SummitFever
Eats Squid
TLDR: 170mm sucks, 175mm for the win!
Background:
I have two 2020 Trance 29ers, one here and one in Germany. The components and frame materials are different between the two but the bike setup is almost identical (seat height, reach, handlebar width, stem length, etc.).
The German bike has 170mm cranks and all of my other bikes have 175mm cranks. Riding the German bike for the last 5 or so weeks has led me to the conclusion that (for me at least) I prefer the 175mm for all the riding I do.
Before running this experiment, I thought that the shorter cranks would be better for spinning along on flat and undulating terrain and that they would be terrible on long big climbs. I was wrong. The shorter (170mm cranks) when spinning along on long rides (eg >50km) on gravel and undulating felt like harder work. Conversely, I didn't notice any disadvantage in the shorter cranks for steeper, longer climbs.
Where the shorter cranks were terrible was when the climbs got super-steep, slippery or technical. I could really notice both the lack of leverage and the lack of control. The longer cranks let me put the power down in a smoother way and more of it. When I needed to punch up a big rock ledge I kept having the experience of coming up short and it's a weird feeling. Because the bikes are so similar, your mind expects it to behave the same way, so for the dynamic moves all the muscle memory comes into play, you execute the move and then you get this WTF? moment when it doesn't end as planned.
Riding at this time of year in Germany involves wet roots covered in rotting fallen autumn leaves. This is a mind-blowingly slippery combination. The shorter cranks make it much harder to maintain traction when climbing in these circumstances. It's like with the shorter cranks you get a power-pulse to the rear wheel that is shorter in duration and so breaks the rear tyre loose easier.
One final point: pedal strikes. This has got to be better with shorter cranks, but I seldom get a pedal strike with 175mm cranks, so I can't say its of much benefit to how I ride.
I did not think I'd notice such a dramatic difference between the two cranks lengths, but now that I'm back riding the 175mm Trance I can conclusively say that for me the 170mm cranks suck.
Background:
I have two 2020 Trance 29ers, one here and one in Germany. The components and frame materials are different between the two but the bike setup is almost identical (seat height, reach, handlebar width, stem length, etc.).
The German bike has 170mm cranks and all of my other bikes have 175mm cranks. Riding the German bike for the last 5 or so weeks has led me to the conclusion that (for me at least) I prefer the 175mm for all the riding I do.
Before running this experiment, I thought that the shorter cranks would be better for spinning along on flat and undulating terrain and that they would be terrible on long big climbs. I was wrong. The shorter (170mm cranks) when spinning along on long rides (eg >50km) on gravel and undulating felt like harder work. Conversely, I didn't notice any disadvantage in the shorter cranks for steeper, longer climbs.
Where the shorter cranks were terrible was when the climbs got super-steep, slippery or technical. I could really notice both the lack of leverage and the lack of control. The longer cranks let me put the power down in a smoother way and more of it. When I needed to punch up a big rock ledge I kept having the experience of coming up short and it's a weird feeling. Because the bikes are so similar, your mind expects it to behave the same way, so for the dynamic moves all the muscle memory comes into play, you execute the move and then you get this WTF? moment when it doesn't end as planned.
Riding at this time of year in Germany involves wet roots covered in rotting fallen autumn leaves. This is a mind-blowingly slippery combination. The shorter cranks make it much harder to maintain traction when climbing in these circumstances. It's like with the shorter cranks you get a power-pulse to the rear wheel that is shorter in duration and so breaks the rear tyre loose easier.
One final point: pedal strikes. This has got to be better with shorter cranks, but I seldom get a pedal strike with 175mm cranks, so I can't say its of much benefit to how I ride.
I did not think I'd notice such a dramatic difference between the two cranks lengths, but now that I'm back riding the 175mm Trance I can conclusively say that for me the 170mm cranks suck.
