Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Perhaps the difference in our experiences is that I've been swapping back and forth between crank lengths regularly for ~15 years and have grown accustomed to both lengths. I don't remember if I noticed a difference on our first tandem ride.
I think it depends on the individual.
Like you I move between 170's (fixed gear) to 172.5 (regular single) to 175's (tandem) without noticing a difference.
OTOH, stoker *must* have 165's on her bikes. When we did a test ride on a tandem with 170's she experienced knee discomfort after 10 miles of flat riding.