Below are just a few of the many dozens of comments I've received from
shorter riders after finally using cranks that fit them properly.
For some
reason, few short women are willing to try cranks shorter than 150mm, while taller men
often do. A local Gravel Road racer is 6'-2" and after much trial and
error finds he is fastest on 135s, despite having no Range of Motion or other
issues.
I just got this last week from Lindsay M., a Canadian bike racer who is 5'3" (160 cm) tall.
"Hi Mark,
I'm back for more short cranks! (Those 150's took 10% off my time
for a time trial up a local mountain road). Now I want some for my
track bike."
Hi Mark,
I wanted to thank you for the crank. I tested it out on a
100-mile organized ride yesterday and my average speed increased
greatly. My legs did not fatigue and my follow-up run was easy
and comfortable. I appreciate all your advice before sending it
out. I'll be sure to spread the word about your site.
Cheers,
Deborah Wing-Leonard (5'1" 150mm - Her fitter
had
told her she needed 160s)
Here's one from a woman 5'3" in Singapore after her 1st event on 150s.
Things certainly have got better for me!
Yesterday I won my category for the Putrajaya Ironman 70.3 so I have a
place at the Ironman 70.3 world championships in Mont Tremblant, Quebec
in September. It was a brutally hot race (over 90 degrees and no
shade), the bike course was quite hilly too and most people (including
myself) were about 20-30 minutes slower than usual for the same
distance. Lots of people dropped out with dehydration and/or heat
stroke. I had the fastest bike split even after having to stop because
my chain came off the cassette and got jammed.
I love my short cranks and I will
never go back to longer ones. I have had a few comments recently about
how 'smooth' I am on the bike - I always tell them that I am one of the
few small people who have cranks that are actually the right length for
me and that is the reason for the smoothness in pedal stroke!
I also have a few sponsors now - Maxxis tires being one of them, and my
blog www.ironmummy.com
gets quite a few visits (usually around 150 per
day).
Lovely to hear from you! Stay well!
Rowena
I purchased a 145 mm crank from Mark in December
2018 and I haven't look back since! I am 5 foot 1/2 inch (154cm) with
inseam of 67 cm or 26.4" (I have short legs and a long torso). Before
trying the short cranks, I was using a 165 mm crank that came with my
road bike. I was experiencing hip and knee pain, my legs were coming up
too high and I felt like I had a big deadspot in my pedal stroke.
Once I switched to 145 mm I could get more aero, climb faster, and my
pedal stroke feels super smooth! It it significantly more comfortable
for me as a petite rider. Mark was super easy to work with and provided
me with detailed responses to my questions and the crank that he sent
me looks impeccable and I've gotten lots of compliments on it. I will
only be using short cranks from now on!
Liz from Vancouver
As one 5'-2” (157.5cm) woman wrote after getting 150s
"So THIS is how a correct pedal stroke is
supposed to feel!" I
felt like I had power for the entire stroke instead of just
the bottom half. Riding the Texas hill country was interesting,
too. While others were mashing, I was able to spin up with a
fairly high cadence. Now on training rides I compete for hill sprints
instead of struggling to hang onto the back of the pack.
Truly, I've spent the greater part of ten years riding the standard
170mm cranks that came on my bikes. I didn't understand the impact that
it was having on my pedal stroke and hip angles. Consequently, I've had
two hip surgeries, both of which may be accredited to my crank lengths.
Please send me another set of 150mm Apex for my road bike.
Thanks again!
Carrie Barrett, Austin TX”
She must have impressed the people she rides with, because within a
month I sold 12 more sets of 150s to other women in the Austin area.
I got this from a woman 5'-3" after a few weeks on her new 150s.
“Hi Mark – I love them!!
I am leaving people standing, who I would struggle to keep up with
before, pulling our group for extended periods at over 37kmph (23mph)
with no trouble (I wouldn’t have dreamt I could do that before) and my
runs in my last two triathlons have been better than ever…. I won the
30-39 category in my last race and beat a woman who has always beaten
me in the past!
My seat is now higher, so I am more aero.
Also – extra bonus, my toes don’t catch on my front wheel when I turn
anymore – much less dangerous!
Thanks so much!”
The short cranks didn't make her faster. She was already fast, but her
165s wouldn't let her achieve her potential.
This from 5’1.5” Christine Sugiyama of Soba Japan.
“Wow! I don't think I can ever live with long
cranks again.
I was worried they might feel strange or hardly have any effect at all,
but I could clearly feel the difference at the first kilometer. They
felt natural - much more than the 170s. My hubby and I always ride the
same route, so I had a good basis of comparison. I'm a spinner, so my
cadence is usually between 90-100 and I prefer to spin in a lower gear.
Previously, I couldn't go past 105 rpm as my hips would rock badly.
This time, my hips were stable even at 105 rpm and they only started
rocking at a much higher cadence. I also noticed my speedometer was
consistently at least 3-5 kph higher than it usually was at similar
circumstances - for instance in any kind of wind. I hate wind as the
slightest breeze would drop my speed considerably. This time my speed
didn't drop quite as dramatically even with wind. The biggest
revelation, more than the speed, was comfort. I noticed my legs didn't
start burning up at the first sign of effort (which they did before),
and I beat my previous best time in better conditions (no wind),
in a fresher, less tired state! I sped past my hubby and reached our
destination a full minute ahead of him. When he arrived, he was
complaining about being very tired with achy legs, but frankly I felt
fresh as a daisy!
I feel like now I could work on the important aspects like smoothing my
pedal stroke without my cranks holding me back. Thank you so much for
the short cranks! They're an eye-opener. I'm 100% sure I will need them
for any bike I will buy in the future.”