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More Speed? Trek Marlin 6


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Hi all, I am fairly new to this riding stuff and have a Marlin 6. 95% of my riding is on road. So looking for a bit more speed. It is currently stock standard.

So not really understanding all the gearing stuff, do I simply change the crankset for a bigger one?

 

Current topping out at around 32km/h with the wind behind me.

 

TIA

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Welcome to the Hub.

 

MTB is not geared for speed ....

 

And if you spend the money changing the gears ... then you will want a set of semi.slick tires .... it still wont be a road bike ...

 

Rather put this money towards a 2nd hand road bike.

 

 

 

This from a mountain biker ...

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Welcome to the Hub.

MTB is not geared for speed ....

And if you spend the money changing the gears ... then you will want a set of semi.slick tires .... it still wont be a road bike ...

Rather put this money towards a 2nd hand road bike.

This from a mountain biker ...

 

Thanks, was thinking the same but my thoughts were to push on with the MTB, till I can push my daily rides longer and more sustainable, then drop some cash on roadie.

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What is your chainring size ? (How many teeth are there in the front) ?

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Hi all, I am fairly new to this riding stuff and have a Marlin 6. 95% of my riding is on road. So looking for a bit more speed. It is currently stock standard.

So not really understanding all the gearing stuff, do I simply change the crankset for a bigger one?

 

Current topping out at around 32km/h with the wind behind me.

 

TIA

Nothing wrong with 30km - press on keep training and worry about the gearing and other stuff once you are properly bitten

 

Then mortgage your house or rob a bank and turn to the dark side like the rest of us

 

Welcome and enjoy

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What is your chainring size ? (How many teeth are there in the front) ?

Shimano M315, 36/22, 175mm length

This is what website mentions

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With a 36 upfront I manage between 36 and 38 km/h on a flat road at a cadence around 80+

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You want to make the front chain ring bigger or the rear cassette (smallest gear) smaller. There are limits to these changes however. You may need a longer chain or even a bigger crank. It can start to get expensive.

 

Other things that could increase speed are slicks with higher pressures, locking out your fork or even good old fashion training to get faster.

 

There are limits to a mtb speed, if you really want to be fast, get a road bike.

 

An entry level used one is not that much more expensive than a new crank/chainrings

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With 36/11 gearing you should be able to stick with a 30kph average roadie group (I've done it with 34/11). Wind and rolling resistance is the issue, not gearing.

 

Faster than that and a road bike will be a much better bet. Doing that solo needs a hell of a lot of power, not just gearing.

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At 30kmh I doubt you are spinning out, probably just struggling to turn the crank faster i.e. legs not strong enough for the load. So bigger ring upfront will potentially increase your speed, but your cadence will decrease,and the net speed increase will be minimal. Also, your ability to maintain the increased speed will also be reduced due to harder gearing.

 

Keep riding at 30kmh - nothing wrong with that. But focus on how long you can hold that 30kmh for. Doesnt help getting a higher top end which is not sustainable. This approach will strengthen your legs, and as that happens you will soon be able to hold 32kmh for a period, and then 34kmh, etc

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36 /11 will have you spinning 90rpm at 40.7 km/hr.

 

me thinks the 30km/hr limit is not your gearing.

 

I'll bet its your position on the bike, super wide arms due to wide bars, upright  and saddle too low.

and a lack of power.

 

Ride more get stronger.

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Lots of good feedback so far. I would focus on your training. Simplest would be to invest in a heart rate monitor and to monitor your speed / time. Focus on getting faster / riding longer / staying in the optimal HR zone and you will see big gains (at least for the first few months).

 

If you do ride with others then it would makes sense to get similar bikes to them but if you are riding solo, focus on getting better.

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