The new or replacement frame for Mr Tib had the standard Square Peg in Square Hole front crank configuration which is so prevalent in amateur or prête-à-faire cycling due to costs I assume. Such configurations are expected to last perhaps 10,000 miles until the edges of the pegs round off through use the edges of the holes (& vice versa) & one’s pedaling becomes slushy & ineffective; one loses a noticeable percentage of each stroke. It’s annoying & draws attention from the other functioning aspects of riding.
Other cranks, Racing cranks specifically, use as many as 30 pins to connect the crank arms together, virtually eliminating any Rounding Off; there are simply too many points of efficient contact for wear & tear to cause catastrophes. If 30 rowers are on the oars a sprained wrist is less likely to cause noticeable loss of speed.
So I got a SRAM crank with 3 more teeth (48!) than my old rounded-off crank & today was my first ride on it. I was initially fearful the new front to back ratio (48 front, 16 rear) wd make the hills which are unavoidable on my approach to & exit from the park debilitating if not impossible, but the extra bight taken on the links with each stroke made them yes more difficult but not horribly so. & the action is so much smoother & more integrated that even though I felt the extra fatigue in my legs the riding felt easier. On this initial run I could maintain 17 mph easier than before & bursts up to 20 seemed to take less effort.
I’ll need the off season to get my legs stronger but next season ought to be very good.
Ecbatan 