Aren\’t we cranky?

Cranky? Cycling generates endorphins; and endorphins generally put a body in a good mood.

So why be cranky? Or rather, crank-y? Well, we shouldn\’t ignore crankarm length entirely.

I had no idea that crank length is involved in how easy or hard a particular gear feels. Not being an engineer or bicycle mechanic, I never though about it. That\’s why I ask, Aren\’t we cranky? But tell me, is crank length involved in mechanical advantage?

My road bike\’s cranks seem to be the right length for me. At any rate, when I went for my professional fitting, the fitter didn\’t mention changing my cranks\’ length. Now I wonder whether changing my crank length might help me to improve my speed. Yeah, I know — I\’m looking for the lazy way!

Crank length isn\’t always directly related to the bicycle. Do you do off-bike step-up exercises? I read somewhere that you should use a box that\’s twice as high as your crankarm is long. For me, that should be 14 inches.

The only thing I have available is a 7-inch high aerobics stepper. Since it\’s all I have, that\’s what I use. Maybe someday I\’ll have something better. Until then, I\’ll have to hope that my riding generates enough endorphins to keep me from getting cranky.