Southern California - Cassettes

What cassettes are you runnning for climbing? I thought mine was a 12/27 but it turns out it's a 13/25. My small front ring is a 34. I was looking at this http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=702 but now I'm thinking a 12/27 might be sufficient.

For just about all of Orange County, I use a 11/23, with a 53/39. For Mt Baldy up to the ski lifts I use a 12/27. I also have a 12/25 that I use for hilly races, sometimes I'll leave it on for a while as my everyday cassette. If you're running a 34 up front, a 12/27 should be sufficient for anything in So Cal. Of course there are sections of some climbs where you'll wish you had more, but even if you did, you'd still think that ;). I would try out the 12/27 and see how it feels, if you're killing your knees, then look into the sheldon special or a MTB cassette (only works on 9 spd drive trains). Good Luck...:)

Jason and I both have the standard Shimano compact up front (50/34). I have the 12-25 and he has the 12-27 cassette.

Nothing much you can get from my selection, since I'm a slowpoke. But for Jason, he seems to be fine using 12-27 going up into Baldy/ski lifts area/pie ride, etc.

BTW, wouldn't getting a high gear of 13 remove some of the fun on downhills? I was thinking of getting an 11-xx when I get stronger.

J
BTW, wouldn't getting a high gear of 13 remove some of the fun on downhills? I was thinking of getting an 11-xx when I get stronger.

Once you're up over 40-45ish mph you're probably better off getting more aero than trying to pedal. Bikes used to be sold with 52/42 in front and 13 as the smallest cog in back for a long time, and it's really plenty for most racing. 53x11 or 53x12 is a *huge* gear and most people are better served by learning to pedal a little faster-- your knees will thank you later.

Right now I have a 53/42 in front and an SRAM 12-26 (9-speed) in back. I'd kind of prefer a 13 for the smallest and have a 16 in the middle instead.

Frank:

I run a compact, and for the Pie ride, I used Harris Cyclery's High -n- Wide cassette (http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=732), which is 11-28. I climbed Palomar with my 34/24, and only had to fall back on the 28 in the steeper inside turns of Mesa Grande. It was very nice to have it. (for the record, Extort climbed Palomar in 39/19 most of the time...)

I really like the 50/11 combination. It's a higher gear ratio than 53/12, and if you like going fast downhill without coasting, having the 11 is sweet.

I rode the Burrito with my 11/23 cassette that I always train with. I climbed the only noticeable climb (Torrey Pines) in 34/21, and again, it was nice to know the 23 was there as a fallback.

As Dave already noted, I run 50/34 front, 10-speed 12-27 rear. I'm thinking of switching to a 12-25 rear cassette after I wear out this one. I kind of miss the slightly closer spacing in the lowest gears that I had on my triple (9-speed 12-25 in back). I'm very much a spinner, so I like having my low gears. But I think I've gotten fast enough that soon, I can ditch that 27t gear and give myself climbing gears that are spaced a bit closer.

As for fun on downhills, more gears is always nice, but I think a 50/12 or 50/13 is just fine. (But again... I can spin pretty fast when I want to.) On shorter rides, I can spin well past 40 MPH in a 50/12, and on longer rides, I'm usually coasting by then anyway. On century rides, I tend to get lazy on downhills and start coasting around 30 MPH. The mechanic at UC Cyclery noted the other day that my 12t cog has virtually no wear, while the rest of my cogs show reasonable wear.

Thanks to all of you for the input.

I walked over to the shop and he also said the 30t ring was unneccessary. I picked up a 12/27 and hopefully this weekend I'll see how it works.

i use 53-39, 12-25 10spd for everything.
if youre running a compact crank, a 27 should be more than enough unless your dying in 34/27. give it a try.

By the way, for some numerical comparisons...

typical triple
30/25 = 1.20
30/23 = 1.30 (8.7% higher)
30/21 = 1.43 (9.5% higher)

compact double, 12-27 rear
34/27 = 1.26
34/24 = 1.42 (12.5% higher)
34/21 = 1.62 (14.3% higher)

As you can see, the 34/27 more or less splits the difference between the two lowest gears on a triple. The next gear up (34/24) is about the same gearing as the third lowest gear on a triple. So the gaps are quite a bit larger on the compact double, but the range is nearly that of a typical triple.

A 34/25 low gear allows you to maintain the same gaps percentage-wise as in the typical triple setup (since the rear cassette is the same as in a typical triple), but in exchange, you lose one more low gear.

34/25 is 1.36 so I should get about a 10% lower gear by making this switch. Sounds good.

When I was at the shop I saw an old Campagnolo 13/19 freewheel in the case. They must have been tougher in those days.

What cassettes are you runnning for climbing? I thought mine was a 12/27 but it turns out it's a 13/25. My small front ring is a 34. I was looking at this http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=702 but now I'm thinking a 12/27 might be sufficient.


I was going to get this also.....but opted for a 12-27...front is 30-42-52
and so far that is working for me...and I am a terrible climber...

I remember years ago running straight block cassettes and freewheels just to look tough & cool...:p.. Obviously, we avoided hills as much as we can...:p

When I was at the shop I saw an old Campagnolo 13/19 freewheel in the case. They must have been tougher in those days.

Without a doubt. They also had about 30 fewer years average life span, and got knees replaced with broomsticks and tractor wheels.

I run a 12-27 w/ a standard 39/53 double up front.... 9 speed

I need to make the decision of going with the new deraileur and cassette or a compact crankset...

I could go with the Carbon Chorus Compact....
http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/400/50-3534-NCL-TOP.jpg

I need to make the decision of going with the new deraileur and cassette or a compact crankset...

I could go with the Carbon Chorus Compact....
http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/400/50-3534-NCL-TOP.jpg

Whaaaat? I'm surprised you're even considering compact.

Whaaaat? I'm surprised you're even considering compact.

+1 :D

this is why...

Mulholland (http://www.planetultra.com/mulholland/index.html)
Heartbreak (http://www.planetultra.com/heartbreak/index.html)

I need to make the decision of going with the new deraileur and cassette or a compact crankset...

I could go with the Carbon Chorus Compact....
http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/400/50-3534-NCL-TOP.jpg

Let me know if you want to borrow a compact before purchasing one. I only use mine a couple of weeks out of the year. I have an FSA, I'm not sure, but I think it's Shimano and Campy compatible? Also, the Compact specific FD is not necessary, at least not in my case, or anyone else I've ever met.

also, I have the 12-25 cassette and there is only two other options. I can go with a 12-26, but why spend the cash for one pin? and a 12-26 will replace my current gears when it wears out...

then there is a new long cage and a 13-29 campy...

I could always go used... :(

Let me know if you want to borrow a compact before purchasing one. I only use mine a couple of weeks out of the year. I have an FSA, I'm not sure, but I think it's Shimano and Campy compatible? Also, the Compact specific FD is not necessary, at least not in my case, or anyone else I've ever met.

Thanks, it would be nice to check it out first. I'll have to go up to Fargo Street to test it out... :D

For what it's worth...

39/29 = 1.34
34/25 = 1.36

It's pretty much a wash.

I run a Front triple 52-42-30 and a rear XT 11-32. I get to the 32 when I'm touring and the bike weighs 75-80 pounds or when the grade consistently exceeds 10% (even then, it's really not that much different than the 26 or 28 ring).

I am about to put on a 13-29 (modified from a 13-26) with my compact 50/34 because I want to save my knees while climbing. I am probably going to miss the closer spacing but don't care about losing the 12. As Bitingduck said, it's not that necessary, especially since I don't care to go over 40 anyway.

fwiw I now wish I had gone with a triple since the climbing is steep and long around here (Santa Monica Mountains). If I can't get the 29 to work with my short cage and the 26 shows potential to wreck my knees, I might consider switching anyway.