I know, I know, the shorter cranks are faster. I rode RTL last year with 114s and more miles that that with 125s, but…
A few weeks ago I slapped a pair of ProWheel alloy 152 mm cranks on my Coker Big One (newer aluminum model). My old Radial 36er had 150s, but I was newer to the sport and that thing was a good few pounds heavier, so I didn’t appreciate it as much.
Now, the combination of the light aluminum frame/wheel and the 152s is giving true meaning to the phrase Personal Rollercoaster. The control I get with the bigger cranks and larger Q-factor is astounding. Free-mounting is so much easier (I’m 5’6", so it’s a high jump regardless), and the responsiveness of the stiff aluminum frame is very snappy.
My Guni and my Muni are gathering dust while I fly around town and trails on my Coker.
I’m with you there on doing Coker Muni. I’ll put 150s on there and just fly around what few true XC trails we have around here. Super fun! Definitely easier to mount and to pause, sidehop, turn around etc…
Thats nice to know! I bought a Nimbus 36er with stock 150’s and after a while moved over to 125’s because I wanted to pick up a bit of speed. However, I never felt the same degree of control but persevered in the belief that I would improve. Ultimately I swopped back to 150’s just to try out the difference again. Yeah, mounting is a breeze, lots of control especially on trails and road rides of up to 30 miles. Nevertheless, I’m periodically swopping cranks because I feel I am transferring skills from the short to the long cranks and vis versa.
i can understand your reasoning,
i went from 127’s to 100’s and my cornering technique took a blow. as well as my control over speed.
but for me, since i am trying to shave minutes off of my commuting times the loss is outweighed by the gain. especially since i don’t ever plan to engage on off road riding and longer rides are on straight country roads.
but some day, yes, someday when i come up with $25 i will try out these 152mm arms and test my wits on the trails.
Hmm, sounds interesting. As a fresh coker owner (only about 2 weeks so far!), learning to mount consistently is still my biggest struggle, and turns can be a pain at times. The speed is like none other with my 125s, but then I’ve been only been riding a 20" trials unicycle the past 3 years before buying this monster. I’ll probably get 150s eventually, but I want to become really proficient with the 125s, so then I’ll very easily master the 150s and be more a more versatile coker rider.
Which only goes to show that the best size of cranks is the size you like.
Long ones are more versatile - you can always learn to spin long cranks faster, but there is a physical limit to how much torque you can apply through short cranks. As the cranks get shorter, you are using less of your muscle too.
I wish I had a 36er now, I tjought about making the frame and just bying the wheel set, but that is still over £240! Then I’d need more for brakes and parts for the frame! I think I will have to wait
Not just that, but the shorter cranks also allow for longer rides with less saddle soreness… at least in my experience. How far are you riding on your new setup?
I don’t know that I’d consider riding any more than 20 miles with such long cranks. My taint shudders at the thought.
It is strange but true that shorter cranks tend to reduce saddle soreness. I don’t understand why, but I’ve observed the phenomenon myself, so it must be true!
It is not necessarily true that shorter cranks are faster, either in terms of peak speed or average speed over varied terrain.
I always feel like a weenie when the 36" crowd are talking about how short their cranks are. So I guess this is my time to reverse the roles. Yeah man, this is America! Bigger is better! Biggest is Best! I settle for nothing less than 165s. But hey, I’m a mountain climber by nature. Then Bungeejoe puts me to shame by talking about scaling tall peaks on 125s.
Steveyo, if you’d put your Schlumpf on your 36" you’d have a dream machine. I really find the combination of long cranks with a Schlumpf to be perfection. You won’t feel compelled to put shorter cranks on. No need to spin fast, just pop it into high gear and keep spinning slowly. Use the long cranks to maintain control and save your knees.
Right now I’m in training for a 25 mile cross country mountain mike race. The first 12 K climbs 2,700’. (yea long cranks!) The second 15 or 20 K is flat (yea Schlumpf!). The last 10 K is single track descent (yea long cranks and brake!) Bungeejoe might be able to do that on 125s but not me.
Maybe if we could get a hold of some lightweight tires I’d consider shorter cranks. You know, like maybe even all the way down to 150.
Geoff
