Just tried 165mm cranks…..

hmmm weird! i was already on 170mm so thought id give them a try in 165mm on a whim (as my 170mm are in for warranty)

so strange – im spinning far more with what seems like less perceived power, and more wasted energy (this is how my head computes it whether its correct or not is irrelevant)

id never have guessed 5mm would make a further drastic difference but jeez so so weird, i guess one plus was it never got near to a pedal strike! i guess if you just love spinning super fast (legs felt like a hamster on a wheel) then maybe it works, but for me i like to crank out of the saddle climbing and it just felt wrong!

anwyays – any one after some cheap sram gx eagle 165mm alloy cranks?! 🙂

Username checks out.

haha good shout – indeed i was

Did you adjust your saddle height?

Calling @Continuity 🙂

@milese – yep i went up a further 5mm – positioning felt fine, everything else felt terrible!

I recently went to 165mm cranks on my race BMX and I agree – the difference in feel is massive, whereas I’ve got 170mm on my road bike and 175mm on my commuter and I’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the latter two.

Not sure I like 165s either.

I have a set of 180mm Dura Ace if you want to give them a grind whirl 😉

I go between 170mm and 175mm cranks on different bikes and never really notice any change.

I’m a grinder not a spinner and 165mm works out better for me on most rides, especially when on steep climbs.

FWIW i didnt notice going from 175mm to 170mm just got better clearance for pedal strikes – this however is massively noticeable

“anyways – any one after some cheap sram gx eagle 165mm alloy cranks?!”

Yes please!

Give it more time? I reckon on 20 hours of riding minimum for anything that changes ergonomics of a bike. That’s 20hrs, then adjust, 20 more hours .. can take a while as you have to get past muscle memory which is so much of first impressions. What feels wrong at first can be better once used to it.

I’d be interested in them if available – for the lads bike I’m building up. I’ll message you.

I reckon on 20 hours of riding minimum for anything that changes ergonomics of a bike.

Was about 5 seconds for me going to 165. Admittedly, 170/175 was noticeably and uncomfortably too long.

@jameso – im not sure i can take it tbh – they feel really quite bad to me – im sure work for others but im happy to go back to 170mm

@thegeneralist piss off *bang* with your *bang* smugness *bang*

175s are stupid.

When I first tried 165s (on my old Patriot about seven years ago) I also felt like I was pedaling a teeny-tiny fishing reel at first.

I now have them on all my MTBs and the only downside (for me) is it has effectively made my easiest gear a little bit harder.

I think Jameso is right about resetting muscle memory, but if you prefer 170s just stick with them. You probably don’t have my stumpy little legs either.

I recently went to 165mm cranks on my race BMX and I agree – the difference in feel is massive, whereas I’ve got 170mm on my road bike and 175mm on my commuter and I’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the latter two.

I remember running 180mm profile cranks years and years ago, late last year I went to the racetrack for a giggle and had a go on a proper racers bike and he was running 180mm cranks too, always assumed they were the norm for race.

A 180 crank makes sense in BMX as can run higher gear and get up to a speed more quickly from the start which is pretty much all that counts. The flip side being that once at a speed then spinning to keep it is harder (especially comparing say 180 to 165).

I think BMX is a very different use case than riding around on a bike for 3 hours…

I have used 165mm cranks since I got my first proper bike – but I am 152cm tall and ride small frame sizes so it all works well. I am not sure there would be any benefit for a tall person?

I have used 165mm cranks since I got my first proper bike – but I am 152cm tall and ride small frame sizes so it all works well. I am not sure there would be any benefit for a tall person?

To be fair you might even benefit from even shorter cranks, say 150 / 155mm, my eldest is 145cm tall and I’m just about to put a set of 150’s on his road / CX bike, see below for reference.

130mm: riders approx 120cm to 135cm tall
135mm: riders approx 125cm to 140cm tall
140mm: riders approx 130cm to 145cm tall
145mm: riders approx 135cm to 150cm tall
150mm: riders approx 140cm to 155cm tall
155mm: riders approx 145cm to 160cm tall

I am still persevering with my 165 crank – but still sort of hating them,
Glad its not just me …

had a go on a proper racers bike and he was running 180mm cranks too, always assumed they were the norm for race.

A 180 crank makes sense in BMX as can run higher gear and get up to a speed more quickly from the start which is pretty much all that counts. The flip side being that once at a speed then spinning to keep it is harder (especially comparing say 180 to 165).

I think BMX is a very different use case than riding around on a bike for 3 hours…

Yeah, I got a deal on some 165mm Shimano DXRs I couldn’t resist, but it probably wasn’t the best idea on reflection.

they feel really quite bad to me

Any significant change may well do at first. Not getting on with something like this is the most interesting reaction I can have, challenges my preconceptions. In the past I mistakenly wrote things off based on too-early impressions (prob not just with bike kit either).

As someone said here the other day – if in 2002 you rode a 2022 geometry 29″ MTB you’d probably hate it, for a while. Then you might see a way forward by adapting yourself to the bike as much as adapting the bike to your habits and feels.
Not saying you’re wrong of course, only you know what’s right for you, just saying that it may need more time and I’m prob labouring that point too far. And you may be 6’4″..

I went from 170mm cranks on my BigWig to 165 at the same time as turning it SS. Did notice a difference, but not in a troublesome way, seems to work well SS. Also, fewer pedal strikes.

I’m not convinced height has anything to do with it, but 5’10” here and much prefer 165mm cranks.
Kinder to your hips and knees… Phil Burt says so.

Incidentally, as people are mentioning height, Ben Cathro is 199cm (6’7″) he uses 165mm cranks, and stated on his ‘How to Bike’ series (can’t remember which episode), he’d run even shorter cranks if he could get some that were suitable.

Feel is interesting though isn’t it? Like, yes shorter cranks are probably worse for grinding out a big gear. But grinding out a big gear is hardly ever the right thing to do. It feels awesome and powerful, I like doing it, but it’s pretty much always less efficient. While spinning a lower gear feels weak and hyperactive but is generally better.

I’m a grinder not a spinner

Instantly reminded me of I’m a lover not a danser from Jim Steinman…

I’m not convinced height has anything to do with it, but 5’10” here and much prefer 165mm cranks.
Kinder to your hips and knees… Phil Burt says so.

Height, or rather proportionate leg length has to be a factor, if you’re trying to get the same range of motion out of a 27″ leg as a 35″ leg using the same lever, the stumpier leg is being forced to move more and joints are going through much bigger angles, so height as a broad indicator isn’t a terrible way to choose crank length (IMO).

But also you have to consider control, the further apart (fore/aft) you place feet and the more motion you need to shift weighted feet (e.g. by doing half a backpedal) the harder you make life for a rider. Bicycles are quite unique in that the things we put our feet on are both a handling control and the means by which we apply motive force.

Meatheads tend to just see a lever, and assume ‘bigger lever = Moar fasterer!’ is the overiding rule to follow, but you have to be able to ride the thing without ruining your hip joints and being able to make turns as cleanly as possible.

Definitely experiment with shorter cranks if you can, even if you discover that there is such a thing as too short for you…