i have a radial 360 with 150 mm cranks but i was thinking about putting shorter ones on to make it faster and possibly reduce some of the wobble as i ride. i mostly ride through neighborhoods(which can require quick stops) and some flat trails by my house, so 125’s may be too short. i’m thinking about going with 140’s but i was wondering if it would even be worth the effort/money to make the switch. is there a noticeable difference between 140’s and 150’s on a 36"?
I put 125s on my 360 and rode it for about a week and went back to the 150s and ordered 140s from UDC last week and are being delivered by the little brown truck today so I will install and go for a ride tonight and let you know
Never tried 140s, but it’s probably worth a go. Might not make a massive difference, but hey.
As for 125s being too short - yes, to start with you would have less control, but after a while (considerably more than a week, I’m afraid) your legs and balance will develop to make up for it. The sad truth is that as far as cokers go there is no substitute for the complex technique of ‘riding lots’ to get more speed/control.
John
There’s very little that isn’t rideable on a coker with 125 cranks, other than steep technical muni and a small number of very steep roads. Like John says they take some getting used to though.
I wouldn’t bother with 140s unless you’ve tried 125s already for a decent length of time (I reckon about 300-400 miles is enough to get a good idea) and really know you’re never going to get used to them. Lots of people are put off short cranks because they only give them a short time and don’t learn to ride with them.
Same goes for 110 cranks, although you really need to be riding regularly to get used to 110s, I’m pretty much used to mine now, but it’s taken quite a long time to really get them sorted. Once you’re used to 110s, riding a coker with 150s feels like a 20 inch or something. 110s are the ultimate low effort long distance cranks.
Joe
I tried 170mm, 155mm, 110mm, and 89mm.
My feeling is you will not feel much difference going from 150 to 140.
Joemarshall is right, if possible try the 125.
My favorite for distance has been 110mm.
But now that I do strictly MUni, I used the longest cranks I have Torker 170mm; this bent after a bad UPD so now I am on 155. I need to order stronger cranks.
Suggestions?
The difference between 150 and 140 is no more than fine tuning for personal preference. If 140s were standard, you would think of 150s as slightly longer - see what I mean?
The difference between 150 and 125 is significant. You would be able to ride with either length. 125s would give more speed (noticeably more) but konger stopping distances, and less control at low speed.
As experience grows, the effect of changes in cranks becomes less important. The way to ride a Coker is lots.
(Saying that, mine now languishes, but I did put int he miles for a long time to develop confidence and control on it.)
IMHO, going from 150s to 125s is dramatic, and going from 150s to 140s is significant. You will notice slighly more speed and slightly less control. It may be enough of a difference to plunk down the $$.
I ride with 140’s on my Coker. Like Mikefule says the difference between 140’s and 150’s is mostly fine tuning. The difference is not dramatic. I notice slightly smoother pedaling on the flats when using the 140’s. The difference is noticeable enough that I stick with the 140’s for most of my riding. The level of control with the 140’s is very close to the 150’s. Give the 140’s a try.
I have not even tried 125’s on the Coker. I don’t really have a desire to try cranks shorter than 140. I like having a very comfortable margin of control. The 140’s let me ride fast enough and handle the hills along my regular routes around the Seattle area.
excellent.
i have tried 125’s on my 28", they took a little getting used to but now they’re great for that uni. the 36" is a lot heavier though and i don’t want to give up too much control because i’d hate to fall off right into some traffic. my father rides the 360 as well and he would never get used to 125’s because he doesn’t ride much. i suppose it is just fine tuning, but the 140’s sound like they may be worth giving a try next time i order stuff from UDC.
It may have something to do with general skill level as well. For me, the shift from 150s to 140s was significant, and it took some getting used to, and it took some extra climbing practice before I could make it up all the same steep hills on my 140s that I could on my 150s. But they are definitely smoother and faster, still very controllable, and I have no plans to go back to the 150s.
That said, I tried some 125s recently, but just for a couple hours in fairly challenging conditions. They seem interesting, and I could definitely see the potential for great speed if you had some long, fairly flat rides. I’m thinking about getting a set, just to see if I could get as used to them for climbing as I did to the 140s.
I’m also weighing just getting the 3-hole DaVinci’s with 170/150/130. Not ideal, but saves on swapping out cranks frequently, which can’t be good for the hub tapers.
O.K. The new Dotek 140mm cranks are on and I got about 18 miles in and as a few people said it is just fine tuning, WELL I feel it is GREAT tuning! I stopped a few times while riding to get the seat height set right for max comfort and max cruising speed. Things I noticed:
- I had to climb two overpasses and a long somewhat steep hill on this ride (same route I normally ride) and the 140s still gave me enough leverage to make the climbs
- Smoother pedal/leg action
- Still can maintain good control for quik stopping or avoidance of obstacles ( my dog )
- According to computer my average speed on rides has been between 8.3mph and 8.6mph but this ride came in at 9.1mph
It may only be fine tuning but I will take it, and who knows maybe I was not ready for my earlier attempt at 127mm cranks but maybe in the future I will give them another try. But at the moment the 140s were well worth it and they are staying on for a while.
yeah i definitely want to try 140’s. i’ve read through some previous posts about the doteks though and it sounds like they bend easily. anybody know where i might find steel 140’s or at least strong aluminum ones?