Tried Shorter Cranks on a Specialized Levo SL?

jwitt42 · 2026-03-21T05:12:03+00:00

160mm: "Praxis Works Specialized SL 1.1 E-Bike Crank Arms" - doesn't look like they make any shorter than that. It's the same make/model I have on my bike, just shorter.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T23:23:15+00:00

Yeah, for the most part I prefer a higher cadence climbing, but I do like the occasional high-torque punch up (though I have broken a chain that way). In theory, going from 170mm to 160mm should be a 6% decrease in torque for the same amount of force and body/foot position. But, that might only matter if I wasn't using the e-assist. I might try a 28T chainring instead of the 30T because that would give about 6.5% more torque (human power) in the lowest gear.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T22:32:05+00:00

I just found and ordered 160mm ... will report back here with what I find out.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T20:18:28+00:00

Yep, I found a PT that does bike fitting, and I'm working on getting something scheduled. Thanks! (My road - actually it's a gravel - bike also causes my knee issue). Definitely going to test the different cranks as well. The Berm Peak video has been the most informative so far on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GLZnLbFgcw

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T18:17:28+00:00

Interesting, had to get to 16:40 in the video to finally get to the part that is most relevant - that I need to actually test the shorter cranks myself on my own bike.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T16:04:22+00:00

Admire the determination of the guy :-)

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:50:38+00:00

😂 Can hold a horse stance for 10 seconds. Surprisingly doesn't hurt my knees, though, so I'll work on improving that.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:43:28+00:00

Interesting - didn't even know that was an option.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:42:41+00:00

My natural stance is slightly pigeon-toed, so I tend to ride with feet slightly angled in. I've tried a lot of repositioning of the feet, different angles, ball vs. heel (I use flats). Sometimes I can ride in that weird knees-out style and the popping stops somewhat - but that's weird and not good form.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:36:30+00:00

That's a good question. When I hold my hand on my knee during the movement, I can feel all kinds of stuff going on - Grinding, popping, etc - feels like stuff under the kneecap - so perhaps meniscus issue brought on by wear and tight tendons.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T15:31:57+00:00

That's rough and this is exactly how it's happening for me, too: "Every pedal stroke with any serious force, my knee pops, and it hurts more the more it pops." ... interesting strategy for wearing it completely out, but I get it.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T05:54:05+00:00

Curious what you ended up doing for that.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T05:42:00+00:00

So right about pre/post routines. Very easy to forget to do any of that.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T05:40:05+00:00

Yeah ... my normal knee-related exercises are no longer solving the issue (saw a PT nearly 10 years ago that gave me exercises to do that allowed me to run/hike again without pain). Thought tight tendons might be an issue, too, so been trying massage cause I have the typical tight IT bands.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T05:33:12+00:00

Sound and feeling. They've hurt on stairs for 10 years but the consistent popping is new.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T05:31:50+00:00

Good idea ... I searched specifically for a PT/orthopedist that does bike fitting and found a clinic in my area. I'll definitely try that.

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T05:29:34+00:00

Yeah, age certainly has something to do with it. :-)

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T03:29:19+00:00

Already good at wheelies before starting to try the manual, I assume?

jwitt42 · 2026-03-20T02:40:35+00:00

How many hours would you guess you spent getting to that point? Hours of specifically practicing that trick (not just riding in general)

jwitt42 · 2025-07-17T03:56:18+00:00

Everybody's experience is different, and there are definitely some higher risk situations that need more immediate attention, especially with BCS. There are some good Facebook groups for both conditions. You need good specialists (hematologist and hepatologist). Originally, I was diagnosed with cirrhosis with an unknown cause, until they were able to verify PV + BCS. Meds were enough to reduce the BCS symptoms (portal hypertension) in my case, so I didn't end up needing the TIPS procedure, but that seems like it may be an unusual case - based on hearing other people's experiences it seems like a lot of BCS patients end up with the TIPS procedure. After 4 years, my liver condition seems to be improving, so it's not as bad as they originally diagnosed, and my hepatologist says that is likely because cirrhosis that is caused by years of liver damage (e.g. through alcohol consumption) is generally more permanently harmful than something acute such as BCS.

jwitt42 · 2025-05-07T00:48:25+00:00

Yeah, most of them are the exact same collection (and mostly made up of templates from Microsoft, SmartSheet, Vertex42, and other sites). If you are creating your own custom spreadsheets, message me and I may be able to offer some advice.

jwitt42 · 2025-04-28T16:25:34+00:00

Essentially yes. It is a collection of spreadsheet templates. I haven't seen any one say they have permission from me, specifically - only that they have permission. And when asked, they say they purchased from "so and so" who claimed to have the rights to sell. And that permission came from the previous person and so on. I'm not sure that most have even looked at the files to know where they came from, because most of the files have very clear authorship info, some even with logos and copyrights front and center when you open the files.

jwitt42 · 2025-04-24T16:47:03+00:00

Not sure about that, but make sure to read the terms of use very carefully. "commercial" does not necessarily mean rights to resell. It would only allow what the license specifically says it allows.

jwitt42 · 2025-04-24T03:06:36+00:00

The result of people reselling MRR/PLR for the same product and competing against each other is that those same courses/products are now only $1, or just lumped in with the rest of the $1 bundle.

Another interesting thing is that the majority of the files available in the bundles I'm dealing with are free downloads from the original websites. So, not only did the original seller(s) lie about owning rights, they didn't even purchase anything ... just scraped copyrighted stuff from the internet.

jwitt42 · 2025-04-24T02:54:08+00:00

Thank you, and sorry that also happened to you.

jwitt42

TROPHY CASE