I'm putting new cranks on and changing from a square taper BB (that came on the bike) to a splined octalink one, the one i've taken out is a 68-113, so the new one needs to be 68mm but as i'm putting totally different cranks on how do i know what axle length i need? is it the same or does it depend on the cranks?
You need to check the info for your bike and crank, 68-113 is the most common, but it can be different. its not really a general question it does depend on the bike and the cranks you are using.