>>1765629Crank length is more or less irrelevant if your bike fits you.
Apparently longer crank allow you to put down more torque and shorter cranks are better for spinning.
That being said, crank length is different on different size bikes because some guy in like the 70s made a chart with the relationship between bike size and crank length. That’s why they come in differences of 2.5 increments. Even though you obviously wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a 170 and 172.5 crank. You and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a 165 and 175 crank.
Crank length is irrelevant when it comes to bikefitting, because the normal consumer isn’t going to swap out their crank unless they have an hip impingement or are really really tall.
You would think crank length would be very important, considering it has an effect on the hips, but it’s not an issue for most normal people.
That being said, if you are like ridiculously tall, llike that guy from GCN, a long custom crank (180mm) will feel better.
For people with hip impingement, a 165mm is better for them.
If you are building up a fixie and you are normal sized, it’s always the best to get the 165mm cranks because you can’t coast. Shorter cranks reduce the crank of pedal strike when cornering and reduce toe overlap.
So conclusion. Crank length is irrelevant unless zu are really really tall, have hip impingement or are building up a fixed gear bicycle. Thank you for coming to my tedtalk in everything I know about crank length.
