[omnivox42]

Stayed up on the first chain ring this morning during my ride. I tell ya what it was a different workout. Took more to keep it rolling and my legs are tree trunks however I kept up more speed. Only dipped down to the second ring for a rest. 4 miles this AM. Each ride I try to add more. If i keep speed up I can go farther faster since I only have a small window before I have to get ready for work. My MTB bike is not that great on the road, it is a beasts and has to be beaten into submission. Soon a faster bike will come.

 

[Poolie]

The big ring is your friend ;-)

Congrats on the progress!

 

[omnivox42]

I am shopping for a new bike (already) and am looking at hybrids. Due to where I live there are not many (if any) trails to ride off road. 90% of my cycling will be on pavement, compairing the FX, Sirrus, Crosstrails, and DS bikes.

My question is will the larger chain ring/gearing on the hybrids increase my speeds and lower effort to maintain speeds? The MTB I ride now is a beast on the pavement and seems like a fight to keep rolling.

 

[Poolie]

I had a Sirrus Elite as my bike to get back into cycling for about a year and really enjoyed it. The drivetrain on most hybrids will be similar to what you have on your mountain bike, three rings in the front and 8 to 10 cogs in the rear. Where a hybrid will shine over your mountain bike is mostly in the wheels and tires. Unless you're mountain bike is a 29er, you have 26" wheels. I only have specific knowledge on the Sirrus (of the bikes you mentioned above), but most hybrids have 700cc diameter wheels. Just the increase in diameter of the wheels will make you faster. Next are the tires. You mentioned that it feels like you have to fight it too keep it rolling. It sounds like to me you have an aggressive knobby tire on your bike. Great for the dirt, but not so much for the street. The hybrid will have true road tires on it which provides way less rolling resistance. Take the same effort you give on the mountain bike today and apply it to a hybrid, you'll be going faster. Then in 6-8 months you'll want a true road bike ;-)

 

[omnivox42]

I am very excited about cycling, I have been looking for a "thing" for years. Then I got back into working out and decided to get back on a bike. Very very hooked. It will probably be a couple of months until I can get a new bike so I will be working up my body on the beast bike.

Are bikes like the Trek DS or Specialized Crosstrails worth it? The geometry is more MTB and the weight of the shocks are more than a rigid fork, but they offer the added flexibility.

 

[Poolie]

Are bikes like the Trek DS or Specialized Crosstrails worth it? The geometry is more MTB and the weight of the shocks are more than a rigid fork, but they offer the added flexibility.

Based on your statement that you have very little if any dirt trails to ride on, I wouldn't think the Crosstrails type bike would be what you would interested in.

One thing that would (might) make your current bike a little more fun to ride while your saving for a new bike would be to install some tires with a less aggressive tread pattern. For example check out the link below. You can get tires that are basically just wide road tires... just an option. Also check the tire pressure on your current tires. For dirt it's usually good to run the air pressure down around 25lbs or so. On the pavement you'd want to up that pressure a bit. Probably up to whatever is stamped on the side of the tire.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/search/slick-semi-slick-mtb-tires

 

[omnivox42]

Poolie, you my friend have been VERY helpful. I may have been lookin in the wrong place, but I was seeing before that a new set would cost me 100 to 150 which I could just stash in the bike fund jar.

Are the conti's good tires? I know on cars they make good stuff.

 

[Poolie]

Personally I like Conti's.

 

[omnivox42]

What are you running on your bike now?

 

[Poolie]

Conti GP 4000 S. They only come in 23c and 25c sizes.

 

[omnivox42]

What I am looking at looks good. 71 bucks to get slicker/thinner tires on my 26 inch wheels.

 

[omnivox42]

Looks like a 71 dollar upgrade is in my future.

 

[Poolie]

Excellent. That should make the ole MTB a little more enjoyable in the mean time!

 

[omnivox42]

One more question. I have 26x1.5 rims fitted with 26x1.95 tires. Can I run a 26x1.5 tire or does there need to be more bubble/cushion above the rim?

 

[Poolie]

I wouldn't think there would be an issue. Probably wouldn't wan to run a tire that was narrower than the rim, but can't see an issue running one the same size.