Downhill Cranks

Right, it's been a while but the weather's been good and I've been riding as much as poss.

Anyway back to business - CRANKS, what's hot and what's not.

There are loads of options when it comes to buying cranks for a downhill rig. My main priorities are the warranty - you want a lifetime warranty from a reputable company.

Next is length. Most people opt for the standard 175mm crank arm length but here's a wee trick for downhill - get 165mm cranks - they spin better, and as our sport is about sprinting and getting the speed up quickly, a 165mm crank accelerates faster as it requires less torque than a 175mm. It's not everyone's cup of tea but it works for me and a few other of Scotland's top riders (most notable was the now defunct Clan team who all used them on their last season).

Finally square taper or splined where it connects to the bottom bracket? Splined arguably offers a better connection between the two components due to the increased surface area but I've stuck with tapered after giving splined a try - no particular reason other than more riders still use tapered so if you bust a bottom bracket its easier to blag one that's tapered in the paddock than hunting for a splined one with the same pattern as yours.