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I have a Stumpy 15 with 170mm cranks and I get a lot of pedal strikes (way more than any previous bike). I can see that I could get straight replacements for the GX Eagle for c. £150, but that includes the chainring, which I don't need. And I am also curious to know what options are available from other manufacturers - but I am nervous of splashing for something incompatible with the 55m chain line and chainring fitting - would love to know what options there are...
I've been experimenting with shorter cranks a lot lately. Honestly, I'm a total convert (I'm 5'5" so I suspect 170mm has always been way too long for me).
Unfortunately, for non-ebikes the options are severely limited. I started off buying some cheap Goldix cranks of various lengths from Aliexpress to experiment. Nothing went wrong with the cranks I tried but I just wasn't confident in them. For one thing they were from Aliexpress and the other thing was they were advertised as being kids' cranks. I just didn't have confidence in them to push them super hard.
I then tried a company called Aerozine from Taiwan who offered direct orders (they also had a stem I was interested in). I'm very happy with the stem but the cranks started cracking really loudly after a few rides. Basically the tolerance between the crank and the shaft wasn't good enough. Trash.
So, I bit the bullet and bought a set of 135mm Hope cranks.
My advice would be to use Aliexpress Goldix cranks to figure out the length you want and then just spend the money on Hope cranks. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any cheap options if you want to go shorter than 165mm at the moment, other than the Sram cranks you already found.
As a long legged human and subsequently saddle high, long cranks suit me.
Also though, I'm a long time Spesh bike rider and have always found their adjustable geometry where available suits me better slack up front, but high at the back
DMR recently released the Sect cranks that come in 165mm if that's short enough. I want to give them a go when I can justify spending more money on my bike! I don't know enough about modern drivetrain standards but I believe they fit 3 bolt SRAM direct mount chainrings.
I couldn't find a crank-only option when looking for short cranks for mini a11y's bikes recently. BruceWee mentions the Goldix cranks - I used these on their previous HTs but clearance/spec wasn't suitable for their new FSers. Ended up buying complete 155mm SRAM Eagle 90 cranksets inc chainring for just over £100.
Currently best price seems to be Winstanleys in 155-175mm options, but I'd be cautious over actual stock level.
This whole short crank thing bothers me a bit. I've always generally used 175 cranks, and even using 170mm I notice the difference in pedalling - i.e. it feels disproportionately harder. Is it just a case of sucking it up? (non ebike).
This whole short crank thing bothers me a bit. I've always generally used 175 cranks, and even using 170mm I notice the difference in pedalling - i.e. it feels disproportionately harder. Is it just a case of sucking it up? (non ebike).
I'm not sensitive enough (it seems) to notice shorter cranks. I'd ridden 170mm for probably a decade, then inherited some 165mm XTs on a new-to-me bike. No downsides I can feel, I've not changed chainring size etc. And I'm a tall bugger at 187cm with long legs.
I fitted 155mm on my eMTB but that's not comparable.
i went from 172.5 cranks on my turbo trainer, to a trial of 165s.
Don't like them. have given them a good try for a few months, but they just feel harder and less natural.I've had to raise my saddle way more.
However,... zero pedal strikes, which is a plus.. 😉
DrP
“I've always generally used 175 cranks, and even using 170mm I notice the difference in pedalling - i.e. it feels disproportionately harder”
What you lose in max leverage you gain in max cadence, so your power output remains the same, you just might need to adjust your gearing. And yes, you need your saddle higher too.
I’ve got fairly long legs and have 165mm cranks on my ebike and my singlespeed (which runs 30:18 - doing the maths if I had 175mm cranks I’d run 32:18).
BruceWee mentions the Goldix cranks - I used these on their previous HTs but clearance/spec wasn't suitable for their new FSers.
Interesting. I used them on my Boost spaced FS (a Giant Trance). I used a 3mm offset chainring and it seemed fine.
What you lose in max leverage you gain in max cadence, so your power output remains the same, you just might need to adjust your gearing. And yes, you need your saddle higher too.
Exactly this. I use a smaller chainring and I find my cadence is much higher. I thought the higher cadence would result in more bobbing during climbs but in fact it feels even smoother.
The real benefit for me though is that I'm able to stand taller and I feel like I'm able to move around much more freely.
BruceWee mentions the Goldix cranks - I used these on their previous HTs but clearance/spec wasn't suitable for their new FSers.
Interesting. I used them on my Boost spaced FS (a Giant Trance). I used a 3mm offset chainring and it seemed fine.
I didn't understand it, especially as similar to you they fitted perfectly on Boost spaced Ragley Marley hardtails (can't remember the chainring offset). But not a hope of them fitting the FSer Cannondale Habit replacements - clobbered the chainstay even after faffing around with BB spacers in non-typical positions. Probably a Cannondale thing.
Looking back it was your suggestion that put me onto the SRAM Eagle 90s earlier this year 👍
