29er question

If the stock gearing really is just a tad too small then that very well could be the answer. If what you really want is to go even faster then that then you might want to find a 40 or 41 tooth sprocket. I think that if you go to 36 then you would really have problems if you ever came to any kind of hill.

Maybe someone with more experience will chime in but I think you are right about 36 being too small.

I have a 29r. I first used a 44t, it had great acceleration but reved the motor out trying to get decent speed. I have a 40t on it now which is a good balance of torque and top speed. It has no problems pulling hills and top speed is 34mph. You can check it out here.

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=34580

I have a very similar bike to Rich, the Genesis 29er. I first used a 41 tooth sprocket but it did not give me the torque I wanted so I switched to a 44. I am about 200 lbs and use the bike to pull a trailer sometimes so I prefer to be on the torque side. The bike after jetting the carb with an expansion chamber and billet head will still do 30 easily and it gets there pretty quick. Being properly jetted really helped the engine on the top end rpms. It tops out at 33-34 mph, according to my speedo, which is plenty fast enough for me with all cars out there! I will also say the 29 in tires do make for a smoother ride.

I've got a 29'er with a shifter kit. It has a sweeet ride. Very smooth and comfie, but acceleration does suffer quite a bit compared to a 26. i would run a 39-40t.