Crank length is one of the key factors influencing the comfort and efficiency of a road bike. The right length allows you to make the most of your pedalling power and avoid unnecessary stress on your joints. Recently, professional riders are starting to revert back to shorter cranks. In combination with single chainrings, this can also be a great aerodynamic advantage.
Types of cranks
Cranks lengths of 160, 165, 167.5, 170, 172.5 and 175 mm are available as standard. Within the cranksets, Shimano, Sram and Campagnolo are the most commonly fitted brands. But you can also find Vision, Rotor, Specialized, FSA, 3T and many other crankset brands on the market.
Standard cranks lengths
165 mm
170 mm
172,5 mm
175 mm
What length of handles will be suitable for me?
Advantages of shorter handles
less hip flexion
more open hip angle
keeping high cadence
better aerodynamics
More recently, experimentation with crank length has begun, especially in triathletes, where there was a need to provide a less acute angle at the hips in a longer duration aerodynamic position, thus saving the joint apparatus for the run. In testing, it was found that the length of the cranks did not have a significant effect on the force transmitted to the pedals. At the same time, shorter cranks allow higher cadence to be maintained and have lower aerodynamic drag.
To determine the ideal crank length, we recommend using bikefitting companies that allow you to try different lengths with a dip in pedaling effort. I’m sure it will pay off!
If you do decide to try to determine the correct length of the handles at home, then several different methods are recommended.
Martin & Spirduso, 2001
The length of the handles should be 20% of the length from the ground to the crotch, or also 41% of the length of the tibia.
Graham Obree
This innovator multiplied the height x 0.95. The resulting value should correspond to the length of the handles in mm.
However, these earlier methods do not support the modern idea of shorter handle lengths.