Pedal crank length

miller82

On my second bike and have it about 6 weeks now. the new bike is a corratec dolomiti 105 and the old one was a giant defy 4. It feels like the pedal crank is a lot shorter (can't find the specs).

Anyway, is it easy enough to buy longer pedal cranks (shimano 105) ?

C3PO

miller82 wrote: »

Anyway, is it easy enough to buy longer pedal cranks (shimano 105) ?

You need to buy a complete crankset - you can't buy the cranks on their own!

miller82

RPL1 wrote: »

You need to buy a complete crankset - you can't buy the cranks on their own!

****, okay. and obviously you can buy them in different lengths ???

RockWerchter

The crank length should be stamped on the inside of them, so you can compare them. If the new crank is longer drop the saddle and vice versa.

jimm

miller82 wrote: »

****, okay. and obviously you can buy them in different lengths ???

Yep, Crank lengths are 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm.

miller82

jimm wrote: »

Yep, Crank lengths are 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm.

cheers. i reckon i went from the the longest to the shortest

C3PO

RockWerchter wrote: »

If the new crank is longer drop the saddle and vice versa.

Doesn't quite work like that! The crank length remains the same no matter where the saddle is!
OP what makes you think that the crank length on your new bike is different to the old one?

RockWerchter

RPL1 wrote: »

Doesn't quite work like that! The crank length remains the same no matter where the saddle is!

The crank length changes where the maximum extension of your leg occurs. With a longer crank the point of maximum extension is lower so to avoid over stretching your leg you move the saddle down. And for shorter cranks it moves up the maximum extension point up so you raise the saddle.

Keep_Her_Lit

Replacing your crankset is a fairly expensive way to deal with this problem. Are you sure it's really a problem? 170-175mm is the commonly available range of crank lengths, i.e. those are the lengths which suit most cyclists most of the time. Other crank lengths are available outside this range, both longer and shorter.

If your leg length is average, give or take, then any crank in the range 170-175mm should be at least tolerable and shouldn't cause any problems. Although I have a preference for 175mm, 170mm cranks work just fine for me too.

Make sure the rest of the bike setup is 100% before splashing out on a new crankset. And take a few long spins on your new bike to give yourself a chance to adapt to the new crank length.

BTW, do check the actual crank length on both bikes, as advised above.

miller82

RPL1 wrote: »

Doesn't quite work like that! The crank length remains the same no matter where the saddle is!
OP what makes you think that the crank length on your new bike is different to the old one?

i can just feel it when i'm pedaling.it feels way shorter
i notice it most on really steep hills

miller82

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

Replacing your crankset is a fairly expensive way to deal with this problem. Are you sure it's really a problem? 170-175mm is the commonly available range of crank lengths, i.e. those are the lengths which suit most cyclists most of the time. Other crank lengths are available outside this range, both longer and shorter.

If your leg length is average, give or take, then any crank in the range 170-175mm should be at least tolerable and shouldn't cause any problems. Although I have a preference for 175mm, 170mm cranks work just fine for me too.

Make sure the rest of the bike setup is 100% before splashing out on a new crankset. And take a few long spins on your new bike to give yourself a chance to adapt to the new crank length.

BTW, do check the actual crank length on both bikes, as advised above.

i'm 6ft 3 and have long enough legs as well, so maybe this is making the difference more noticable to me ??