When riding the Tour de France. Bikes have long cranks. BMX racing in the Olympics have long cranks. Why? Because pedaling is the most important part.

But in general riding of trails and such. I don’t reach those speeds and don’t care to.

Thus shorter cranks. BMX has been doing this in freestyle for years as it helps spinning faster and efficient.

A lot of free riders have adopted this idea. Even not spinning. It allows for more control. Your feet are closer to the bottom bracket where all of your suspension activity is happening. Even in a hardtail the inertia is centered around the bottom bracket. Going into corners you will have more connection to your bike giving more ability to add pressure for traction or unweight on a technical section. If you’re looking for a more solid cockpit this is a great move in my opinion. You can also support the site by purchasing anything with this link here (mtb) or here (BMX)

As an everyday rider I hope my personal experience will help you with a purchase or make your ride better. Thanks for reading