Originally Posted by
mrl72
I'm facing the same problem with my Giant Escape 3 and considering an upgrade to the drivetrain. I'm maxing out on some runs I do. Not saying I need a lot more but I sometimes find myself reaching for the shifter and finding nothing more there.
The Escape 3 has a Shimano TZ31 14x34, 7-speed freewheel cassette and Shimano M131, 28/38/48 crankset (note I pasted this from their specs, I don't know much about the drivetrain side of things yet!).
You should be getting over 20 mph at 80 rpm pedal cadence (which is a completely reasonable cadence for most riders). If you are riding faster than that regularly, gearing might help. otherwise I would work on spinning instead.
If I am on a descent and hit my max (I am running a 44 tooth large ring, and an 11 tooth sprocket in the rear, which gives me a high gear that I rarely use) I enjoy the coasting... I actually spend 90% of my time on my 34 tooth middle ring, and only use the large if I have a good tail wind, or I am going down hill.
With a freewheel, you probably aren't going to get a smaller cog to get any higher there. And depending on the specific front derailleur, simply replacing the crank or chain ring could get you a higher gear. Going with a cassette would mean a rear wheel replacement, and searching for an evasive 7 speed cassette...
But, if you aren't regularly topping out at 20-25 mph, the best upgrade is your cadence.
