In a message dated 1/14/03 2:30:15 PM Eastern Standard Time,
NortonMarg@aol.com writes:
>
> Hi Larry,
> I will beg to differ and you can buy me a beer. I borrowed a pair of 180
> road
> cranks (Campy) from a friend and rode them for a while. I'd been riding
> 177.5s and felt I wanted "a little extra". Well, they felt fine for about a
>
> week....and THEN? All I could feel was that I was pedaling squares. Off
> they
> came and the sweet 177.5s went back on. I ride 175 as my main length, and
> can
> go 2.5mm in either direction and not have it bother me. If I go 5mm, I
> notice
> it and don't like it.
> Another story: When I bought my first 175 crank from Sugden and Lynch
> Bicycles in Menlo Park (early 70s), Nick sold me a right side Zeus. He
> didn't
> have a left, so he sold me something that had been laying around for a
> while.
> A 177.5 Campy left arm. He said I wouldn't notice it. It was ok while the
> power of suggestion was working, but after 2 weeks, I went back and bought
> the matching Campy 177.5 right side.
> I think a big factor in whether or not someone can notice the difference is
>
> in how much they are riding. If you're riding 20 miles a week and never did
>
> much more than that, you MAY not notice. On the other hand, I have always
> had
> a "princess and the pea" sensitivity to subtle nuances. It's a blessing or
> a
> curse, depending on how you view it.
> As far as telling 170s from 175s? Piece of cake.
> StevanThomas
> Alameda, CA
>
>
This one will have to be Dutch Treat. Not entrapment here nor a trick - meant just hopping on and noticing.
You and couldn't tell, right? In the longrun - few days'worth of pedaling, sure thing- we know what works best and sure, I'd not go with the longer track cranks on the slopes,rollers,etc. too much leg movement and as I said, who needs leverage when it gan be regained through gear development. The silly millimeters make a diff on the craters when coasting the straightkickers are not an option - and neither is the ride line in a scratch event .
Otherwise I'd make life and crank replacement easy by uing the universal fall-back- the 170. If this thread gets way intoit, someone will bring upthe 'scientific' article from bike World many moons ago that would suggest we be riding cranks from 170 to 225.
rubber-legged youngsters might make thgos work but leg extension differentials like that take tolls on the aging
Larry Black
Cranktown, Md
http://www.bike123.com