mountain bike commuting

Question
QUESTION: hello,i;am wondering if you could help me with a few things?first thing,i just replaced my back rim with a triple walled back rim, i know that it is heavier than  the double walled one i had on it before but to me it seems my speed commuting through town has slowed a bit. with this in mind would changing my suspension fork to a rigid one help any with speed.what about chaingeing my crank from a 42 chainring to a 44? or instead of replacing either my fork or chainring,since my suspension fork has the lockout feature and i ride at least (here lately)in lower chain rings and sometimes in the higher ones,could i just get a larger rear cassette, say a 12/28 or larger?i'am trying to go for optimal speed!the tires i ride with are specialised ninmbus 1.5. thanks

ANSWER: Hi Rodney,

You mention that your bike is a mountain bike, but you don't mention what brand or model. Chances are that the difference in the weight of the rims has absolutely nothing to do with any perceived slowdown.

Any of these things you mention may help slightly, but before I went to all the extra expense I would check my actual speed on the commute. That is from the time I leave home till the time I arrive, also the traffic etc can make a big difference. I can do the 32 mile commute to my work in a little over 2 hours most days, but some days it is over 2.5 hours due to traffic and other little slow downs, no amount of bicycle mods will really change that, possibly some self improvement may get me some more speed. I am in pretty good shape, especially for 56, but there is always room for improvement and as Ed Pavelka once said he could never understand how a person could spend thousands to reduce the weight by a few grams on the bike yet carry an extra 30lbs around their waist.

Of course I have no idea the shape you are in, but physical fitness would definitely play an important role in the speed.

Can you tell me if the commute you mention is mostly on city streets, or country roads? Or is some of it over mountain trails? If it is mostly on city streets or paved roads I would probably opt for a "comfort bike" or a hybrid over the Mountain bike. The main reason for suspension fork is for the trail riding and jumping logs and rocks etc, it really doesn't help much for street rides and actually probably slows you down a bit if it is not locked out.

My wife had a full suspension bike for a while and slowed down. When we got her a new bike we stayed away from the suspension altogether and she is much quicker.  

Hope this helps

Have a great day

Jerry

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: yea thanks for the quick response, it was very helpful.to answer your question about the terrain i ride on it is on paved road and some sidewalks.even though it would help to some degree for the roads in some places to be in better condition (i.e,less potholes broken pavement etc,)i still believe i'am faster than if i rode through trails and/or country roads with alot of loose gravel and such.my top speed is around 30 mph downhill,uphill about 15 mph.by the way i am carrying a little bit of extra "winter weight" and i totally agree that when i finally lose it my speed will improve immenesely.also you were curious abot the bike i ride.it is a 9diamodback response 08 model mountain bike)thanks again.

Answer
Hi Rodney,

Thanks for the info, it helps. I do like the Diamondback bikes, in fact I read an article not long ago that basically says they were one of the best buys in the cycling industry. They are high quality without the extra high price. The roads sound much like the roads in this area.

I know first hand the problem of winter weight. Grab a copy of my ebook at no charge "Why Diets Don't Work" by going to www.bmgfitness.com/diets

Glad I could be of help.

Have a great day

Jerry