Crank Arm Length Questions

[elginkid]

Hey,

Did Schwinn shorten the length of the crank arms after the war? I have 3 Schwinn's from the 1950s, and they all seem to have these really tiny crank arms that make riding them kind of a pain. Most of my prewar bikes (all of my prewar Schwinns are disassembled. so I don't have any to compare to) don't seem to have that issue. If so, can I substitute a longer crankset into the bike? Or is the clearance too low? I like the look of some of the postwar bikes, but as I ride quite a bit, I'm not inclined to sacrifice riding comfort.

Wes

 

[island schwinn]

i just happen to have a pre-war crank sitting on my desk.it measures 6 3/4 inches from center point of crank to center point of pedal mount.i walked over and measured a postwar crank on a bike and it measures 6 1/2".i think 24" cranks are about 1 inch shorter on the same measurement.i've found a few 26" bikes with 24" cranks in them.i wouldn't think a 1/4 inch would create clearance problems.hope this helps.