How Wide Are Your Bars?

[EricG]

While we digress, what length mtb cranks do others pedal? I went shorter thinking they would make uphill easier with the 1x11 but would prefer a little longer. The 30 tooth chairing seems about right.

Crank length is ‘mostly’ personal preference. In some cases depending on which bike (BB height/drop), riders leg length and whether the rider is a ‘pusher’ or ‘spinner’ a particular crank length could be beneficial. Most people are fine on a 172.5-175 crank.

When 27.5+ bike were getting popular some folks complained about excessive pedal strikes and needed to adjust their riding style and develop some flow. During this time some folks went to 165 cranks to bandaid they’re lack of technique. In 2015 I was getting a ton of requests for short cranks (160-167.5) from 27.5+ plus riders which we gladly produced. Later many of those riders went back to a 175 cranks again as they became better riders and no longer needed the handicap crank. Technique always first.

As for tooth count. That depends on your engine. Many people are happy on a 30-32 tooth chain ring with a 42, 44 or 46 in the rear.

 

[scott43]

Crank length is kinda voodoo. I generally ride whatever the bike comes with. But there are some who swear by 165's, 180's you name it. If you're very short or tall you might consider changing but for most, as EBG says, probably 170-175 will do the job just fine.