Short Crank Arm Purchase Tips?

[whittierider]

Thanks for the tip. According to the website, the vendor usually recommends shortened cranks only for recumbents.

It's because of the possibility of less material around the threaded hole after shortening, and mentions the problem with heavier riders standing on the pedals.  If you're a lightweight rider, there's no concern.

[BrianW]

That doesn't seem right: are you sure you understood Mel at Tandems East correctly? The shorteners have several holes drilled at different lengths to allow for a child's growth (that's what they are usually used for on tandems). Indeed, the website says: "Shortens the crank length by 24mm, 41mm, 59mm & 76mm. Reduce cranks by 3” at the max." Just look at the pic on their website and you'll see what I mean.

Hi
I finally had a chance to call Tandems East today. I thought the reply would be of general interest to the list. According to the vendor, the way crank arm shorteners work is that they effectively cut the crank arm length in half. So if you have 175 mm crank arms now, the crank arm shorteners will produce a 87.5 mm crank arm. For my purposes, that is too low.
Thanks,
Neil

If you want to try shorter cranks without initially investing in new cranks, you could use crank shorteners that bolt onto your existing cranks. These are commonly used on tandems to allow shorter (child) stokers to pedal, but would also work for what you want. An additional benefit is they will allow you to try different lengths to see what works best for you.

See http://www.tandemseast.com/parts/cranks.html#Crank%20Shrotners

[NEIL FROM BROOKLINE]

I see what you are saying but what I quote below is what the gentleman (Mel?) said.

That doesn't seem right: are you sure you understood Mel at Tandems East correctly? The shorteners have several holes drilled at different lengths to allow for a child's growth (that's what they are usually used for on tandems). Indeed, the website says: "Shortens the crank length by 24mm, 41mm, 59mm & 76mm. Reduce cranks by 3” at the max." Just look at the pic on their website and you'll see what I mean.

Hi
I finally had a chance to call Tandems East today. I thought the reply would be of general interest to the list. According to the vendor, the way crank arm shorteners work is that they effectively cut the crank arm length in half. So if you have 175 mm crank arms now, the crank arm shorteners will produce a 87.5 mm crank arm. For my purposes, that is too low.
Thanks,
Neil

If you want to try shorter cranks without initially investing in new cranks, you could use crank shorteners that bolt onto your existing cranks. These are commonly used on tandems to allow shorter (child) stokers to pedal, but would also work for what you want. An additional benefit is they will allow you to try different lengths to see what works best for you.

See http://www.tandemseast.com/parts/cranks.html#Crank%20Shrotners