Originally Posted by Keith99
If you are going to go the route of a complete wheelset I would advise NOT having the same gearing. If possible try to get yourself something that gives you a higher top end. Years ago I went the slicks route with a MTN bike and found I ran out of gears at the highend.
There would be nothing available for this bike with a smaller rear cog than an 11 tooth. Mtb's generally have a lower low end on their cassette (32t or 34t big cog) than a road bike, with gearing that's somewhat wider spaced between cogs, but the smallest cog (highest gear on the cassette) is usually 11 or 12t, same as a road bike cassette. You typically end up with fewer overall gear inches with a mtb than a road bike because the big ring on the crankset is smaller (usually 46, 44, or 42t as compared to 50+ on a road bike), and the wheel diameter, especially with smaller volume 26" slicks, is less than a 700c wheel.