I’ve just bagged a pompino off eBay with a view to racing it ss next season.

It’s currently setup for the road 48:18 with 165mm cranks.

My plan was to run it 42:18, but I can get pretty much the same gear inches by putting a 22t freewheel on.

Is there any reason this is a bad idea, and are the 165mm cranks going to make a difference compared to the 175mm I usually use on my other bikes?

Personally, i think you’d be better off getting a larger freewheel than a smaller chainring – more teeth means less wear.

As for the short cranks, you’ll have to ride them to see if you can appreciate the difference they make. It’d needn’t be an expensive change to make.

Didn’t think of the benefit of more teeth, and I think it’ll be the cheapest option too.

I’ll give that a go this weekend