Can You Put Road Bike Gears On A Mountain Bike?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Most mountain bike rear derailers have a long cage, which can handle a 34-tooth cog, or even some newer cassettes with 36-tooth cogs. The good news is that

as long as you're using a cassette with 9 speeds or less, this will work fine, even with a shifter

.

Can I put a road bike cassette on a mountain?

Condensed answer:

Shimano and SRAM road bike cassettes can be installed on a mountain bike

as the splines of the hubs are the same across the MTB and road models of both brands.

Can road bike groupset be used on MTB?

There are a couple of problems using a road group on an MTB frame.

If you have a frame with 130mm rear spacing and a 68 or 73mm BB shell, you can fit a external BB, road crank and rim brake hub

. (I checked: 105 5700 and R7000 cranks both work with 68 and 73mm shells.

Can you add gears to a mountain bike?


Yes, there are safe ways that you can use to add gears to your bicycle

. First, your bike has a small O.L.D; you can go for an internally geared hub. The main drawback will be the limited gear range since most gear hubs come with 2-3 gears.

Is it OK to ride mountain bike on road?

Can you ride on the road with your mountain bike? The answer is

yes, you absolutely can

. It will just feel different from riding a standard road bike. This is mostly because of the thickness of the tires.

Is it harder to ride a mountain bike on the road?


Mountain bikes are harder to pedal and slower on pavement

. But they have a cushy ride, an upright riding position, and can travel easily on a wide variety of surfaces. Hybrid or cross bikes are almost as fast and easy to pedal as a road bike, while being almost as comfortable and versatile as a mountain bike.

Can I put a road crankset on a mountain bike?

The condensed answer is:


Mountain bike frames aren't designed for road cranks

. The chainstays are wide to accommodate fatter tires and often create clearance issues.

Why do mountain bikes only have 11 gears now?

So why do mountain bikes have less gears? Mountain bikes have less gears for quite a few reasons, however the primary reasons being

less maintenance, lighter weight, and the need for only the quickest shifts when running into such a varied terrain

.

Why do mountain bikes have no front derailleur?

Mountain bikes no longer have a front derailleur

because of the invention of the wide range rear cassette

, meaning you can have the same range of gears with fewer parts, which saves weight, and keeps things simpler. Also making the bike build look cleaner.

Can I fit a 11 speed cassette on a 10 speed hub?


Yes. The 34t fits in the same way that 11spd Shimano mtb cassettes fit with the largest cog dished over the hub flange

. Yep that's the jist.. 11-32 is 11 speed road only, 11-34 is 8/9/10 spd road and 11 spd mtb compatible so will fit on your Deore 10 speed hub.

Can I use MTB Rd on road bike?


Most 8- and 9-speed Shimano mountain bike and road kit is inter-compatible

because they both use the same cable pull ratio. This means that you can use an 8 -or 9-speed mountain bike derailleur with road shifters or vice versa.

Can I put a bigger cassette on my bike?


Yes, almost any bike is compatible with bigger cassettes

, bike drivetrain is groupset of components that works in perfect harmony, any miss reconfiguring can break the perfect functionality of the system, parts that need to be changed and reconfigured when putting bigger cassette which is long-chain, wide cage …

What gear should I use on a flat road?


Middle Gear

This is a great gear for everyday terrain when you're cruising along on a flat road or on undulating terrain. You want some resistance, but not too much. If the road goes up and down a bit, you'll probably flick between the rear gears to cater for changes.

What is a granny gear on a bike?

The granny gear is

the smallest cog on the front crankset of your bike

.

Can you put a derailleur on a single speed?

Singlespeed frames have dropouts designed to provide a mechanism for adjusting chain tension by moving the rear hub, so

you would need dropout adapters to fit a rear derailleur

. Single speed frames lack shifter cable bosses, so you have to get bolt on ones.

How can I make my mountain bike faster on the road?

Can you ride long distances on a mountain bike?


Mountain bikes are good for long rides in off-road areas

; you can reach great distances without worrying about durability and function. However, if you're using mountain bikes on pavement, you may find yourself pedaling harder yet you are not going much faster.

Can I use MTB for long rides?


Mountain bikes are good for long-distance travel

. They are strong, can take a beating and are reliable. It might take a bit more effort compared to a road bike but a few minor changes make a big difference.

Can I ride a mountain bike on pavement?


You can ride your mountain bike on pavement

. Just keep in mind that it will be harder to pedal (i.e. slower), and the pavement is hard on traditional knobby mountain bike tires.

Do mountain bike tires slow you down?


Yes, mountain bike tires are likely to cause a person to ride slower than the tires used on road bikes

. This is because they are thicker so more of the tire's surface comes in contact with the ground. Thicker tires are slower, but they offer more protection against the bumps and divots to keep the rider comfortable.

Why are road bikes faster than MTB?

A road bike is typically faster than a mountain bike because

it has a lighter construction, thinner tyres causing less friction between the bike and the surface and the bikes are cycled on the road where the terrain is flatter and smoother

.

Can you use a road bottom bracket on a mountain bike?

Shimano Road BB cups are 1mm wider than MTB. You can omit the spacer to get the correct width on 73mm BB, ultimately the chainline will be very slightly different.

I did successfully use a road BB on an MTB by re-using the middle tube and spacers as people have suggested

.

Can you put BMX cranks on a road bike?

They are designed to work with a BMX chainwheel.

They will only work if your road bike is a singlespeed or fixed gear

.

Can you use any crankset on a bike?


Many chainrings are not compatible across different brands or even across different models for any given brand

. Cranksets attach to a frame via bottom bracket, and there are many different types of bottom brackets.

What is the best gear for a mountain bike?

Mostly, for a mountain biker with average physical abilities the best and most recommended gear ratio combination is

32T on the front with 34T on the back

.

Why do cheap mountain bikes have more gears?

Cheaper bikes have more gears

because they rely on a basic and mass-produced triple crankset technology naturally resulting in a large number of chainring to cog combinations

. Conversely, 1x and 2x drivetrains are more optimized, trendy, and use sophisticated materials and rear mech.

How do you upgrade gears on a mountain bike?

Ahmed Ali
Author
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali is a financial analyst with over 15 years of experience in the finance industry. He has worked for major banks and investment firms, and has a wealth of knowledge on investing, real estate, and tax planning. Ahmed is also an advocate for financial literacy and education.