Stance/bottom bracket issues

[VeloVT]

A double or compact double would probably have lower q-factor than your triple. Are you very small (i.e., very narrow hips)?

[VeloVT]

Also, why do you think that the tread is too wide for you? Has a fitter assessed it? Does it feel awkward? Is there a tread formula floating out there somewhere that indicates you'd be better with a narrower tread?

I'm not questioning that it's true, I'm just curious because it's an uncommon complaint and something that I would imagine is fairly subtle.

[Cataboo]

I find that on my bike with a triple, my calf does bang into the derailleur sometimes when I'm pedaling - I guess that means it's too wide, but I like having a triple.

[SadieKate]

Q-factor affects foot, ankle, knee and hip alignment, in other words: the joints. It seems that women are more prone to noticing it than others. I can feel it on our tandem since I've got both the triple crank and the timing chain crank to deal with. Q-factor has nothing to do with calf size (though some people may be jealous of nice calves ).

The crank and the pedal can affect the q-factor. Not all cranks have the same width whether they are double, triple or whatever. Each crank must be measured individually and the same for pedals.

One idea is to look for pedals with a narrow q-factor or a replaceable spindle upgrade like a Crank Bros. They have a shorter spindle available, but I also know some of their pedals have a narrower q-factor to begin with than others.

[SadieKate]

This is an old, old article so the measurements quoted for cranks are far out of date, but the info about q-factor is good. Since the crank/frame compatibility may be an issue, looking at spindle length in the pedal is good. But you have to make sure your feet are small enough not to wear on the crank arm.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgest...ne-1991-13.htm

[fidlfreek]

Awesome article!

Hey! I know that the triple is/was making the q factor worse (159mm fyi). It was causing me knee pain. Or at least I think it was. It is still a problem on the FC-6600 crankset i tried last month (Ultegra SL compact) which has the same 147 or 146 q factor as all the higher end dual chainring shimano cranksets. It seems like the only way this gets better is with either 1) an older school Shimano crankset aka older than 7700 where the q factors go down to 140 or lower. Any other ideas ladies? My beautiful Look 585 optimum is sitting here all built and ready to go except that I can't decide on which crankset/bb to order. Agh! I do not want to order an older crankset and compromise on stiffness, power transfer, weight etc! Help!

I am a very small (5'2 100 lbs) woman and I use a 140mm measurement saddle (which is very narrow as far as women are concerned)....so I'm thinking that my whole setup is just narrow. My feets are quite small as well and since I have a decent pedal stroke and no weird ankle things I have tons of clearance with my crank arms/chain stays etc.

[fatbottomedgurl]

Something I heard from my LBS owner regarding triples: She always recommends a triple on any bike 50cm and under. The reason is that the shorter distance from the front chainrings to the cassette on a double will not provide enough clearance for the chain as it passes from the smaller chain ring to the smallest gears on the cassette. The chain ends up rubbing on the big chainring and causes shifting issues. Just something to think about since you are a short gal. I wonder if anyone here has had an issue with that.