MotoCranx - taking orders for March 2025 delivery

Ditch the chain and free your brain.

As a mountain bike skills instructor, I’ve worked with thousands of riders over the past 20 years, and many share this issue:

Whether they’ve noticed or not, most riders have a hard time balancing on the bike’s bottom bracket while standing on traditional cranks that want to rotate underfoot. This tends to rock them backward or pitch them forward on the bike. At the same time, they struggle to deliver equal force through both feet when pumping terrain or absorbing impacts, and the offset stance pulls their hips and lower backs out of alignment.

Telltale signs of crank-related stance issues are an inability to generate pumping speed; your pedals not staying level in the roughs and steeps; your back quad burning; and your lower back aching. Does any of that sound familiar?

The hamstring of the forward foot gets stretched when you hinge for a descent. Often, that hip gets pulled forward —which can make even a world class rider like Evie Richards crooked on the bike. The dynamic is much greater for non-pros, and it can have long term negative effects. Photo by Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool.

The longer the cranks are in relation to your leg length, the bigger this problem is. If you pay attention, you’ll see a lot of riders with crooked hips— especially riders who are less tall. Pretty much the only riders who can maintain great balance, pump and alignment are pros, hypermobile people, or tall people on cranks that are relatively short for them.

For masters downhill worlds in May 2024 I switched from 170mm cranks on my Mistress Cycles GoodOnYa trailbike prototype to 155s. I descended with more confidence and pumping power, climbing was fine, and I noticed less hip pain than when I rode 170s.

I’ve been pushing for shorter cranks since I published the book Dialed in 2018. Advantages abound: more ground clearance, easier pedaling mechanics, easier to maintain hip alignment on descents, easier to swap feet in corners, essential for shorter riders, and so on.

If 155 feels better than 170, why not go all the way down to 0? Last summer I started thinking about 0mm non-cranks to help train my students on the pump track. I figured they’d learn the movements more easily with their feet in a natural stance, then they would ride better when they got back on cranks (it works insanely well, plus it’s stupid fun).

I worked with Steve at Ziegler Strategic to design adapters to mount my pedals directly to the bottom bracket. We ordered some prototypes and … before I had a chance to try them out … I tore all three hamstrings off my right hip in a corner. That was a bad one. The cause? Hinging on 170-175mm cranks as a full time job for decades.

Eight weeks after surgery, before I could even pedal uphill, I started testing the 0mm MotoCranx on pump tracks, dirt jumps, slalom, slopestyle, skate park and trail rides. Even though I was very weak and unable to hinge like normal, I was able to do 100-lap pump track workouts! My professional mission is to help people ride and live in joy. That’s it. This simple invention had me back on the bike months before I could sustain a traditional bike stance… and I was having way more fun. That seems like a massive win.

Pumpbiking 8 weeks post hamstring reattachment. No way I could do this on crank arms:

Other learnings:

They are so fun! When you slap MotoCranx onto your bike, you make it into a vehicle of pure fun. Pump tracks, dirt jumps, skate parks, slalom courses, bike parks and rowdy descents all become sine waves of pumpy love power. When we give folks a chance to ride MotoCranx, everyone says “This is the most fun I’ve had in years,” and “I feel like a kid!” On MotoCranx your body feels natural because your feet are next to each other where you feel more balanced and stable.

Cheaper. With no drivetrain, you can build that pump track, dirt jump or downhill bike for less. Give the old frame hanging in your garage some fun in the sun.

Hey buddy, we found your life purpose. A downhill bike with no chain noise or pedal kickback is something to experience.

Lighter. Knock 3 to 4 pounds off your bike. Many of the parts you delete are unsprung mass; axing them makes suspension work better and eliminates chain/suspension feedback. Imagine never lubing a chain, never adjusting a derailleur and — wait for it — never smashing a derailleur on a rock. And … how about a 34-pound downhill bike? Yeeeaaaahhh.

More powerful. When weightlifters squat and deadlift with their feet side by side, they’re able to lift twice what they can lift with one foot in front of the other. We see similar gains when riders switch from crank arms to MotoCranx. Without any change in fitness, a stable square stance sends pumping power off the charts. One expert rider who tried MotoCranx on a pump track said, “Oh my gosh, it’s so fast I don’t think the track is made to handle the speed.” The track can handle it. We just have to catch up.

Faster. The neutral stance opens up so much leg strength and range of motion it’s crazy. Every pump track racer should rock these until the UCI bans them. Don’t be surprised if you see a gray-bearded inventor rocking the Crankworx pump track race in Whistler.

MotoCranx and pump tracks – like peanut butter and chocolate.

More precise. With your feet attached directly to the bottom bracket, you have a fascinating new level of control in corners. You can initiate lean angles from the feet like a skier or motocrosser might, then either drive straight into both feet for a huge pump or press into the outside peg for a deep carve. Flick your bike in the air and throw a trick; pedals are always in the same place.

Easier on your body. Compared with a bike stance with your feet ~340mm apart front to back, the normal human stance with your feet next to each other is way easier on your legs, hips and lower back. While a hip hinge is still useful when you need maximum arm range or hip power, the square stance lets you do most of your riding in a more upright, natural posture that feels awesome for most riders. I know many of you feel your quads and lower backs aching after pumptrack sessions or long downhills. Say goodbye to that madness. This might be the most inclusive thing about MotoCranks: People who are too tight to ride well on standard cranks (that’s most folks) hop on them and rip.

More efficient training. MotoCranx are the fastest way to hone the pumping and cornering techniques used by all great riders. With your feet next to each other, the rest of your body catches on very quickly. Locking in the square stance and removing the rotation of the cranks lets you focus on other details … choosing great lines, boosting huge gaps, laying down PRs, etc. When you get back on your pedal bike, you’re way more skilled. I now use MotoCranx every time I teach a rider to pump. They learn at least 2x faster this way, with more laughing.

Badass workout. Riding with MotoCranx lets you express more leg range and power than on cranks. You can do more intense work for longer, which makes you stronger and faster — with less strain on your hamstrings, hips and lower back. This all adds up as we age. Ask me how I know.

Rehab injuries and chronic conditions. For those of us who temporarily lack our full fitness, mobility and strength, MotoCranx can help us get outside and have fun with our friends while enjoying a phenomenal workout. This kept me sane while my hamstring grew back.

We’ve ridden this trail hundreds of times. Suddenly new lines appeared everywhere.

MotoCranx rapidly improve your riding skills, and everyone who tries them agrees this new way of riding is insanely fun. My buddies and I love to go “pumpbiking.” We push our bikes up the local descents, enjoy the views, seek out new lines, then shred down with nothing but pump and stoke. Compared with pedalbiking, pumpbiking feels more social, less hurried and more confident. I can’t wait to slay the pumptrack, slalom, slopestyle and downhill runs this summer!

Try MotoCranx

Production MotoCranx are sleek!

We’re taking orders for delivery in mid March. Specs:

- Threaded to fit BSA bottom brackets in 68, 73, 83, 100 or 120mm widths. So far we’ve ridden MotoCranx on dirt jump, slopestyle, short travel trail, mid travel trail and downhill bikes. All are stupid fun.

- 180mm Q factor with a 73mm bottom bracket shell. You can space it up to 10mm wider on each side using bottom bracket spacers.

- Fits standard mountain bike pedals. 9/16 inch x 20 threads per inch.

- Uses a standard SRAM bottom bracket tool.

- Machined from 6061-T6 aluminum. Raw finish.

- Price: $99 USD

Learn more and order here: www.motocranx.com

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Lee McCormack of www.leelikesbikes.com is a world renowned mountain bike communicator, instructor and inventor. Since he started Lee Likes Bikes in 2002, he's been following intuition, logic and singletrack into the depths of mountain biking. This has resulted in a complete system to help people ride and live with more joy. Among his contributions to the mountain bike world:

- 11 books so far, including the bible Mastering Mountain Bike Skills and the Dialed dynamic MTB fit handbook.

- Helped launch the worldwide pump track movement via his website and book Welcome to Pump Track Nation.

- Trained more than 10,000 riders and 2,000 volunteer coaches.

- Created the RideLogic systems for dynamic mountain bike fit, skills instruction, physical training and mental training.

- Invented the RipRow training tool, which is used by hardcore MTB and MX athletes.

- Launched Mistress Cycles, with Warm Embrace geometry that perfectly fits riders 4'10" to 6'8".

- Professor of Shred at Colorado Mountain College in Fall 2025.

- General purpose joyrider.

Questions? Put them in the comments on this page or reach out to Lee at leelikesbikes@gmail.com.