike in Chicago this weekend (hopefully) and I keep running into problems with too much bend in my right knee (lots of knee surgery). I never knew sizing down the cranks was an option! Thanks again TE'ers.

BTW - I'm 5'10" with a 32" inseam.

[LBTC]

5' 1 1/2", 28" inseam (same as my DH, btw, who is 5'6")

165 mm MTB - a Santa Cruz Juliana Super Light (women's specific). I opted for the XTR group, but, the cranks/front rings of XTR at that time would have killed me, so mine are XT. :( They've got more XTR options now, 165mm crank length and compact chain ring....if I could justify the purchase, I'd totally option that up!

170mm road - came with the Shimano 105 group.

My Santa Cruz always feels better than my road bike, and I've never even considered if crank length is a possible issue. Now that you mention it, I think I'll ask DH to start Ebay hunting for me!!

I really like the fit, plus, I've been told the shorter crank also provides faster acceleration.

Ditto on the whole options for small people issue, though. I waited much longer than we wanted to for a full suspension MTB that fit me! At least things are improving!

Namaste,
~T~

[CorsairMac]

another beer holder for tall guys:

5'2" 29" inseam

Trek 1100 Road: 50 cm frame, 165 cranks (and toe lap)
Peugeot Road: 51 cm frame, not a clue but probably 170 (and toe lap)
Trek 820 Mtb Bike: who knows
Trek 200 Navigator: who knows

(ain't I just a Wealth of info :p )

[DeniseGoldberg]

I'm 5'5", and the cranks on all of my bikes are 165mm.
All custom, 2 touring bikes (1 diamond frame, 1 Bike Friday), and a Bike Friday road bike.

[DirtDiva]

What a bunch of short stuffs we are! Well, not everyone, but there are more people in this thread who are shorter than me than taller and that sure doesn't reflect my real life experience!

By the way, Corsair-wealth-of-information-Mac, I'd have had no idea how long my cranks were if I couldn't have looked it up on the Gary Fisher website. :p

[Crankin]

I have no idea what size my cranks are, but from reading this, I bet they're 165s (Trek 5200 WSD with 650 wheels). I was thinking the same thing about our collective height! I am 5' 1" (though I may have shrunk a bit?) and it seems like there are tons of people on this list that are my height... do you think there are more women cyclists who are short for any specific reason?
I just got back from a bike tour with Trek travel. The bike i used was the updated version of my bike (a Madone 5.2). Somehow, in updating the design, they managed to put 700 wheels on a 47 cm bike. I spent half of the trip getting used to the feeling of being higher up and the different feeling of turning with larger wheels. i did not like it at all! Maybe it's my poor spatial abilities, but I liked getting back to my own teeny bike with teeny wheels. A creature of habit, I guess.

[caligurl]

i've grown since i began working out! :eek: lol!

i'm 5'3" (made hubby remeasure about 6 times cuz i didn't believe it!!!!!!!!!!) (i was 5'2" or a bit over for years!)

crank: 167.5
bike: 51 (but it's too big :rolleyes: )

i've been told i could use a 170 with my inseam (28" if i remember correctly)

[RoadRaven]

I'm 5'10" (unlike cali I have shrunk an inch since I was a teen)

I have a 54" frame bike and my cranks are 175


Just of interest for you crank-ophiles, my partner is 6'3".
His TimeTrial bike is a 58" frame, and with his 83cm seat height (he has very long legs) he has had custom cranks made (which were cheaper to have made and delivered from America, than to have done locally).
185 cranks on his 58"TT frame.

[fasteryet]

On a ride this past Tuesday with the assistant manager of my LBS, a crank length discussion came up. She said the the latest thinking in the bike world is that 172.5 is right for the majority of riders, no matter what height.
PS. I'm currently 5'4" and using 170's on my road bike and hybrid, and feel that they fit perfectly. Road bike is C-Dale r800 50 cm frame.

[emily_in_nc]

I'm 5'2" with a 28" inseam and use 170mm cranks on my road and mtn bikes. My slightly older Terry bike has 165mm cranks. Both are fine, but I chose 170s when I custom built my Aegis Swift and Bike Friday as I felt they'd give me more leverage on hills (and hopefully not kill my knees), and on my Aegis I wanted a compact double, which didn't come in a smaller length than 170. They seem to agree with me fine, even though all the charts say I should ride a 165mm or shorter crank based on my inseam.

Emily

[LED_now]

:o

5' 4"
170mm factory-issue on GT Mtn

6 mos later, after "car vs. me" incident, the LBS (s) didn't have 170's to fit & I was off to Vancouver (from Toronto) w/ 175's instead.
Naively didn't know any different, so said "ok, 175's fine"... yet no probs in Vancouver despite hills + 8 hr days on the bike...
Back to T.O., switched to SPD's (great!float ok, super-duper fun etc.) but: 3 mos. later Knee Probs, taking me right off the bike ... for months sigh ...

Then, GT recall on crank set, shop now had 170's again, so went BACK to 170's.

Many calls to Different Shops here have resulted in the speech: "165's? 167.5's? Uh .... lady, those are hard to find..." :rolleyes:
Note: I'm not looking for fluorescent polka-dot fun-fur custom cranks. But still, this response. I take my business elsewhere & same thing happens..?
Since I'm not overly mechanically minded, I do not know if whatever crank set (ordered on the 'net for instance) would fit the bike's BB etc... Among a zillion other Q's I suppose ... :rolleyes:

ANYWAY:
Sill knee probs... surgeries...gave up for a while (a few years)... now, back in "Stubborn/Optimistic/Delusional(?) Mode", trying to figure out what the KEY(S) to this PUZZLE could be. I say "key(s)" since I've tried what seems to be everything under the sun. Any other types of leg-based exercise (running, weights, etc. = zero knee probs). On-the-bike puzzle though, you name it, I've most probably tried it.

Hence the CRANKS POLL Questions.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Many calls to Different Shops here have resulted in the speech: "165's? 167.5's? Uh .... lady, those are hard to find..."
I don't know what component group (manufacturer) you are looking for, but just out of curiosity I checked the Shimano site. I know that the (165) cranks on all of my bikes are Shimano, and I was just wondering if they'd changed the available lengths.

According to the Shimano site, the cranks for their XTR, XT, Dura-Ace, Ultegra, Tiagra, and Sora groups all are available in 165's as well as the more common longer sizes.

I just looked at the GT site too, and while some of their mountain bikes appear to have Shimano cranks, some don't. It's quite possible that the manufacturer of the cranks on your bike don't make 165's - but it seems to me that you should be able to switch to Shimano cranks. Might be worth asking a mechanic in your LBS. If they aren't willing to help you then I think it's time to find another shop!

Good luck, and keep us posted.

--- Denise

[jobob]

Good grief, that bike shop should be nuked for giving you 175 mm cranks. Here I am wondering if 175's might be a bit on the long side for me (at 5'7" and 32-ish inseam) - they were certainly too long for you. Those long crank arms could not have helped your knees one bit ! :mad:

As for finding "hard-to-find" size cranks - many cranks do come with different crank arm lengths, but since it's clear some bike shop nits (er, employees :rolleyes: ) are too darn lazy to waddle over to the shelf and open up the catalog, or to find the manufacturer's information on the web, sad but true it's up to you as the Informed Consumer to find out that information for yourself and shove it under the nose of (uh, nicely present it to) said lazy nit (um, helpful bike shop employee).

That said :D , often it's the higher-priced cranksets that come available with the variety of crank arm lengths.

[LED_now]

Yes, Denise, the cranks I've had (& switched & back again) were always Shimano. Just now I called another few bike shops (again) & the folks didn't want to order anything for me unless I paid for them the whole amount upfront (this whole XTR thing being the 167.5mm only available) & I'm not even sure they would fit my BB on this old GT mtn model ... Maybe I'm speaking a different language or something... Vancouver seemed so much more helpful! :)
Lot's of dough for a "potential" help on the knee thing ... Guess I gotta start a fund for it.

Thanks again to everyone for being so quick to answer this POLL!