How do I know what crankset I need?

Cranks come in a range of sizes, most commonly from 165mm to 190mm, and ideal crank length is often determined by three factors: your height, your cycling discipline and your personal preferences. If you change your crank length, it will change how it feels to pedal your bike, and it may change your fit on your bike.

How important is a crankset?

Cranks are one of the most important parts of your bike, allowing you to convert the power produced by your legs into rotational motion that drives the bicycle forward. Cranks come in a range of lengths, like handlebars and saddles, so knowing what crank length is right for you can be a bit of a minefield.

What difference does a crankset make?

Longer cranks provide greater mechanical advantage, and therefore they allow you to push harder gears than shorter cranks. Shorter cranks allow for higher rotational speed, and therefore they allow you to spin your legs at higher RPM than longer cranks.

What is included in a crankset?

The crankset, also called the chainset, consists of crank arms, bottom bracket, and chainrings. Cranksets come in three main formats, single, double, and triple. The introduction of huge rear cassettes in recent years has improved the viability of single chain rings.

Can I replace crankset on bike?

Cranks may be removed to replace cranks or chainrings, service the bottom bracket bearings, or to clean the chainrings. To know the service options you will need to know the type of crank and type of bottom bracket bearing system installed in the bicycle.

Can I put a road crankset on a mountain bike?

The condensed answer is: Mountain bike frames aren’t designed for road cranks. The chainstays are wide to accommodate fatter tires and often create clearance issues.

Why do people change crankset?

Upgrading your crankset typically means shedding grams, improving stiffness, and often getting much better craftsmanship and materials. Usually resulting in improved performance both under load and not under load.

Do cranksets go bad?

A crank — axle, bearing, cups, and arms — will last decades and 10s of thousands of miles if the bearings are not somehow damaged and the crank arms are not allowed to loosen.