I know if I swap out tires on my mtn. bike, I can gain some speed, but what about gears? I don’t know if there’s any appreciable difference.
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i doubt you will be able to pedal it any quicker with higher gears
even downhill you can;t add a lot over about 30 mph anyway
wle.
Your top speed is determined by how strong you are. If you cant pedal the top gear as quick as you can gears wont make any difference.
A road bike has a smaller range and closer gaps between the gears – this lets you keep up an optimum cadence for speed – at the expense of outright range for really steep hills.
Changing them wouldn’t make too much difference though – it’s more the aerodynamics and rolling resistance that hold you back.
Tyres is the best thing you can change for reasonable money.
As noted by others, MTB’s typically have a wider range of gears on the rear cluster, reflecting the fact that off-road terrain varies more than roads.
Top speed on an MTB is typically restricted by the huge ring on the front. On a road bike, the huge ring will have 52-55 teeth, on an MTB, only 42 or so. Spinning at maximum RPM (assuming you’re strong enough), the road bike has a 20% benefit in distance traveled per pedal stroke. But, even if you swapped to a larger ring on your MTB, you still have to overcome the additional weight, aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance.