Road Cycling

[Vonhelmet]

I'm 5'7 and use 170mm cranks. And I mix metric and imperial.

 

[xdcx]

So is the average height for those that post in this thread like 4' or something?

I am 5ft 8"
GIANT.
172.5mm cranks, but they are being swapped out for 170's that I have sitting boxed waiting.
Also, I got a measuring thingy as we discussed the other day and my chest is 85cm since we were all chucking numbers about. I am a mountain of a man.

 

[Shamrock]

Pfft, real pros use the phantom aero bars like Sagan in the final 13km of Flanders!

Ok, interesting. I'm 5'4" (163cm to be exact) and running 170mm cranks. But if I do go into the drops, my knees are very close to my chest. My saddle height feels fine. It's something I'll need to look into, as I was going to buy some Rotor cranks in prep for a Power2Max.

I'm actually 5'4.5'' but I round up to appear more manly.

On my Cinelli road bike I'd say my knees get close to my chest when in the drops but as long as it's comfortable I don't think it's a problem? I'll look more closely next time I ride it.

 

[Jono]

Roady have a look at Endura Dexter gloves. I'm not sure if they're meant for MTB riding, but they're windproof and have nice gel pads in them, super comfy. Robust too. Both times I've fallen off (34mph on road) and about 20mph scraping along a forest floor... my hands have been relatively/completely unscathed.

 

[Roady]

I wanted to ask a general question in here, what length of cranks do people use vs their height? Especially aimed at Shamrock, as I know you're the same height as me.

Standard 172.5 here but although I'm not short/tall I do have quite short legs. I'm going to try shorter cranks to give me a little more room when in the drops (see above) but will do it as part of a Bike Fit at my LBS so their advice will totally determine the crank length. I don't mind being more spinny as I enjoy my cadence already!

Got a call from Thames Valley Police this morning after sending them footage. They're going to send the owner of the car an NIP so they can nominate the driver. He said he'd probably class it as careless driving rather than dangerous driving and a good chance they'd offer an awareness course instead of a prosecution. I guess that's something at least.

Great feedback and response! A NIP arriving is what most of these drivers need, unless there's other 'awareness' that I'm unaware of (luls)? So a scare like the NIP seems the only way. Waste of Police time but they don't seem to enforce much else.

 

[Bear]

Blimey, its like being in Lilliput in here. I never though being 5"10 would feel like being a giant.

 

[Roady]

I'm using the GripGrab Hurriance gloves. They are getting a bit warm now, but they are keeping the wind out. By warm, I mean my hands sweat a little bit when climbing, but it's not enough to be sticky or uncomfortable. I'm going to grab some of the ProGel ones for the summer.

I would but they're the thick end of the price I want to spend and I've never been overly taken by the looks/colour options of Gripgrabs (even though the pads are superb on my Progel). Although I've seen Fluo versions of them I'm not really buying them for commuting in so they're better suited red/white/blue/some-black.

Jono, I've tried the Dexter on previously (LBS) and they seemed quite thick, didn't think they would be a great glove for road riding with the ridges along the fingers and the extra 'bulk' on the fingers. I'm after something a little lighter than them.

The best thing I ever done with my bike was drop the bars as low as they would go and slightly raise my saddle. I thought I would need to be "more flexible" to ride like this but what I found was that it was just immediately more comfortable and I could put power down, spin higher RPM instantly all whilst being more aero. Pro Belgian stylee or in the drops, always!

I will try dropping my stem a little and see what that gives me, I'm at the top of my spacers at the moment so very easy option, thanks!

Are you keeping a log of what my weekly musings are covering? What have I missed or not covered recently?

Sportful will be the way I'm going, everything else of theirs I've ended up owning is superb, even with Castelli being my 'first' choice I think my next summer shorts will be Sportful to try the ProComfort/BodyFit seatpad.

I am 5ft 8"
GIANT.
172.5mm cranks, but they are being swapped out for 170's that I have sitting boxed waiting.
Also, I got a measuring thingy as we discussed the other day and my chest is 85cm since we were all chucking numbers about. I am a mountain of a man.

~95cm chest here! HULK!

Seems lots of you similar height to me with shorter cranks. Almost certain to try some now!

On my Cinelli road bike I'd say my knees get close to my chest when in the drops but as long as it's comfortable I don't think it's a problem? I'll look more closely next time I ride it.

My knees hit my sternum/chest with my hands in the drops with my elbows at anything less than a ~120 degree angle. I can't get near to 90 degree and still pedal!

 

[Lakeland]

I've decided to give in and change my chainset for a compact (from 53/39). Changing the rings was close to the cost of a whole chainset plus a BB so I just got the whole thing. Going to try 165mm crank arms to see if they're any more comfortable, I'm 6ft but have short legs so will see what happens, if all else fails I'll go back to 172.5mm arms.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Has anyone used Tweeks Cycles? I'm looking at which shop to use for picking up my bike on Cyclescheme, and I'm limited by which shops stock the bike I want, and then which actually have the thing in stock before next month... Tweeks have it in stock, from the look of things. Failing that I'll use Evans, who are fairly reliable in my experience, though I will have to wait until the end of the month to get it.

 

[One More Solo]

On the crank length front, 165mm on my track and TT bikes, 170mm on my road bike and commuter. I've never heard short cranks causing people issues other than feeling weird, whereas long ones do seem to cause hip/back issues in some people so I'd err on the side of caution. I'm 5'11"/178cm ish.

My wife runs 155mm cranks on her TT bike, they're teeny tiny!

Strava is going to become a very expensive addiction when I have to travel to Mallorca every couple of weeks to defend the OcUK Sa Calobra crown

worth it though


have fun when you're away. let me know if you have any questions about it.
There's a crazy amount of cyclists here. It's 6:45pm and already 162 people have uploaded a ride on that climb today!

Haha, not sure I can beat that time to be honest, that is good going. I'll give it a crack though.

If you have any recommended routes, cafe stops or places to go in Pollensa (cafes/bars/restaurants) I'm all ears. I'll mostly be riding with the missus but I've also got a pass to go out for a 100 miler at some point so any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[One More Solo]

Has anyone used Tweeks Cycles? I'm looking at which shop to use for picking up my bike on Cyclescheme, and I'm limited by which shops stock the bike I want, and then which actually have the thing in stock before next month... Tweeks have it in stock, from the look of things. Failing that I'll use Evans, who are fairly reliable in my experience, though I will have to wait until the end of the month to get it.

Had a few things from them in the past and always arrived quickly.

 

[madindehead]

On the crank length front, 165mm on my track and TT bikes, 170mm on my road bike and commuter. I've never heard short cranks causing people issues other than feeling weird, whereas long ones do seem to cause hip/back issues in some people so I'd err on the side of caution. I'm 5'11"/178cm ish.

My wife runs 155mm cranks on her TT bike, they're teeny tiny!

If I was going to change, it would be to 165mm cranks. Most likely. I need some way to test them without actually buying a set! But finding somewhere that sells Rotor cranks and has them in stock is impossible.

 

[Roady]

Wouldn't changing from 172.5 to 165 be quite a big change? Why not a 'middleground' between the two with something like 170?

I imagine losing 7.5cm off each of your crank lengths would do terrible things to your technique?! 120RPM everywhere! Or is it not like everything else (which we're meant to change slightly/gradually)?

EDIT: was manic in here earlier, now really quiet! *tumbleweeds*

 

[SoliD]

On the crank length front, 165mm on my track and TT bikes, 170mm on my road bike and commuter. I've never heard short cranks causing people issues other than feeling weird, whereas long ones do seem to cause hip/back issues in some people so I'd err on the side of caution. I'm 5'11"/178cm ish.

My wife runs 155mm cranks on her TT bike, they're teeny tiny!



Haha, not sure I can beat that time to be honest, that is good going. I'll give it a crack though.

If you have any recommended routes, cafe stops or places to go in Pollensa (cafes/bars/restaurants) I'm all ears. I'll mostly be riding with the missus but I've also got a pass to go out for a 100 miler at some point so any suggestions are appreciated.

Beware Pollensa is a bit of a building site at the moment.

 

[One More Solo]

Beware Pollensa is a bit of a building site at the moment.

Good news, I was worried I would miss all the building work in Manchester!

Wouldn't changing from 172.5 to 165 be quite a big change? Why not a 'middleground' between the two with something like 170?

I imagine losing 7.5cm off each of your crank lengths would do terrible things to your technique?! 120RPM everywhere! Or is it not like everything else (which we're meant to change slightly/gradually)?

EDIT: was manic in here earlier, now really quiet! *tumbleweeds*

It probably takes a couple of weeks to adapt to them, but assuming you put your saddle up by the same amount as your crank length reduces, it shouldn't be a huge change.

 

[Lethal`]

Noticed two small holes on my GP4000Sii tyre earlier and then noticed the other tyre has similar. Thought that was too coincidental so glad to read that they're tread wear indicators!

 

[UTmaniac]

Wouldn't changing from 172.5 to 165 be quite a big change? Why not a 'middleground' between the two with something like 170?

I imagine losing 7.5cm off each of your crank lengths would do terrible things to your technique?! 120RPM everywhere! Or is it not like everything else (which we're meant to change slightly/gradually)?

EDIT: was manic in here earlier, now really quiet! *tumbleweeds*

172.5 to 165 is only 7.5 millimetres, so on a complete rotation of the pedals, the vertical distance moved by each foot is 1.5 centimetres less.

 

[Saytan]

small changes can feel huge

I had 175s on one of my road bikes because cheap (I prefer 172.5), and changing to 172.5s was a revelation.

Saying that I still use 175 on my mountain bike. but that is a very different pedalling style

 

[madindehead]

Wouldn't changing from 172.5 to 165 be quite a big change? Why not a 'middleground' between the two with something like 170?

I imagine losing 7.5cm off each of your crank lengths would do terrible things to your technique?! 120RPM everywhere! Or is it not like everything else (which we're meant to change slightly/gradually)?

EDIT: was manic in here earlier, now really quiet! *tumbleweeds*

I'm on 170mm currently. So dropping to 165mm is the only option. Unless I'm mistaken, and someone else was thinking of dropping from 172.5mm to 165mm.

 

[Roady]

Noticed two small holes on my GP4000Sii tyre earlier and then noticed the other tyre has similar. Thought that was too coincidental so glad to read that they're tread wear indicators!

Yup! Noticed them too & googled the same on saturday!

172.5 to 165 is only 7.5 millimetres

Doh!

I'm on 170mm currently. So dropping to 165mm is the only option. Unless I'm mistaken, and someone else was thinking of dropping from 172.5mm to 165mm.

Ahh, I thought you'd said earlier you were on 172.5, sorry.

OMS, good point about saddle, might mean why I'd naturally got my saddle 2cm higher than I should have (doing things by feel) when trying to eliminate toe pain after changing saddle, cleats, shoes and pedals. Dropping from 172.5 to 170 I'd be able to add a weeny bit more height and at the same time be able to ride with my torso lower without knee/chest problems.