Dear Peter,

I find that letting half the air out of your tyres creates enough
drag to necessitate using a lower gear. Cheap and effective, albeit
dangerous. Seriously, there are solutions which basically involve
bolting a new crankset on the front (which incorporate bigger
chainrings), plus a couple of other bits. If the bike has been riden
a fair bit, these parts might need replacing anyway.

Dhugal.






-- In melbournebug@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Cook" <mrpc@i...> wrote:
> Hey all..
>
> I guess this is probably the appropriate place to discuss this kind
> of thing, so here goes.. I'm getting a little disappointed with my
> bike just now..
>
> I've just moved to Brunswick, I mostly ride for commuting to my job
> in Collingwood, so it's basically flat, and I'm spending too much
> time in max gear thinking I could go a little faster..
>
> I'm riding a 21 speed Mongoose Rockadile AL mtb with slicks and
> shimano cleats, but with its original gears. Average speed hovers
> around 22.2km/h and I generally hover around 26km/h while actually
> moving, though I have been pushing it up around 35 on long flat
> stretches recently. I was wondering if there was something other
> than regearing that I could consider to get some more oomph out of
> it..
>
> My LBS had a few reservations but said it was possible.. Does
> anyone have any thoughts on the matter?
>
>
> Cheers,
> PC