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2.5mm – Will I notice a difference?

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  • January 29, 2014 at 10:04 pm #20601
    jasonm945

    I am 5’11” and currently run a 172.5mm crank set. So my question is would I notice a difference if I replaced it with a 175mm.

    I have 175 on my MTB and don’t see that as different, so would it just take a few rides to settle in?

    Thanks in advance.

    Jay

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Viewing 7 replies - 16 through 22 (of 22 total)
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  • January 30, 2014 at 11:08 am #771229
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    manoirdelourde

    pirnie wrote:Second was on

    pirnie wrote:
    Second was on steep sections (>15%) I felt like I had less leverage (to be expected) and had to work harder at a lower cadence. So the opposite going the other way I guess.

    I went from 175 to 172.5, and I am “sure” that hills are now harder . . . could all be in the mind though . . .

    January 30, 2014 at 9:57 am #771227
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    pirnie

    I knackered my 175 mm cranks
    I knackered my 175 mm cranks on the penultimate day of a trip to Spain. So I could ride on the last day I managed to borrow some 172.5 mm ones off our host. I noticed 2 differences.

    First, if I was riding hard then my quads seemed to be working in a slightly different area of the muscle so I was getting pain further up my legs than usual. Not a big deal and I’m sure you’ll quickly adjust.

    Second was on steep sections (>15%) I felt like I had less leverage (to be expected) and had to work harder at a lower cadence. So the opposite going the other way I guess.

    Probably worth mentioning, if you do make the change, don’t forger to adjust your saddle height slightly as the change in crank length will change the distance from the bottom of the pedal stroke to the saddle.

    January 30, 2014 at 9:51 am #771225
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    jason.timothy.jones

    I doubt you will notice, I
    I doubt you will notice, I have 170 on my track bike and occasionally use a 165. My road and MTB have 175, and my wife’s bike has 172.5 and the only time a feel any difference is if I dont drop my seat a little on the track bike

    January 30, 2014 at 12:14 am #771223
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    joemmo

    You’ll probably not notice, I
    You’ll probably not notice, I have both – that said I *think* I prefer 172.5 to 175 on my road bikes but it may be psychological. 85cm inside leg for what it’s worth.

    January 29, 2014 at 10:45 pm #771221
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    jasonm945

    I’m not just changing for the
    I’m not just changing for the size, I have knackered the thread in one of my pedal arms by not tightening the pedal in and riding 15 miles till it fell out!

    I have seen an excellent deal on a SRAM force chain set but can only get it in 175mm, hence the question.

    I believe I’ll notice it for a ride or two and then forget about it but wanted to check if this is correct or not.

    January 29, 2014 at 10:38 pm #771219
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    Matt eaton

    I feel a big difference
    I feel a big difference between my 175mm and 180mm cranks (BMX). Not sure if this helps as its twice the difference you are talking about.

    I’ve used 165mm and 170mm on the road and can feel the difference although its certainly not enough to throw me off my stride. 155mm felt odd.

    I think that there’s probably a comforatable maximum length depending on your build and leg length and anything up to this length will feel OK even if its not the most efficient. For fixed gear bikes shorter cranks help to avoid pedal stike too.

    January 29, 2014 at 10:28 pm #771217
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    tommygarland

    I run 170 + 172.5 cranks on
    I run 170 + 172.5 cranks on different bikes and don’t really notice a difference, obviously the saddle is slight;y higher relative to the handlebars so does depend whether you are at the extremes of your bike’s position. There are some schools of thought that think that a smaller crank size is more efficient. Worth a search on google. Personally I wouldn’t spend the money changing the crank size. Think how small 2.5 mm are, although it makes a significant difference on circumference, i wouldn’t worry about it terms of leverage as some people discuss.

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