Originally Posted by
iManda
Thank you, everyone, for your encouragement. I have taken the plunge. Gear-wise, I'm going from 24/34//42 teeth to 28/38/48. It's all pretty much Greek to me, but apparently means I'll have a larger front crank and therefore more speed on the flats.
If you're spinning out - ie you feel you have strength left at maximum speed but can't turn the pedals fast enough to go faster - yes, you'll be faster on the flats. (But I doubt this is the case unless you have a REALLY poor pedalling technique. A reasonable spin rate will get 30mph out of a 42 tooth chain ring with a standard cassette - or would, if you were strong enough.) Otherwise, no, it's a pointless change. Do your chainrings need changing anyway because they are worn out? If so, if you never use your most powerful hill climbing gears, it's not a harmful change - but it almost certainly isn't a useful one. Especially as the Stinson has one of the least aerodynamic riding positions possible - this bike just isn't built for speed. ...Truthfully, putting a 48 chainring on a Stinson is just stupid - I suspect that they're trying to suit your re-build to the parts they want to get rid of.
This will help so much when I'm late for work!
If you are an elite athlete and commute at sweat drenching speeds, yes. Otherwise no.
Will also be upgrading the shifters and grips, and installing fenders. My LBS is recommending going from cantilevers to V-brakes, any thoughts?
Most bike shops these days don't know how to tune cantis. If you do, keep the cantis. V's made the mass market on their idiot proof-ness (for mechanics) and friendliness to suspension frames - the guy who probably first thought of them, the legendary Keith Bontrager, thought of them as inferior to regular cantis outside of these contexts. There isn't anything really wrong with V-brakes, but an "upgrade" from properly set-up cantis to vee's is arguably more of a downgrade. Otoh, your cantis would probably work better with a fork mounted brake hanger - if your LBS doesn't know why, then they don't know much about cantis.
But really you need to answer two questions -
- What on your bike is worn out and must be replaced?
- What things doesn't your bike do well enough?
Normally the best value upgrade for a bike is better tyres - you can often get a 1-2 mph boost, better braking and cornering*and* better puncture protection. Marathon Supremes in 40mm or 50mm might be good choice. They're not cheap but they are excellent and last 5000-10,000 miles. Ergon grips and Kool Stop salmon brake pads are good. A fork mounted brake hanger and hand fitted straddle cables instead of pre-cuts - and brakes boosters - would be nice for your brakes.