Originally Posted by
124Spider
Has anyone here tried much shorter cranks for a much shorter stoker, and, if so, did it help?
I'm 6' and beloved stoker is 5'. Can't remember exact leg lengths, but believe they fit within your 15% difference.
I use 175mm cranks on the tandem, and she has found she *must* have 165mm cranks on her bikes, including the tandem.
As a data point, we did a test ride on a stock tandem with 175mm/170mm cranks and she began experiencing knee pain within 10 miles of easy riding.
Getting her the correct crank length drove us to sourcing rather pricey Lightning cranks on our Machiatto, but they are worth every penny.