poopipe Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 I want more umph when I pedal up stuff. Ive got the standard 18 - 12 FFW thing with 165mm cranks on an 05 t-pro and it just doesn't feel like i can get enough power through my bike when im backwheeling stuff. 2 solutions occur immediately to me .. longer cranks or a different ratio (bigger freewheel or smaller rear cog). what do you lot reckon? will longer cranks help? if so, which ones? if not, can i get a bigger freewheel without getting an eno? or can i get a smaller rear cog? i dont really want to go rear freewheel because it'll cost a fortune and im only experimenting . ta :sleeping: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 It depends largely what you mean by more 'oomph'. Do you mean you want it harder to pedal so you can hack at it more, or do you want to just have more power available? If it's the former, I'd say get some 158mm's or something, but if it's the latter, really, really think about getting 175mm cranks. I had them on my T-Pro, and it just makes it ride so much more nicely. Static power moves are a load easier 'cos you get a LOT more power available to you (it feels like you've changed gear ratio, but you haven't, it's just that you've got more leverage, so you still have all the awesome powerfulness of 18:12 :sleeping:), and it just makes shit easier. Rolling gaps require better timing just because you'll spin out faster theoretically, but it's not hard to adjust to. But yeah, try and blag a cheap pair of 175mm's from someone just to try it out, and if you like it buy some decent, stiff cranks like the Tensiles, or whoever else does 175mm's. I've got the 175's on my Zip now and it's just awesome :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaRtZ Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 Yeah its about the type of moves you want. For pedal ups I think you want shorter cranks if I've read marks post right I love my tensiles :( I can gap about 6inches further now :sleeping: (every inch matters to a man) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aust Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 keep the gear you got..... get yourself on a cross counry bike.. so you get your leg muscles more powerful/sronger etc etc... that will help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 £55-100 for new cranks £250+ for an XC bike :sleeping: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkey Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 keep the gear you got..... get yourself on a cross counry bike.. so you get your leg muscles more powerful/sronger etc etc... that will help XC is endurance though, not one massive burst of power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 Word. Fast twitch/slow twitch difference again. Also, I found that I've become stronger through riding trials anyway, just 'cos it's a gradual change. You gradually build up trials-specific muscles as you ride, so by going bigger you'll become stronger anyway? It's just that longer cranks feel f**king awesome, so why should he buy an XC bike instead of them? :sleeping: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aust Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 XC is endurance though, not one massive burst of power. start at a stand still.... and then just peddle your bollocks off two minutes flat out up a hill.... ride slow again.. come to a stand still and do the same again.. not brain science... is certainly helped me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkey Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 start at a stand still.... and then just peddle your bollocks off two minutes flat out up a hill.... ride slow again.. come to a stand still and do the same again.. not brain science... is certainly helped me Still endurance, go to the gym, lift weights with the leggy machine things, do the most you can 5 times. That'll help more :sleeping: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 Actually, plyometric exercises would probably be better for you anyway, but why do focussed activity that'll really help when you cna do a load more shit that will be less useful for you :sleeping: Either way, longer cranks do feel nicer and give you an advantage, so why not use 'em... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIX Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 All of you go and read this: http://www.observedtrials.net/vb/showthread.php?t=15739 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 Yeah, was about to go scurry for that link, but then got distracted with Monster Pool-Side Sumo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopipe Posted October 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 as soon as people mention plionometricsercise (or whatever) my eyes glaze over and i go ride my bike i guess longer cranks win - I definitely want more leverage from static/slow starts. also throwing money at a problem until it goes away is a fairly standard way of dealing with things so who am i to argue?. i assume everybody will say tensiles if i ask which cranks to get a cheaper solution to the XC bike is to ride a mod 2 miles to work and back every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Try a 13T rear cog my mate had that with 165mm cranks and it rode better and seem to get more kick out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Thing is though Tom is that longer cranks make it feel like 18:13, but you have more power because you've got a "harder" ratio. So it works out better to get longer cranks. But yeah, Tensiles (Y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 (edited) I want more umph when I pedal up stuff. ...... 2 solutions occur immediately to me .. longer cranks or a different ratio (bigger freewheel or smaller rear cog). ....... ta :turned: Surely there is a contradiction here ??? are you saying you want a harder gear ? then its shorter cranks or . . . . . . .... Edited October 6, 2005 by manuel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkey Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Surely there is a contradiction here ??? are you saying you want a harder gear ? then its shorter cranks or . . . . . . .... Longer lever means less force for more work. So shorter means more force for less work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waynio Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 go at things faster and with less "worry" thats what i find helps alot more, you look at most 20" riders and they run the same gear as you. i looked at it this way approx 12months ago. me and akrigg have the same ratio yet he can pedal at things from a closer distance i looked and watched how he did it for ages and its purely the will to not give a crap about going fast at it and dont touch the brakes at all................. now i have found it has helped me so much you dont have to take this advice but i have also tried this with a mod bike and purely just go faster at it pedal harder and just let yourself go more and be more confident.. hope this helps. it may not but i can only advise you on what i have tried/done. Waynio........................... :turned: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Drewery Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 go at things faster and with less "worry" thats what i find helps alot more, you look at most 20" riders and they run the same gear as you. i looked at it this way approx 12months ago. me and akrigg have the same ratio yet he can pedal at things from a closer distance i looked and watched how he did it for ages and its purely the will to not give a crap about going fast at it and dont touch the brakes at all................. now i have found it has helped me so much you dont have to take this advice but i have also tried this with a mod bike and purely just go faster at it pedal harder and just let yourself go more and be more confident.. hope this helps. it may not but i can only advise you on what i have tried/done. Waynio........................... :) That makes sense, but getting the confidence when riding at a high wall is hard. Fair enough you can go for it but if you dont have the right confidence mindset then you will just slip to bashguard and get annoyed. I find concentrating hard on technique helps a lot for bigger moves. I just forget about failing and usually it works, but your bound to fail sometimes. I have never done plyometrics although at low points in my riding progress I am very tempted to try it to see of it helps me improve. I find just riding as often as I can helps me improve. :turned: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopipe Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 ok - ill apply some slightly larger and hairier balls to the situation first (mostly because its cheaper than new cranks) - the crank length thing.... correct me if i'm wrong but this is surely the way it works longer cranks = bigger lever = more output from less input. thus, i can make the wheel turn faster with the same amount of effort because i have more leverage to make it turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motivator Posted October 8, 2005 Report Share Posted October 8, 2005 Lower your rear tyre pressure (Y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave33 Posted October 9, 2005 Report Share Posted October 9, 2005 its all in the mind (Y) think it through and relax ur body and you will fly up stuff :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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