Hi,

I'm considering a bike purchase--it's a 29er hardtail MTB in the $1000 pricerange and I'm looking to get a good deal on it. I'm looking to convert it to urban commuter (want to do this with an MTB so I can get better, sturdier wheels and frame out-of-the-box...and have you TRIED shopping for a cheap 29er hybrid??)

The bike is equipped with Shimano Deore front/SLX rear derailleurs, and an FC-M521 44/32/22 crankset upfront and an HG50 11-34 9-speed cogset in the rear. In case this gearing (eventually) proves to be too easy, what are my upgrade options?

I found a techdoc online which suggests I should be able to get 48/36/26 chainrings for my existing crankset. Is this something I can do after the fact, or am I better off getting a whole new crankset at that point? Does the derailleur need to be changed or just adjusted? I'm also assuming a new chain would be required.

Will I see a ton of difference in gearing just by moving up four teeth on the chainrings?

What's all this gonna cost me, anyway?

Thanks!!

A 44x11 gear with 700c (aka 29") wheels gives you a high gear of 108 gear-inches which is the same as a road bike with a 52x13 gear. That will give you 32 mph at a cadence of 100 rpm and many pro races were won in the recent past with that gearing so I don't think you will find yourself badly undergeared. Try it before you spend any money on changes.

You could swap the cassette for either an 11-21 or 11-23.
That would basically give you +/- 1 Gear Inch difference than your tire diameter for a lowest gear.

Other options are 12-21,3,5,7 plus you can get into 13 or 14T top cogs.

Much simpler/less expensive.
You would "might" want to shorten the chain, but it wouldn't really be necessary, since the new cassette wouldn't be using any extreme gear combo's you don't already have. It "might" improve shifting a bit along with backing out the "B" screw some on the RDER.

seller will state the price , this is just about Idle chat, opinions and Gossip.
and trying to make noises into words..

If you find you want to go faster you could just swap out the largest chain ring for a bigger one, keeping everything else the same which leaves you with lots of hill climbing ability. The front derailleur most likely wouldn't blink at going up to a 46 tooth chainring.