Originally Posted by
alcjphil
I am sorry, I almost always totally agree with anything you say but this time I didn't get the point of what you wanted to say. Are you able to explain in more detail? Please?
Sorry for my lack of better description. MtB cranks generally have wider "Q" dimensions that road cranks of the same ring counts. So a rider who is of narrow hips/"Q" preference can find the wider spread of a MtB crank to be too much for comfy pedaling. As the trend of bike design has changed over the years the "Q" has increased bit by bit and now can be far wider than my hips/knees like. This is the prime reason why I'll not own a Fat Tired bike.
The increase of "Q" is driven by a few factors. Frame design being #1. The, questionable, goal of massive stiffness and or suspension (note the ironic here) along with material considerations has seen the clearance between cranks/rings and stays become challenging. Add in really wide tires and the resulting cog set shift further from the centerline and more "Q" is had.
I admit that I am bound to a fit and riding style that is not the current fashion. I am ok with the fact that how I want to set up a bike is being left behind by the industry. Not happy but accept it. Just like the triple crank (or even double) are being dropped by many brands and the lack of making the older replacement rings and such.
So write off my poor previous post to ranting, like this one. Andy