Right! I should have got that. I'm running a 165 mm crank length. They were the shortest cranks I could find for the Ultegra 6800 group set. I was keeping it all Ultegra to prevent any incompatibilities that would complicate the build. I'm not opposed to using mixed sets as long as I know they are compatible from the start. Q-Rings sound interesting.
Q-rings will even out the pedal stroke and that might reduce pedal steer. Most if not all of the consistent Cruzbike race champions over the past several years use them. So, you benefit from better stability and efficiency for superior performance in most cases. Win/win.
Wish I would have known this before but better late than never. Maybe I can sell my crank set on ebay. I have so much invested in the bike already that there's no way I'm going to put up with issues that can be fixed or improved with a component choice. If I go with a shorter crank arm, should I compensate by increasing the number of chain ring teeth? I'm at 50-34; say a 36-52? The freewheel is 11 speed 11-32. I already think I have too many low gears and not enough high gears. At this point, I'm ready to go with whatever the flock is using.
If price is an issue, you can avoid splurging on Q-rings and just go with a shorter crank for now. Super slim's recommendation is a very good one and the link he provided will get you started.
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Thank! I'll check it out. Still don't know what length cranks to get. Don't know my xseam, but my inseam is about 29-30 inches.
Price is not an issue. I've invested so much already in the bike that this change is just finacial noise.
Ooops! I was thinking the opposite. Funny how we get some obvious things backwards. Guess I'll keep the gearing the same.
That's the plan. Thanks.
Start with the Bikesmith Crank Questions page. I read almost everything on the site, some of it repeatedly, before ordering my cranks.
My legs are short. Inseam ~30, xseam ~40 (just measured myself). I'm guessing I could take advantage of shorter cranks, but how short? I am not a natural spinner. My legs are large and strong but slow.
The article is long and exhausting, a little deeper in the weeds than I like these days, maybe a good reference source. I read some parts and scanned others. It seems to contradict itself with regards to crank length. At first it shows a table for optimal crank lengths that ranges from 170 mm to 185 mm depending on inner leg length. That would put me at about 170 cm. Then later in the article it has another table for optimizing rotational angle with crank length ranges between 146 mm and 195 mm, which suggests I should choose between 145-150 mm cranks. It seems optimal crank length has not been figured out yet.
Thanks!
My inseam is 30.5", x-seam 40.5". I got the 150mm cranks for the S30 to keep my knees from hitting the handlebars (not so much bend in the knees). The Q came stock with 155s. I had 165s on my old Silvio 1.5, and on tadpole trikes when I used to ride those. No knee problems with any of them.
I am riding. Did another 26 today. I tend to be obsessive about things that could kill me.
My knees clear the handlebars just fine. I have a curved slider pointing up, but they were fine with the straight slider. I do have a little knee pain, which is unusual for me on a bike, but I assume due to being out of shape.
Easier said than done. I'm doing all I can to get what I have adjusted to fit me. If there was a store nearby with CB experts, I would take it to them to help me get things worked out. I've already gotten lots of good advice here. I appreciate it. Why does everyone assume I'm not riding my bike? I've done three 26 mile loops, with lots of hills and obstacles, in the last 5 days. I'm not in good enough shape to do more than that. I will be commuting to work starting next week, but its only a 15 mile round trip. There's steep hills (one I have to walk up.. ouch, that hurt my ego). I will be doing longer rides on the weekends as I lose weight and gain fitness. In the meantime, I think I'm doing what I can.
I can commute every day as the ride is short, but like you said, I get on the bike twice a day, which should help with my V20 training. I'll save long rides for the weekends.
