Newby question. Mtb into commuter bike

[Rh]

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]

On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 13:29:56 +0200, "rh" <[email protected]> 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]

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.