Greg,
Regarding crank length, please allow me to reply. I'm short also; 5' 5 1/2" with a 29" inseam. I ride frames 48 to 53 cm c-t (can be 650c wheels if under 50 cm frame) as a rule. I normally choose 167.5mm cranks for road bikes. I also have lots of 165mm and a few 170mm cranks. I would suggest 167.5mm for the wife. Also at that size a traditional road bike design on 650c wheels would be ideal for her as well. Tremendous advantage in stand over height, foot clearance, and lower center of gravity all in a bike that is porportional to the rider. Honestly, I don't notice the differance between the crank lengths I use, but my knees may notice it as I get older.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
>
> > From: Mark Bulgier <mark@bulgier.net>
> > To: Bike Bike List <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> > Subject: RE: [CR]It's a Personal thing! Crank length/Vintage Bicycle Quart
> > erly
> > Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 18:28:23 -0700
> >
> > Chuck Schmidt wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm the opposite: I ride 165, 170, 172.5 and 175 mm cranks on my
> > > different bikes and it's all good!
> >
>
> To which Mark added:
>
> > Yeah, my comfort range is from 165 to 185. The extremes take a while (part
> > of a ride) to get used to, then I do fine, no blown knees. I suspect I
> > could like cranks beyond that range but haven't tried any.
> >
> > Mark Bulgier
> > Seattle, Wa
> > USA
> >
> >
>
> Mark:
>
> Wow! That's quite a range. I suspect you are more versatile/skilled than most
> folks. Clearly this is a "personal preference" sort of thing, as we've seen
> from all of the other posts in this thread, but my guess is that most riders
> have a typical range of about +/-5mm from their "favorite" crank length, like
> Chuck's comments might suggest.
>
> At 6'2" with a 34" inseam, I typically ride a 60-cm frame (c-t) with 165-170
> on the track and 172.5 or 175 on the road. I prefer the 175s on the road.
>
> My wife, at 5'2" with a 30" inseam, rides 49-cm frames with 170s exclusively
> on the road (she doesn't have a track bike, but I would probably set her up
> with 165s if she did). I suspect she is just so used to the 170s that whether
> or not to try 165s is kind of moot for her. As far as I know, she has never
> ridden any other length!
>
> Chuck and Mark, what crank length do you prefer on your road bikes?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Greg Parker
> A2 MI USA