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View Full Version : Newby question. Mtb into commuter bike


rh
July 30th 03, 12:29 PM
I have recently started riding my old trek 950 mtb to work. My problem is
speed.
In areas where Im really cranking slightly downhill I run out of gear. My
top gear is too slow. I believe I have normal mountain bike gears. Could
I switch the gears for smaller or faster gears. If so any ideas?

I know that I should switch to some slick tires for my 26" rims. Is there
anything else I can do to improve speed?

Thanks

B a r r y B u r k e J r .
July 30th 03, 12:58 PM
On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 13:29:56 +0200, "rh" > wrote:

>I have recently started riding my old trek 950 mtb to work. My problem is
>speed.
>In areas where Im really cranking slightly downhill I run out of gear. My
>top gear is too slow. I believe I have normal mountain bike gears. Could
>I switch the gears for smaller or faster gears. If so any ideas?

Probably.

A while back I switched an 22-30-42 crankset out in favor of a
48-38-28 on a commuter MTB. The extra six teeth on the big ring made
a huge differentiae, and the overall combination created with this set
made for a nice package. The 48 tooth set was an older Coda model
that I picked up from a catalog "blowout sale" for $20. It fit right
on my existing bottom bracket.

The only limiting factor is your front der having enough room to move
high enough to clear the larger ring set. If you can slide the der
up, you can probably do it. You may need a new cable and a new chain
as well.

Barry

Super Slinky
July 30th 03, 02:43 PM
rh said...

> I have recently started riding my old trek 950 mtb to work. My problem is
> speed.
> In areas where Im really cranking slightly downhill I run out of gear. My
> top gear is too slow. I believe I have normal mountain bike gears. Could
> I switch the gears for smaller or faster gears. If so any ideas?
>
> I know that I should switch to some slick tires for my 26" rims. Is there
> anything else I can do to improve speed?
>
> Thanks

Check to see if you have an 11t on the small cog in the rear. Yours may
be a 12t or larger. 44t on the large chainring is common today. You may
have a 42t. Going from 42/12 to 44/11 would take you from 3.5:1 to 4:1.
I noticed that at least some XTR (big $) chainrings are 46t. Maybe there
are others. You will have to change your crank if you can't find a
proper chainring replacement. I have heard of some people installing
road cranks to get their commuting speed up. I can sustain more than
20mph on flat ground with a 44/11. That's good enough for me, but if you
want to go as fast as possible, maybe you could sell your bike and get a
used road bike. Maybe somebody would like to trade.

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