Standard Road Bike Q Factor
Mountain bike cranks are typically about 20mm wider than road cranks.
Standard road bike q factor. Commonly referred to as q factor. I am currently running a standard 53 39 ultegra on my road bike however i find that i rarely use the higher gearing on the 53. Q factor is the distance between the outside face of your crankarms and spindle length the distance from the crankarms to the center of the pedal body fig. Stance width is a combination of two essential measurements.
It is generally considered a good idea to keep the tread fairly narrow. Confusingly also calling it osbb though it is a different standard to the osbb standard found on its road bike. Taking an unconventional approach to aerodynamics the one features the twin vane evo downtube at its core designed for aerodynamic efficiency and maximum frame stiffness. Mid season this year i changed from shimano duraace 7800 cranks to sram s975 cranks i noticed the q factor is a different between the two.
The tread or q factor of a crankset is the horizontal width of the cranks measured from where the pedals screw in. Proven on paper and the wind tunnel but most importantly on the road. The q in q factor relates to the waddling gait and wide stance of ducks. Although q factor has become a universally recognised measurement other people in the bike trade prefer to use a value for stance width which refers more directly to the distance.
Yes we are talking today about q factor and stance width. Bikefitjames from bicycle in richmond explains what q factor. Let s discuss a bike industry secret that might be the most important metric you never heard of. Q factor is a function of both the bottom bracket width axle length and the crank arms.
Factor s one goes beyond aerodynamics pushing boundaries as the fastest aero road bike ever. The road standard has an 86 5mm shell. Q factor is the horizontal distance between the inside points of the crank arms on your bike. Bottom brackets axles vary in length from 102mm to 127mm.
The q stands for quack a reference to the wide stance and waddling gait of ducks. Q factor and bike fit. The best pedal system for road cycling.