Originally Posted by Nyah

This question is in regards to conventional crank design. I don't ride bicycles regularly anymore and have not done much distance cycling. The most recent cycling trip of considerable distance that I took was somewhere around 52 miles total over two days. Afterwards, I could feel that my right leg was considerably more fatigued than my left. I narrowed the cause of this discrepancy down to the fact that the crank arm of the right side of the bike has a bar (or pin) that drives the spider/chainring. I would like to know if this phenomena has a name or, if this bar/pin crank design has a name or, if there are any alternative crank designs which attempt to spread the driving force evenly between both of the rider's legs. Thanks!

Edit: The bike is a Trek 520 touring bike, which I bought new from a bike shop. The frame size is appropriate for my physiology.