Shorter can be better...who knew?

When I first received my "Entry" level PowerCranks in the mail I couldn't help but wonder why someone would ever want to use a 90mm crank.  It just seemed odd.  Can you even pedal 90mm cranks?  I come from a generation of cyclists who grew up watching and then mimicking riders like Jan Ullrich and Miguel Indurain, who were famous for using long cranks to crush their competition.  In fact, Jan use to ride 177.5 cranks on the road and then would TT using 180 or 182.5 cranks!

A photo of Jan's cranks from the Tour

As a byproduct I have spent a majority of the past 15 years riding, racing, and training on longer-than-average cranks and have often road 177.5 cranks for TT'ing.  So, when I first installed my PowerCranks I ran through the length options (170, 150, 130, 110, and 90) and immediately selected the 170mm length as my starting point, because it felt like the familiar and easier thing to do.  I should note that I tend to be a stubborn person (just ask my wife) and while I had read Frank's posting on "The Importance of Experimenting with Crank Length" I hadn't really taken it fully to heart.

Frank Day's write-up on the value of experimenting with crank length

From there I spent my first ~6 weeks riding 170mm cranks never thinking about whether or not it would be easier or better to try something shorter.  As is normal for me, I just "pushed" through the adaption experience and continued to do my best to develop the strength and coordination that would allow me to pedal consistently for more than a few minutes at a time before I needed a mini-break to allow my hip flexors to recover.  Luckily for me I was able to trade a few emails with Frank and he encouraged me to try out a shorter length (150 or 130). 

With my biggest races of the year coming up rather quickly, and with my existing training and racing calendar limiting my PowerCrank time, I was more than willing to try anything that would help accelerate my adaption and muscle development.  On the eve of the Mt. Hood, for the first time in my life, and with a bit of skepticism, I moved down to 150mm for my tune-up ride.  The difference?  A night-and-day transition in the way I was able to consistently ride my PowerCranks.  Immediately I was able to control my pedal stroke and left/right coordination better, and I was able to ride for 20 to 30 minutes continuously without a break for muscle or brain-power recovery.  Plus, I was able to climb out of the saddle without an issue (albeit for 10 seconds at a time)!  

I don't feel like I can put as much "leverage" on each pedal stroke, but I am able to calm my stroke greatly and already feel like I'm improving my coordination beyond the benefits I was seeing at 170mm.  More to come soon, but I'm excited by the change and will be experimenting with 130mm during the weeks to come.