Kinesiological Approach to Finding your Optimal Crank Length
Rather than using anthropometric methods to determine optimal crank length, I would like to propose an easier method that involves just a little bit of self awareness. After spending nearly $1k just to experiment with a 165mm, 170mm and 172.5mm crank, crank length greatly affected my technique and even, post-ride recovery. Just to note, I ran a 53/39 and 11/23 cassette for all three lengths. 165mm At 165mm, I naturally gravitated towards higher RPM's. Since I was often 100rpm or higher, I always felt glued to the saddle. I could sustain more power during steady state efforts, experienced the lowest heart rate for the same power, and I experienced the smallest amount of DOMS at this length. I could definitely ride my fastest century at this crank length, and feel great the next day. However, the awesome steady state performance came at the expense of accelerations. Since anything lower than 100rpm felt like slow, pedal smashing, I could not get any meaningful power out of the