I'm watching the crank-length debate with amusement. Short cranks are the next big thing. Long crank never really caught on but I dove deep into that about 20 years ago. I was mostly riding road at the time. I noticed that one big mountain climbs I was going up quicker on 180mm cranks and even still have some 185mm cranks hanging in the basement. I still 180mm cranks on all my road bikes/commuting and cross bikes but honestly would probably be happier on 175mm just because 98% of my riding is on my mountain or fat bike which were 175mm until 170mm seemed to become mountain standard. Now when I jump on my road and commuter after riding around on 170mm all the time it feels like I'm out of shape. What I've decided is you will condition your legs to the length you ride the most. I noticed a little loss of climbing prowess when I first got 170mm cranks but now it really doesn't bother me and the bit of extra clearance is good. Being 6'3" though 170-175 seems about right for me anyway.
Jan. 20, 2023, 8:31 p.m. - cyclotoine
I'm watching the crank-length debate with amusement. Short cranks are the next big thing. Long crank never really caught on but I dove deep into that about 20 years ago. I was mostly riding road at the time. I noticed that one big mountain climbs I was going up quicker on 180mm cranks and even still have some 185mm cranks hanging in the basement. I still 180mm cranks on all my road bikes/commuting and cross bikes but honestly would probably be happier on 175mm just because 98% of my riding is on my mountain or fat bike which were 175mm until 170mm seemed to become mountain standard. Now when I jump on my road and commuter after riding around on 170mm all the time it feels like I'm out of shape. What I've decided is you will condition your legs to the length you ride the most. I noticed a little loss of climbing prowess when I first got 170mm cranks but now it really doesn't bother me and the bit of extra clearance is good. Being 6'3" though 170-175 seems about right for me anyway.