shortest cranks?

[sundial]

I have a question: What is the shortest crank I can put on my road bike? I have limited flexion (107 degrees) in my knee and I can't turn the 175mm crank. Thanks in advance.

[SadieKate]

How tall are you?

175mm crank is big!

170 is probably about average for many "women's" road bikes (yeah, I know, there is no average woman). But 165 is not uncommon.

My 6'2" hubby uses 172.5 on his road bikes, 175 cross and mtb, and 180 on his singlespeed mtb.

Length gives you leverage, but harder to get a high cadence.

[sundial]

SadieKate, I am 5'6" and my inseam is 31.5. I apologize--my cranks are 172.5mm. :o Is 165 the shortest I can go? I really want to ride my bike that's on the trainer. :o

[OakLeaf]

175 is huge!

I'm 5'3" and I can't ride longer than 165 mm without knee trouble.

Do you have Shimano on your bike? Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105 all come in 165 mm.

I'm pretty sure there are cranks you can get in 160 and 162.5, but I don't know what.

[sundial]

Oak, I have SRAM Force.

[Eden]

I have 165's

There are 155's out there, but they tend to be manufactured for BMX bikes, so getting a set that fits your BB and chanrings might be hard.

[SadieKate]

You need to look for a crank that is compatible with your bottom bracket and the rest of your gruppo, but that doesn't mean you are stuck with SRAM. You can certainly start your research on their site though.

[sundial]

Eden, perhaps I may need to think of changing cranks on my mtb (Specialized Epic with 172.5mm shimano cranks) instead of the road bike? Maybe more options that way? Sadie, I will check with my LBS and see if we can form a game plan. The reason I'm looking at changing stuff on my road bike is that it is the lightest bike I do have and I will probably be riding it initially when my knee gets more flexible. I have several other bikes though that I can tinker with instead of the road bike. I just thought it might be easier for me physically to ride the lighter bike with shorter cranks.

[SadieKate]

I get you! I got into roadbiking following 4 knee ops and used 165 cranks (I'm about 5'3.5" but with long legs). I now use 170s on everything.

[Sylvia]

As previously said most road bike cranks go down to 165mm. If you need to go shorter, then there will likely be a balance between the how short you need to go, the quality of the crank and the price you are willing to pay. Here is a post I made a while back on short cranks.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?p=532917#post532917

[sundial]

As previously said most road bike cranks go down to 165mm. If you need to go shorter, then there will likely be a balance between the how short you need to go, the quality of the crank and the price you are willing to pay.

Sylvia, thanks and I do agree with you. If I go shorter I will have to consider the quality of the part and the price I am willing to pay. Eden got me to thinking about my mtb so I tossed the idea around with my better half and he talked with my favorite mechanic at the LBS. They are ordering in Shimano 165mm cranks for my mtb. I am really interested to know if I can actually turn the pedals with these cranks. It will be much easier to work up to 165's than the 172.5 in my opinion. Right now I can only crank the pedals forward to 9/10 o'clock and backward to 3/4 o'clock. SadieKate, my knees will probably thank me for the smaller cranks. Thanks for the tips everyone. I appreciate your help.

[Sylvia]

If the 165mm don't work, you might consider crank shorteners until you can work up to the 165mm, or just to get an idea how short you may need to go.

I'm fairly short, 5' with a 25" inseam and have flexibility issues. I hadn't ridden a bike in 30 years and needed to get an idea how short I needed to go, so I tried crank shorteners initially.

BTW, I am now riding with Ultegras shortened to 144mm

[TsPoet]

Shorter cranks are common on recumbents. So, they can be purchased. Stonich shortens cranks to order and is very knowledgable about the topic.
http://bikesmithdesign.com/Short_Cranks/dotek.html

[Triskeliongirl]

I think you will be fine with 165s (that is what I ride with). But if you need shorter Lenard Zinn makes custom cranks in any size to order.

[sundial]

Custom cranks or special order cranks are something I will keep in mind. Hubby was thinking about the cranks on a 'bent bike and asked if I wanted to consider a recumbent trike in the meantime. I told him that for now I want to remain motivated to work towards turning the pedals on my diamond frame bike. I don't know how long it will be before I can--it could be within a month or it could be 3 months. I've been told by my ortho to expect to wait at least 6 months before I feel pretty good.

[itself]

I ride recumbent with 155mm cranks. Peregrine Bicycle Works sells a triple, 52-42-30 with the 155mm cranks for $95.

My physicial therapist said the crank length is really important to look at with mechanics. If you are having hip issues, IT band issues, shorter cranks might be a consideration.

[MomOnBike]

I'm riding 165s on my recumbent. After I had my knee 'scoped, I just couldn't turn the 170s I had on it at the time. (Your mental picture should be a glorious spring day, and me out in the backyard unable to make the cranks go all the way 'round. That incident ended in frustrated tears). I'm 5'8" when I stand straight, and my 6'2" father used to ride the same saddle without changing stirrup length, BTW.

As several have said, shorter cranks are out there. They are a Godsend if you have knee problems.

[sundial]

Just wanted to update my crank issue.

I had 165's put on my mtb and it was a godsend for me. I was able to ride my bike earlier post-op than I would have with the 175's. In fact, I rode my mtb so much 6 weeks post op that my OS told me to back off for awhile. :o I still have the shorter cranks on it even though I can comfortably ride the 172.5 on my Fargo and Pistola. With the taller cranks however, I do have to pedal with my heel centered over the spindle for the first dozen strokes or so until my knee loosens up.