yes, his beard is monumental and life changing

as 100rpms feels very good to me at this point (that might change) and i agree with you that 120 sounds a little frantic......do I need to change my cassete to go faster? does it matter if i increase the front or decrease the back?

Changing cassettes is much easier and cost effective than chaning front rings and crank arms. You can have an assortment of cassette sizes (105 and Ultegra are fine for training) from 11X27 up to 12X23 for the cost of new cranks. Plus, I think you'd have to adjust the front derailleur if you change cranks, not sure though. Sample different cassettes. All you'll need is a cassette socket and chain whip (coolest name ever for a tool) for maybe $30 total. Remove the rear wheel and switch cassettes. Or have your shop do it, but really it is as hard as changing a tire if you have the right tools. Plus, it gives you a chance to really clean things. Find a cassette size that works best for you on the course you race on. I still think if you are spinning near the 100s you could probably handle a bigger gear.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IZCRF8
http://www.ebikestop.com/items/004-TL7235

That's really sad to hear......I'm sorry for all of you that knew him......his website taught me more in the last three days about bikes than anything in the last 6 months

and yes trisooner......his beard is immortal

the crank says shimano trail (i think shimano but I am sure about the trail part) it's definately a road bike though (garage sale) its an old panasonic with shifters on the top frame bar and the wheels are 70/25 (did I type that right?)

should a road bike have different gearing up front.......the low gear feels so low i could ride up the side of a building with it?

threadjack accepted gracefully ;)

he meant more to cycling than my question.....when i die I want someone to get threadjacked for it too

You need bigger gearing.

Right now your largest gear is a 13-38. If you're running a front crankset of 18/28/38, you're running a small crankset even for mountain bike gearing. Looking around here and a couple places online I'm immediately seeing mountain bike triples at 22/32/44, 24/34/46, & 26/36/48 and road bike triples at 30/39/52.

Doing a quick comparison to compact cranks for tri bikes, you'd be looking at 34/50 or 36/50, a huge jump from your 18/28/38...and those are the compact cranks, not even standard cranks that run more along 39/53.

A new front crankset is going to be the more expensive option, but dropping your rear to even an 11-23 isn't going to do much for you in the long run with your front topping out at 38.

Edit: too much running around the house, cross posted with zanzabar88 :p

If you are currently running a Shimano drive train on your bike, it will be cheaper to switch out to some type of front setup that is compatible with Shimano. In switching out the crankarms and chainrings, you will likely have to get a new front derailleur (or move the current one based on the size difference of you “new” chainrings), also with your current setup being a triple, if you don't want to have to switch out the front derailleur, I suggest you stick with a triple setup in the front. You will also have to check and see if Shimano mountain bike chain (which I am sure is on there now) is the same pitch as Shimano road bike chain, if not you might have to switch out your whole drivetrain. Good Luck.

I answered the original post assuming it was a road bike set-up . . . I was wrong :(

sheldonbrown.com

ill check with my LBS about compatability......for $15 plus shipping, I'll by bontrager if they are compatable and won't require switching out the derailer and all that........if it does i'll just have to pedal faster till i have more money.....thanks for the thought....ive never heard of nashbar so ill check it out

Matt's concerns are valid. I'm betting your BB is square. The Bontrager is going to be ISIS or the newer intergrated BB. ISIS BBs arent too much, and much easier to figure out sizing than Shimanos Octalink.