Getting Higher Gearing

[Witterings]

A friend bought on of these a couple of months ago
https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/11052 ... nblue.aspx

But on the flat doing approx 17 mph he's on the large chain ring at the front and the smallest cog on the cassette and wants to get some higher gearing.

We're both relatively new to cycling more seriously so not very savvy on the techie side (but learning fast) .... my initial but uninformed impression is it seems to be a small crankset / chainrings and the easiest would be to swap that out for larger .... is that right??

If so what would you swap it for, how easy is it to do and just an approximate ... roughly what would it cost???

Our typical riding is pretty flat with a mix of road / gravel paths and are doing more touring type rides ... although we may start heading up into more hilly areas soon so some degree of granny gearing would still be useful.

Any help much appreciated!!

EDIT: It's the 29er version

[freiston]

Sorry - not a reply about the chainring but about the gearing/cadence/speed.

My reckonings are that to cycle at 17 mph with 11T on the back and 36T on the front with 27.5/57-584 wheels, the pedal cadence is 63. Most folk would be hitting a higher cadence than that on the flat before the top gear was too low. At a cadence of 90 (which I would think is closer to the "sweet spot" for most people), the speed would be over 24 mph.

The gearing on that bike is (imho) very low and seems obviously designed for proper off road MTB cycling where the terrain is mostly not flat.

I'm not technically savvy either but I would think that a bigger chainwheel with a 42T on the back might cause some problems with required chain length. It might make more sense to change the cassette too. Before making any changes, I would consider the cadence issue and 'experiment' with cycling technique - and if higher gears are still required, then use a gear calculator like this one to determine what sprocket/chainwheel combination is required.

[tatanab]

Changing the chainring to a larger one may not be as easy as it sounds. It seems probably that the front mech has a fixed mounting bracket, so adjustment to suit a larger chainring will be limited.

The size of top gear fitted is appropriate for the use this bike is intended, indeed it is near to the top gear on my touring bike which I can pedal at 30mp because I favour a cadence of 90 rpm as freiston notes. Practised cyclists tend to pedal more rapidly than novice riders although there are many exceptions among the contributors here. I'd say "stick with it until much more experience is gained and then the rider will find out if he is naturally a pedaller or a pusher"

[freiston]

I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but for the type of cycling the OP mentions, that is the wrong bike (and quite a costly wrong bike at that). Locking the front suspension will probably give some benefit and a tyre more suited to the terrain could make a difference.

[Mud-Plugger]

Those RaceFace Aeffect cranksets use a standard B/B tool to get the chainring off. Generally the trend is to go smaller rather than larger.

The largest RFace size is 36T which is probably already on the bike. A 36T on the front is typical top gear for many of the 8 speed hybrids, mine included. Next up would be 44T or so.

Replacement RFace chainrings are about £45. Previous notes about the front derailléur apply.

Bike is a carbon-frame fast trail/downhill/endurance style with MTB gearing to match.

[Mick F]

36/11 is nowhere near high enough.
Comes out as about 86 gear inches.

Top gear IMHO should be well above 100 gear inches.
42t chainring with a 11t smallest sprocket would be a good start.

[reohn2]

36/11 is nowhere near high enough.
Comes out as about 86 gear inches.

Top gear IMHO should be well above 100 gear inches.
42t chainring with a 11t smallest sprocket would be a good start.

But you're a noted masher of big gears and a slow cadence.
By contrast my biggest gear is 89inch which I can spin upto 25mph at around 95rpm cadence no problem,which is my normal/optimum cadence rate,below 80rpm and it becomes uncomfortable for me.
To each his own but as others have posted most people find a cadence above 80rpm with a little practice is more comfortable.

[reohn2]

36/11 is nowhere near high enough.
Comes out as about 86 gear inches.

Top gear IMHO should be well above 100 gear inches.
42t chainring with a 11t smallest sprocket would be a good start.

But you're a noted masher of big gears and a slow cadence.
By contrast my biggest gear is 89inch which I can spin upto 25mph at around 95rpm cadence no problem,which is my normal/optimum cadence rate,below 80rpm and it becomes uncomfortable for me.
To each his own but as others have posted most people find a cadence above 80rpm with a little practice is more comfortable.

[Brucey]

I'd expect to do about 25mph, not 17mph on that gear. I suspect that (like many beginners), you have not yet learned to pedal with a reasonable cadence.

Given the expense of changing parts around on this particular bike, I'd suggest giving it a chance and learning how to pedal with a bit more of what the French call 'souplesse'.

cheers

[freiston]

Those RaceFace Aeffect cranksets use a standard B/B tool to get the chainring off. Generally the trend is to go smaller rather than larger.

The largest RFace size is 36T which is probably already on the bike. A 36T on the front is typical top gear for many of the 8 speed hybrids, mine included. Next up would be 44T or so.

Replacement RFace chainrings are about £45. Previous notes about the front derailléur apply.

Bike is a carbon-frame fast trail/downhill/endurance style with MTB gearing to match.

From what I gather, 36T is already on the bike - which I guess makes getting a higher gear a much more expensive and labour-intensive affair - the only way I can see is to replace the chainset. If it were me, I would be tempted to sell it and put the money towards something more suitable.

[reohn2]

I've just run the numbers through a gear calculated 36x11 for a 27.5 × 2.25 tyre comes out at 90.8inch,at 90rpm is 24mph

[whoof]

Below shows what cadence (rpm) your legs need to be doing (shown in blue 60 to 92) to achieve speeds from 17- 26 mph.
Pedalling at 92 rpm is not super fast, 60 rpm is grinding.

http://www.bikecalc.com/cadence_at_speed

[whoof]

BTW
If your friend can't ride faster than 17 mph on the road on the flat the problem is probably more to do with having 2.25 " knobbly tyres than gearing.

[reohn2]

Below shows what cadence (rpm) your legs need to be doing (shown in blue 60 to 92) to achieve speeds from 17- 26 mph.
Pedalling at 92 rpm is not super fast, 60 rpm is grinding.
geear.jpg

http://www.bikecalc.com/cadence_at_speed

That chart shows a 29er wheel,the OP's is 27.5.

[RickH]

I'd expect to do about 25mph, not 17mph on that gear. I suspect that (like many beginners), you have not yet learned to pedal with a reasonable cadence.

Given the expense of changing parts around on this particular bike, I'd suggest giving it a chance and learning how to pedal with a bit more of what the French call 'souplesse'.

cheers

I'll third that - I'd be reckoning on about 25mph in that gear maybe up to 27/28 before I change to my top gear (or, probably more often, stop pedalling & get into a more aero position).