Upgrade wheels, tyres, gears or whole bike?!
Discussion
Looking for a bit of help. Currently got a small framed, rigid mountain bike on nobbly tyres
I've been using it for a 10km round commute for the last year or so. It's my Dad's old bike and is probably about 15 years old, that said it's still pretty light since it's rigid and chromoly. I also like the fact I can leave it anywhere and no one will nick it.
Problem is, I'm fitter than I was when I started riding and I'm now finding I'm never out of 3rd on the front gear and constantly in need of another gear when in 21st.
I also fancy some skinnier wheels but worry it's going to amplify the problem, also I cycle in Edinburgh - home of the 3 foot deep pothole thanks to tram works!
So... Do I:
- put larger front cogs on (maybe just one up front?!) or smaller on the rear?
- buy 29 inch wheels and tyres (this should give me a higher top speed?)?
- save and buy a more suitable bike and leave this as is?
- stop whinging since it's a small commute :-)
I've been using it for a 10km round commute for the last year or so. It's my Dad's old bike and is probably about 15 years old, that said it's still pretty light since it's rigid and chromoly. I also like the fact I can leave it anywhere and no one will nick it.
Problem is, I'm fitter than I was when I started riding and I'm now finding I'm never out of 3rd on the front gear and constantly in need of another gear when in 21st.
I also fancy some skinnier wheels but worry it's going to amplify the problem, also I cycle in Edinburgh - home of the 3 foot deep pothole thanks to tram works!
So... Do I:
- put larger front cogs on (maybe just one up front?!) or smaller on the rear?
- buy 29 inch wheels and tyres (this should give me a higher top speed?)?
- save and buy a more suitable bike and leave this as is?
- stop whinging since it's a small commute :-)
No to wheel size - the brakes won't line up.
Yes to proper commuting tyres.
Re gearing, can you say what is on at the mo? Would need groupset and what you have up front / rear casette. Armed with that, one of PH's resident experts will be able to suggest the best way to get longer gears.
That said, if you have the funds there is nowt like a shiny new bike =)
Yes to proper commuting tyres.
Re gearing, can you say what is on at the mo? Would need groupset and what you have up front / rear casette. Armed with that, one of PH's resident experts will be able to suggest the best way to get longer gears.
That said, if you have the funds there is nowt like a shiny new bike =)
get a more suitable bike is the best advice. At most with this, I would change the tyres only.
You can get a much more efficient commuter bike for not a lot of money. Turing this into the desired spec will cost a lot or consume a lot of time sourcing cheap parts.
Have a look on ebay for a cheap used commuter bike
You can get a much more efficient commuter bike for not a lot of money. Turing this into the desired spec will cost a lot or consume a lot of time sourcing cheap parts.
Have a look on ebay for a cheap used commuter bike
Ok guys, thanks for the help so far (especially the brakes not working with larger wheels!).
Some specs I found (let me know if there's anything else):
Front 3rd gear has 42 teeth
Rear 7th gear has 12 teeth
Wheels are 26 inch
Tyres are 26x2.1 (to fit 1.5-1.75 - not sure what width the rim is).
Other points, I'm rarely in less than 9th so can afford to lose some gearing there, I'll also just get out of the saddle if needs be
Using wikipedia's gear calculator, I get 91 gear inches which is between medium and high... Is this where I'm going wrong? Would sticking something like this on solve all of my issues (including those not related to cycling): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140958916439 ?
I'm still not convinced on changing the tyres... Isn't the ride going to become mega stiff and increase the chance of a bent wheel with no front suspension?
Also, to be very clear, I am the tightest man in the world when it comes to commuting costs. I started riding the bike because I was sick of paying £1.50 for the bus in
Some specs I found (let me know if there's anything else):
Front 3rd gear has 42 teeth
Rear 7th gear has 12 teeth
Wheels are 26 inch
Tyres are 26x2.1 (to fit 1.5-1.75 - not sure what width the rim is).
Other points, I'm rarely in less than 9th so can afford to lose some gearing there, I'll also just get out of the saddle if needs be
Using wikipedia's gear calculator, I get 91 gear inches which is between medium and high... Is this where I'm going wrong? Would sticking something like this on solve all of my issues (including those not related to cycling): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140958916439 ?
I'm still not convinced on changing the tyres... Isn't the ride going to become mega stiff and increase the chance of a bent wheel with no front suspension?
Also, to be very clear, I am the tightest man in the world when it comes to commuting costs. I started riding the bike because I was sick of paying £1.50 for the bus in
According to those gear ratios and wheel/tyre size 25mph equates to a cadence of 92rpm. Unless you are Chris Hoy I would suggest that you have sufficient gearing and need to learn to spin your legs faster.
http://www.bikecalc.com/cadence_at_speed
http://www.bikecalc.com/cadence_at_speed
IMO get better tyres, and a new casette with 11 on the rear - will move your 90 pedals per min speed from 24.x to 26.x mph. Thats also a ratio change of 10%.
I'm not expert enough to say if you can get a bigger front chainring, you'd need to know the groupset / crank - the bolt holes are all on different PCD's.
I'm not expert enough to say if you can get a bigger front chainring, you'd need to know the groupset / crank - the bolt holes are all on different PCD's.
nammynake said:
According to those gear ratios and wheel/tyre size 25mph equates to a cadence of 92rpm. Unless you are Chris Hoy I would suggest that you have sufficient gearing and need to learn to spin your legs faster.
http://www.bikecalc.com/cadence_at_speed
Thanks, I will try on the way to work tomorrow.http://www.bikecalc.com/cadence_at_speed
Some Gump said:
IMO get better tyres, and a new casette with 11 on the rear - will move your 90 pedals per min speed from 24.x to 26.x mph. Thats also a ratio change of 10%.
I'm not expert enough to say if you can get a bigger front chainring, you'd need to know the groupset / crank - the bolt holes are all on different PCD's.
Cheers for this as well.. I'll try nammynake's suggestion first, mostly because it's free I'm not expert enough to say if you can get a bigger front chainring, you'd need to know the groupset / crank - the bolt holes are all on different PCD's.
Something like conti travelcontacts (my choice) or schwalbe cityjets will make a big difference, it will also exacerbate the gear issue however.
Swapping the cassette is a relatively cheap option, you could conceivably do that and tyres for £50 with some shopping around.
Also "pedal faster" is pretty good advice :-)
Swapping the cassette is a relatively cheap option, you could conceivably do that and tyres for £50 with some shopping around.
Also "pedal faster" is pretty good advice :-)
T'other night I did 26 miles on my MTB, but it was laps and laps of the local lake, mostly metalled and fully paved surfaces. It was about half-distance that I realised I was pushing the large ring slowly around, and knocked it down to the middle ring. I didn't go that much faster for my increased cadence, but the effort required to maintain my speed felt reduced and I lasted longer before tiring, without covering the ground any more slowly.
My biggest riding flaw at the moment would seem to be sticking it in too high a gear too soon, then trying to spin that gear up to a decent cadence. I suspect the more efficient solution is to 'overspin' the legs briefly before adding in the extra teeth, and making full use of the cassette before resorting to a bigger ring. Although if that's a load of bollards I'm happy to be corrected. Bizarrely I have considerably different styles when comparing my MTB with my road bike riding.
With regard to pushing too high a gear at too low a cadence, I blame my experiences of road ("racing") bikes from thirty years ago, long before compact chainsets and ten speed cassettes. Heaving a big gear, trying to propel a cast-iron (feels like it compared to modern frame weights) 6 speed bike seemed the norm back then.
My biggest riding flaw at the moment would seem to be sticking it in too high a gear too soon, then trying to spin that gear up to a decent cadence. I suspect the more efficient solution is to 'overspin' the legs briefly before adding in the extra teeth, and making full use of the cassette before resorting to a bigger ring. Although if that's a load of bollards I'm happy to be corrected. Bizarrely I have considerably different styles when comparing my MTB with my road bike riding.
With regard to pushing too high a gear at too low a cadence, I blame my experiences of road ("racing") bikes from thirty years ago, long before compact chainsets and ten speed cassettes. Heaving a big gear, trying to propel a cast-iron (feels like it compared to modern frame weights) 6 speed bike seemed the norm back then.
Bit late to the party, but I'd just stick some road mtb tyres on and get those legs spinning a bit faster! You could theoretically get a 11t cassette on the back, but it won't be cheap and that if you have modern hubs, I haven't found any mtb rings larger than 42t.
I'll be honest I don't even have an outer ring and I don't spin out until mid-20's it's cadence you want fella
I'll be honest I don't even have an outer ring and I don't spin out until mid-20's it's cadence you want fella
So I actually paid attention to the way I rode in this morning. I think I am changing up to early and trying to power through (often just get out of the saddle rather than changing down). Did try spinning quicker but without SPDs it feels pretty difficult to keep the flow and go fast.
Thanks to a 10-15mph headwind I couldn't get flat out to try spinning faster in 21st, that'll be a job for the way home.
Definitely going to invest in some thinner tyres. And possibly go to one of the wife's spinning classes
Thanks to a 10-15mph headwind I couldn't get flat out to try spinning faster in 21st, that'll be a job for the way home.
Definitely going to invest in some thinner tyres. And possibly go to one of the wife's spinning classes
I used to do my 10 mile commute on 15 yr old steel MTB with slicks,with a 42/11 combo
I used to love it (till I snapped the frame) , like the OP I was always in top gear (42/11), or second from top , apart from the 10% climb outa the village where I was on the one of the lower gears, on the 42 ring. Effectively I only used 3 gears out of the 21 and would have gone SS, apart from the initial hill
I always felt like I needed more gears, but effectively you only spin out of a 42/11 @ circa 35mph. Having said that on slight down hills and big down hills this is very easy. I kept the ratios as they were, as I have a tendency to push a tough gear rather than spin and keep the ratios would force me to work on cadence, which it did and save my knees!
OP: I'd just stick some slicks on and keep the rest as it is. If you want any other upgrades you will be better off buying a full road bike, although I often prefer my commute on an old MTB with slicks to a full on roadie.
I also get out the saddle, rather than changeing down, there is no correct way and pushing out the saddle is effective on a short commute like yours, its the best way for me to put decent acceleration down. I would just carry on as you are, making sure your legs and knees can cope with the greater stress on them
I used to love it (till I snapped the frame) , like the OP I was always in top gear (42/11), or second from top , apart from the 10% climb outa the village where I was on the one of the lower gears, on the 42 ring. Effectively I only used 3 gears out of the 21 and would have gone SS, apart from the initial hill
I always felt like I needed more gears, but effectively you only spin out of a 42/11 @ circa 35mph. Having said that on slight down hills and big down hills this is very easy. I kept the ratios as they were, as I have a tendency to push a tough gear rather than spin and keep the ratios would force me to work on cadence, which it did and save my knees!
OP: I'd just stick some slicks on and keep the rest as it is. If you want any other upgrades you will be better off buying a full road bike, although I often prefer my commute on an old MTB with slicks to a full on roadie.
I also get out the saddle, rather than changeing down, there is no correct way and pushing out the saddle is effective on a short commute like yours, its the best way for me to put decent acceleration down. I would just carry on as you are, making sure your legs and knees can cope with the greater stress on them
Edited by TwistingMyMelon on Tuesday 15th October 11:23
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