[unfriendlyGiant]

me too

Im 6' 5" and was wondering if switching for 175 to 180mm would be better for me for all mtn riding

I was pondering the same move...any inexpensive 180 cranks out there?

 

[thecrackerasscracker]

Im 6' 5" and was wondering if switching for 175 to 180mm would be better for me for all mtn riding

 

[thecrackerasscracker]

truvativ makes a stylo crankset
i found it ebay for 130 with shipping

 

[ImaKlyde]

FWIW, I've got 180 RaceFace (square tapers) on my SS. It's sort of an AM/light FR SS (sturdy, Z1 light, etc) and have had zero issues in two years.

Brock...

 

[bigjp]

I have a pair of the 2009 stylo cranks in 180mm, and absolutely love them I am 6'5" with a 36" pant inseam. I was surprised how much better the bike feels with the longer cranks, it just feels like I fit better, and my spin is much smother now. I also noticed I can pedal slower on the long high altitude grunt climbs, which helps keep me from going anarobic, and helps my lungs.

 

[anthony.delorenzo]

I run 180 - 190 mm cranks on my different bikes. At 6'6", I have found it makes a big difference. I even run 180's on the road bike.

180 mm Stylos are nice cranks, I rode the SS version for a year with no issues. But, if you want something beefier consider Profile Racing or any BMX crank. They will usually come in a variety of sizes, I have 182 mm and 190 mm Profiles. You can get them with a spider to run a double or triple chainring.

 

[beastwood9]

crankin

I run 180 - 190 mm cranks on my different bikes. At 6'6", I have found it makes a big difference. I even run 180's on the road bike.

180 mm Stylos are nice cranks, I rode the SS version for a year with no issues. But, if you want something beefier consider Profile Racing or any BMX crank. They will usually come in a variety of sizes, I have 182 mm and 190 mm Profiles. You can get them with a spider to run a double or triple chainring.

I suppose one advantage of longer cranks is being able to lower the seat, especially since a lot us 'run out of post' relative to handlebar height. Great thread!

 

[bigtymerider]

Custom Cranks

If you look online there are websites that tell you by your inseam what your crank length should be. you might be surprised that 180 will be considerably short, the guy building my bike is 6'4" and uses a 190 or 195 crank arm. If you look hard you can find them cheaper then Zinn, those prices are crazy. You also have to take into account ground clearance my ideal crank length is 230 that might be a little long at the bottom of my rotation and too close to the ground.

 

[V.I. Clyde]

Just received a 180mm XT Crankset from Chainreaction for about $155.00...

 

[siv]

Can someone explain to me how 5mm makes a difference? Im the tallest 6 footer in the world, long arms with a 34-35 inseam and tired of feeling like Im going over the bars without lowering the seat.

 

[scottzg]

Can someone explain to me how 5mm makes a difference? Im the tallest 6 footer in the world, long arms with a 34-35 inseam and tired of feeling like Im going over the bars without lowering the seat.

beats me, i have 180mm cranks on one bike and i doubt i'd notice if i hadn't been the one to put them on there. I've got a 36" inseam, so i should probably be on something even longer.

I guess you get to lower your seat 5mm... but really, you're lowering your seat half a centimeter, it doesn't make that much difference. Having the bars only an inch or two lower than the seat makes a big difference though. That means a stack of stem spacers and high-rise bars for me.

 

[thecrackerasscracker]

well i had to buy a new crank so i got a 180mm truvative stylo
ill see if it makes a difference

 

[iamandy]

If you look hard you can find them cheaper then Zinn, those prices are crazy.

Got any urls???

 

[ImaKlyde]

Here

Got any urls???

High Sierra

High Sierra makes the cranks Zinn sells on their sight. These are the *SAME* cranks just without the "Zinn" on them. They are not cheap cranks, but they are high quality and they are more than willing to talk to you about what they think about crank length for you on a specific bike.

These are good cranks and strong enough for hard riding clydes. I think there are options just as strong (and cheaper) in 180, but it's tough to beat them for cranks longer than that.

Brock...

 

[anthony.delorenzo]

Most good BMX cranks go up to 190 and are crazy strong. No need for customs unless you want to go beyond that.

 

[iamandy]

I don't know the weight of zinn/high sierra but they've got to be lighter than most of the bmx steel boat anchor cranks. right?

thanks for the link. I'd like to try a pair of 190s.

 

[keen]

6'4" and debated if I should go to 180's as I thought 5mm wasn't that big of a difference ??? I was wrong - really feels easier to make steep slow climbs. Almost makes me want to try a Zinn 185mm set.

 

[2 Bigsteve]

185 surleys

I went from 175 XTs to 185 Surleys and realy like it. I prefer to pedal at a slower cadence. I'm only 6'3" but at a current 275lbs I like the torque advantage when climbing.

 

[Tjaard]

Can someone explain to me how 5mm makes a difference? Im the tallest 6 footer in the world, long arms with a 34-35 inseam and tired of feeling like Im going over the bars without lowering the seat.

Don't know that the 5mm drop in seatheight would help with that.
For Going over the Bars:

-Raise your bars(find some high rise bars, max out the spacers and use a high rise stem
-Get a Gravity Dropper or other post with handlebar controlled dropping
-Get a shorter stem so you can get your weight further back
-Check that your fork is set-up properly: not too much rebound damping,not too much sag and maybe some compression damping if your fork has a platform system, to combat 'diving' of the fork.
-Check that your rear suspension is set up properly (if you have it), enouhg rebound, not too much platform compared to the fork.

Or just go back to the shop where you got it, tell them what's up and if they don't go through this stuff with you, find a new shop.

 

[BOAB]

I have to agree with the added torque for the longer crank, I noticed a difference when I switched to the 180 stylo's on my MC29. The more I can get my weight out from the center of the crank the more I can take advantage of my mass on climbs.