19mm vs. 22mm spindle

Bigger, stronger and lighter. 19 just doesn't cut it for me.

I noticed little to no flew on my thunderbolts (22mm) vs my old 19mm profiles

I noticed a difference when I switched to 22mm cranks but I'm not sure if it was just in my head knowing I was now running a thicker spindle.

22mm is all around better as it gives more surface area for crank arm/spindle interface as well as welding on the spindle boss to the arm. Bad tolerances will always flex no matter the spindle size though.

I call bullshit on all of this ....your feet touch a pedal.....not a spindle, I've rode 19 and now 24..... As a rider with a sane mind, you feel connect with your pedals not your spindle ...... I've
Rode 19,22, now 24 ....they all feel the same , if you want to argue that , your probably insane

Says the guy who'd rather ride Powerbites over Thunderbolts... Cuckoo!

I didn't notice a difference when I switched. It's a matter of preference, I guess. I'm a thin guy, but I've twisted 19mm Primo, Profile and wethepeople spindles in the past. I've been riding Éclat Onyx's (which have a 22mm) for 2 years now with no signs of the spindle tweaking. I liked them so much I bought a full back up set! Still haven't put it to use.

eskimojay wrote:

I call bullshit on all of this ....your feet touch a pedal.....not a spindle, I've rode 19 and now 24..... As a rider with a ...more

eskimojay wrote:

I call bullshit on all of this ....your feet touch a pedal.....not a spindle, I've rode 19 and now 24..... As a rider with a sane mind, you feel connect with your pedals not your spindle ...... I've
Rode 19,22, now 24 ....they all feel the same , if you want to argue that , your probably insane

...more

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because that's what I'm holding.

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because ...more

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because that's what I'm holding.

...more

no its not, its like saying you can feel the difference between running a 10mm female axle and a 14mm female axle. Theres nothing apart from breaking that would make them FEEL any different

eskimojay wrote:

I call bullshit on all of this ....your feet touch a pedal.....not a spindle, I've rode 19 and now 24..... As a rider with a ...more

eskimojay wrote:

I call bullshit on all of this ....your feet touch a pedal.....not a spindle, I've rode 19 and now 24..... As a rider with a sane mind, you feel connect with your pedals not your spindle ...... I've
Rode 19,22, now 24 ....they all feel the same , if you want to argue that , your probably insane

...more

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because ...more

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because that's what I'm holding.

...more

EddiMundo wrote:

no its not, its like saying you can feel the difference between running a 10mm female axle and a 14mm female axle. Theres ...more

EddiMundo wrote:

no its not, its like saying you can feel the difference between running a 10mm female axle and a 14mm female axle. Theres nothing apart from breaking that would make them FEEL any different

...more

Get two bricks, put a 2x4 across them and walk across. Then take a 4x4 and do the same. Then tell me you can't "feel" a difference. There's a reason everyone is making bigger spindles now.

eskimojay wrote:

I call bullshit on all of this ....your feet touch a pedal.....not a spindle, I've rode 19 and now 24..... As a rider with a ...more

eskimojay wrote:

I call bullshit on all of this ....your feet touch a pedal.....not a spindle, I've rode 19 and now 24..... As a rider with a sane mind, you feel connect with your pedals not your spindle ...... I've
Rode 19,22, now 24 ....they all feel the same , if you want to argue that , your probably insane

...more

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because ...more

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because that's what I'm holding.

...more

EddiMundo wrote:

no its not, its like saying you can feel the difference between running a 10mm female axle and a 14mm female axle. Theres ...more

EddiMundo wrote:

no its not, its like saying you can feel the difference between running a 10mm female axle and a 14mm female axle. Theres nothing apart from breaking that would make them FEEL any different

...more

i go with this one... i havent noticed a difference in feel. its probably like a knowing so you feel type of thign

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because ...more

jamiespadina wrote:

You dumbass, that's like saying my shitty old colony bullbars don't have any bend to them at all. It's the grips because that's what I'm holding.

...more

EddiMundo wrote:

no its not, its like saying you can feel the difference between running a 10mm female axle and a 14mm female axle. Theres ...more

EddiMundo wrote:

no its not, its like saying you can feel the difference between running a 10mm female axle and a 14mm female axle. Theres nothing apart from breaking that would make them FEEL any different

...more

Ricked_Em wrote:

Get two bricks, put a 2x4 across them and walk across. Then take a 4x4 and do the same. Then tell me you can't "feel" a ...more

Ricked_Em wrote:

Get two bricks, put a 2x4 across them and walk across. Then take a 4x4 and do the same. Then tell me you can't "feel" a difference. There's a reason everyone is making bigger spindles now.

...more

The strength difference between a 2x4 compared to a 4x4 is not at all comparable to a 19mm vs 22mm spindle. They do not ride any different until the point of yield (breaking). In everyday riding you will not feel any difference.

^ that

So many retarded kids on here

I bet most of these delusional dumbasses that think there's a difference in feeling of a part they don't even physically touch couldn't even snap a 19 mm spindle

eskimojay wrote:

^ that

So many retarded kids on here

I bet most of these delusional dumbasses that think there's a difference in feeling ...more

eskimojay wrote:

^ that

So many retarded kids on here

I bet most of these delusional dumbasses that think there's a difference in feeling of a part they don't even physically touch couldn't even snap a 19 mm spindle

...more

I've snapped one, I've ridden both, not saying it flexs all the time but there are times that you can feel it flex. To say something never moves or bends before it breaks is just retarded.

bobPA wrote:

The strength difference between a 2x4 compared to a 4x4 is not at all comparable to a 19mm vs 22mm spindle. They do not ride ...more

bobPA wrote:

The strength difference between a 2x4 compared to a 4x4 is not at all comparable to a 19mm vs 22mm spindle. They do not ride any different until the point of yield (breaking). In everyday riding you will not feel any difference.

...more

Okay here is a better comparison then.
Get two different sized welding wire of the same material in different sizes E.g. 0.03" stainless and 0.025" and bend both of them in your hand. If you have hands you will be able to notice a difference between the two sizes

wow, this is a good thread. what a fun argument.

they feel the same in terms of rider position. if you draw a line through the center of the spindle to the center of the pedals, they're in the same place. rider position would be affected by frame geometry, crank arm length, and pedal profile.

they feel different in terms of stiffness. you can feel 19mm cranks flex a little bit more than 22mm. extra material means more stiffness, less flex. the flex factor is minimal, and tolerances are also a factor.

the real benefit of 19mm cranks is that replacement parts (like BB bearings) are easy to find and dirt cheap. the benefit of 22mm cranks is that they last longer in the first place.

Please also remember if we are talking spline style cranks, a bigger surface area woll take stresses more evenly on the teeth, ive personally twisted 19mm profiles, my tibias refuse to die.

jamiespadina wrote:

Okay here is a better comparison then.
Get two different sized welding wire of the same material in different sizes E.g. ...more

jamiespadina wrote:

Okay here is a better comparison then.
Get two different sized welding wire of the same material in different sizes E.g. 0.03" stainless and 0.025" and bend both of them in your hand. If you have hands you will be able to notice a difference between the two sizes

...more

I understand the concept. But what I am trying to explain that to actually feel something flex or feel a difference in spindles you would have to push the spindle to the point of bending/flexing....which I highly doubt any of us do. The crank arm is much more likely to flex than a spindle, and is probably what you guys are feeling (although I think it is all in your head).

A descent amount of polaris utility Atv axles are 3/4" aka 19.05 mm and they hold up.

Ricked_EM please show me a spindle that you broke. I have a hard time believing that.

ive been wondering why 19mm still exists its worthless

22mm for life main lol

bobPA wrote:

I understand the concept. But what I am trying to explain that to actually feel something flex or feel a difference in ...more

bobPA wrote:

I understand the concept. But what I am trying to explain that to actually feel something flex or feel a difference in spindles you would have to push the spindle to the point of bending/flexing....which I highly doubt any of us do. The crank arm is much more likely to flex than a spindle, and is probably what you guys are feeling (although I think it is all in your head).

A descent amount of polaris utility Atv axles are 3/4" aka 19.05 mm and they hold up.

Ricked_EM please show me a spindle that you broke. I have a hard time believing that.

...more

This pretty much.
Like I said in a post above, when I switched to 22mm from 19mm, I didn't notice anything besides what I figured was in my head.

Kinda somewhat like the placebo effect. If you're given a random bike to ride and have no idea what size the spindle is, there is probably a near impossible chance that you'll figure out what size it is just by riding it. If you're told it's 19mm though and you prefer 22mm for strength, then you might claim it feels weaker, only to find out it's actually in your head because it's really 22mm.

Just a random thought I had.






I would also like to see a pic, not cause I don't believe him though, just cause it's interesting seeing stuff like that. My friend bent the fuck out of an 8 spline 19mm spindle, shit was so twisted he could almost switch one of the crank arms to a different position on the splines and it would be straight again haha.

Let me check at my parents house this weekend when I'm back in town. It happened in like 2007 on my old fbm outsider frame. I believe I still have it there.

I too believe this a myth, only because your crank arms flex way more than your spindle does. Tubular chromoly cranks for example, (Profile) Flex more than tapered or rectangular chromoly does. (FLY, Fiend) And solid Aluminum cranks have even less flex, (Powerbites). I've ridden all three styles, currently running Profiles W/ 19mm. The spindle flexing seems more or less irrelevant.

I rode my friends sunday with Thunderbolts (22s) and I could feel a difference, the 22s didn't flex when pedaling. you could get the bike up to speed for a short-run gap easier and faster. it felt like it was more solid all around, but especially when pedaling hard. I want something with 2.5 type design, so Im looking at the Colony 22s and the Kink Pillars. anyone with experience with those cranks?

armageddon wrote:

I rode my friends sunday with Thunderbolts (22s) and I could feel a difference, the 22s didn't flex when pedaling. you could ...more

armageddon wrote:

I rode my friends sunday with Thunderbolts (22s) and I could feel a difference, the 22s didn't flex when pedaling. you could get the bike up to speed for a short-run gap easier and faster. it felt like it was more solid all around, but especially when pedaling hard. I want something with 2.5 type design, so Im looking at the Colony 22s and the Kink Pillars. anyone with experience with those cranks?

...more

again, the difference you feel isnt likely to be from the spindle, mire likely from the way the crank arms are designed etc

Spindle size has nothing to do with getting up to speed and acceleration that's all gear ratio and crank arm length

Common sense isn't so common around here these days I see

eskimojay wrote:

Spindle size has nothing to do with getting up to speed and acceleration that's all gear ratio and crank arm length

Common ...more

eskimojay wrote:

Spindle size has nothing to do with getting up to speed and acceleration that's all gear ratio and crank arm length

Common sense isn't so common around here these days I see

...more

There is no such thing as common sense, whatsoever, nowadays. My grandpa found that out back in 1952 and would tell me everytime I saw him. He also knew that a 22mm spindle will most likely get you laid. By 2 chicks. Simultaneously. On a Wednesday!!!!