Originally Posted by
rpenmanparker
This topic comes up peripherally in lots of other threads like the ones about compact crank sets. For whatever reason cassettes with 13t smallest cogs would be a tremendous boon to many riders running 53/39 chain rings.
Unfortunately most of the bike buying public has pathetic sluggish legs and wants a 53x12, 50x11, or even 53x11 big gear that's more than the 52x13 Eddy Merckx used to dominate the spring classics..
Options without reasonable starting cogs are sufficient to serve that majority market, and not making cassettes with bigger starting cogs decreases the SKU count for improved profits throughout the bicycle component manufacturing and distribution chains.
In 2 X 10 speed a 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 26 would be a great standard cassette with no holes up to 19t.
I ride Campagnolo 10 cogs 13-26 and 14-23. Rode 13-23 9 cogs and 13-21 8 cogs before that because one tooth jumps to the 19 beat smaller starting cogs.
Unfortunately SRAM has found that the majority of riders don't demand an 18 cog and consequently doesn't offer one in their 10 cog road lineup.
How would it hurt Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM to offer these combinations everywhere up and down their product lines?
More SKUs would cut profits and perhaps violate the executives fiduciary duty to their shareholders.
So how do we make this happen?
Campagnolo still sells 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-26, 13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-26-29, and 14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23 10 speed cassettes but lacks 13 tooth first position options in the 11 cog lineup.
To get the other manufacturers on board your best bet would be stimulating consumer demand like what happened with wider tires. Fast 25mm tires are common now and 28mm ones not non-existent.