What really makes the bike go faster??

[DirtRider]

Not sure how to ask this question... but as i grew up skateboarding i know that better bearings in the wheels help make you roll faster. of course assuming you had the right wheels for the conditions (ie: ramp, street,etc.)

Does that same therory hold true in mountain biking?? If i want to my moutain bike to roll faster should i think about upgrading my rims or can i just buy better wheel bearings?? have i just answered my own question??? Is it beer time yet?? LOL

[Rob]

Less rotational mass. Less rolling resistance.

What tires do you have right now?

[Pato]

Originally Posted by DirtRider

If i want to my moutain bike to roll faster should i think about upgrading my rims or can i just buy better wheel bearings??

Cheapest/most noticeable route is to get lighter/lower rolling resistance tires and lighter tubes or go tubeless. Lighter rims will be the next step, but unless the ERD measurement is the same or within 1-2mm of your old rim you will need to get new spokes as well. Bearings will probably yield the least noticeable improvement unless your wheels were really bad to begin with.

What do you currently have now?

Originally Posted by DirtRider

Is it beer time yet??

It's always beer time.

[bobzrag]

weight is your friend going down, drink more beer!

[Bryguy17]

I think that being a smoother rider will do more good than any upgrade mentioned by Pato. Granted, they will have a noticeable difference, but there is no substitute for smooth riding if you want to got fast

More to the point of the question, the bearings will be less noticeable on a bike because of the larger wheels, and also because of the bumps. On a smooth surface with hard tires, you'll notice a difference in the achievable top speed from coasting alone, but that doesn't translate to the trail. bearings will probably make a decent difference on a long haul on a road bike though.

[jbh65]

roval wheels are the real deal. Dropped several pounds of weight off my bike and the roll a lot faster

[Pickettt]

Originally Posted by bobzrag

weight is your friend going down, drink more beer!

physics suggests otherwise

[KeepsWhatHappens]

What really makes a bike go faster?

The rider.

[emfc]

Blood Doping

[BFloFoxRider.]

Riding more.

[TURNERob]

steroids eh

[Tedroy]

Diet, exercise and UST rims & tires. The tubeless thing actually may be heavier but the lack of flats is SO worth it.

[RidetheRAAM4]

take off the brakes and I assure you that you will go faster! Guaranteed!

[RacinJason]

Hills are good for going faster.

[2wheel_lee]

You can increase the compression, polish the exhaust ports, clean and roughen the intake ports. But really, the best place to start is to open up the airbox and exhaust (consider an aftermarket slipon pipe). You should also rejet the carb. If you don't know much about jetting, you could buy one of the JD kits, and if you follow their instructions, you should be able to get pretty close.

The next step is gearing. If you're running wide open in the desert, drop the rear sprocket about three teeth. Regardless of your bike, you won't lose too much bottom end for the tech stuff.

Of course with power and speed, you should also have your suspension revalved and properly sprung for your weight. I prefer ESP. http://www.mysuspension.com/

After that - or perhaps even before all of that - get a Scott's damper. http://scottsonline.com/ These will save your life when you start going fast. Their mounts are essentially the same as BRP's, so whatever works out best price wise for you.

Wait...what forum is this? I remember someone asking how to make their bike faster...

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

What really makes a bike go faster?

The rider.

Don't discount how much faster someone can go if their brakes don't work well.

[ubermensch]

More spin, less brake.

Everybody already knows what makes the bike go faster. It's up to you to decide if each upgrade is worth the time and effort.

[Lizardterd]

For me it was all abot knowing my bike better, how it responds, and overcoming my fear of tasting the dirt....If that doesn't work there's this route...

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by Rob

Less rotational mass. Less rolling resistance.

What tires do you have right now?

just the Kendra's that came with my bike...

thanks for all the input... sounds like i need to keep blaming it on the rider until i get myself enough saddle time.

[drclark]

Depends on what you mean by faster? Are you talking about going faster on flat roads, climbing hills, or desending? Are you talking about acceleration vs max speed?

Anything you do to make your bike faster on the climbs/flats will probably penalize you on descents and vise versa (hence the reason for xc vs dh bikes). Even the way you train will be different. DH style riding tends to be more anerobic sprints between corners while climbing/flats tend to require a much higher areobic power output.

drc