8/18/2015 8:42 PM
Edited Date/Time: 8/18/2015 9:07 PM
depends on your height really...
long legs (5ft/8 175mm+ will be good
short legs 5ft/5 or shorter 170s or 165s
I had terrible knee problems my legs would be killing me, in all the wrong areas after i was done riding when i had 175s, i talked to alot of diffrent people, and rode some bikes with 180mm cranks it wasn't till i rode a 170mm that i thought it got better. then I got some free cheapo 170mm cranks from mario off vital, and i rode those for a few months and my leg pains where allot less, I finally got chad to let me ride a bike that had 165s and it felt so much better. (Im 5ft 4.5") with decently short legs)) i liked it so much I got Profile GDH cranks in rhd 165mm. my balance feels better, my hops seem a bit higher, it's easier for me to get my leg across the top tube for foot jams, and I'm happy to say I have no more abnormal leg pains after riding for 5hrs+ I also should mention- I get to ride allot of cheapo bikes at work most mountain bikes feel okay because they have 170 or 165mm as stock. bmx bikes on the other hand tend to come stock with 175s, I'm immediately reminded every time i ride one just how HUGE a difference 10mm can make to how your bike feels, comfort is the most important thing you should have on your bike, if you're straining yourself to handle and control your bike, SOMETHING is the wrong size for your body. in High end road cycling- bikes are built custom to fit the rider and that's because they need to be able to perform at their maximum, they cannot do that if their bike is not fit and made properly to their bodies. the same general idea is true with bmx bikes. if their not within your comfort area for your body, you're going to have big problems. most riders tend to talk about bar size and perfect 25" bars and crap, well most bmxers are tall skinny mofos, and they do because if you scale it, to their body 175mm or 180mm are going to feel normal to their legs, but your factory 8" bar with a front load will feel small as hell., but to a shorter person that 8" front load will feel okayish. where those 175mm and 180mm cranks may feel too big. my advice is try 165s if you hate them you can always sell them on here, and get new ones in 170s or trade them. your bike should be comfortable to you. and you shouldn't let anybody tell you blah blah blah sucks get blah blah blah. if you think moving to 165mm cranks is the right move, DO it chances are it will be the right thing if you think it will be.
if you look at a chart for crank size v rider height, it'll say really the same thing.
(allot of people think this is racing only because of the 44t picture to the right, no this is an old picture danscomp made back when people used 44ts for street riding and stuff
