Shimano M-440
175mm MTB crankarms
Shortened to 153mm
Or 170mm Shortened to 148mm

Return to Short Cranks Home Page

Do not send money, without
contacting me 1st to check on
current price and availability.
$97
Price includes:
 Arms, 22, 32 & 44t Chainrings
& all bolts, but not bottom
bracket spindle.
MN residents add 6.5% sales tax

If you send money through
PayPal, please send me an
email letting me know.

The Shimano M-440 are the only currently available MTB cranks that I know I can shorten. I believe they are out of production, but as of 8/28/07, I have a good supply on-hand.

These are the best of Shimano's non-HollowTech mountain bike cranks.

They are fairly basic, with a painted finish. Chainrings are steel, but are ramped and pinned so shift nicely.

Rings are spaced for Shimano's 9 speed indexed shifting. But work fine with 8 speed chain and non indexed front shifting.

With the small chainrings, these are particularly suited for bikes with large rear wheels. But about 20% have gone to trikers, with 20" rear wheels, who are realistic about their gearing needs.


With 22-32-44 Race Face Chainrings. Canadian made "Bike Bling" - jewelry with teeth.
$187
Details Here
Other sizes available

Silver arms are no longer available.
With 22-32-44 Race Face "Evolve" Chainrings
$160
Details Here

With 24-34-44 Rotor "Q" Rings
$300
Details Here
About the Shimano M-440 crankset
Weight; 865 grams after shortening. Replacing the steel middle and outer rings with aluminum reduces this by about 140 grams.

Q factor; 170mm with Shimano 110mm spindle. Good ankle clearance. BB spindle; Square taper. 110mm or 113mm spindles produce a chainline that works well with most front derailleurs. If you currently have a107 or 115mm, I recommend giving it a try. If it doesn't work you should be able to pick up the right one at most larger bike shops.

Bolt Circle Diameter (BCD) The middle and outer ring are 104mm BCD, inner is 64mm.

Aluminum 104mm BCD rings are available in 32, 34 and 36t (middle)
and 42, 44 and 46t (outer)
64mm BCD rings are available in 22, 24 & 26t.

How Safe Are Shortened Cranks?
"Safely" is a relative term. Modern cranks hopefully have a margin of safety to allow for the occasional 280 lb mountain biker. Shortening will obviously reduce this safety margin, as there will be less aluminum around the pedal hole than before. So, I only recommend using shortened cranks on recumbents.

Knee Savers should not be used with these cranks. They give increased leverage and may overstress the eye.

Back in the '70s and early '80s road cranks were often smaller around the pedal eye than is common today. Failures were rare, but not unheard of.
Click HERE for examples.
Return to Short Cranks Home Page