Harvieu25

Thinking of adding another bike to the stable. Currently have a 3x7 mtb and 2x10 road bike.

Was wondering if the 11 speed was the ticket for having up to a 32 or 34 cog and having tighter ratios over a 10 speed. Or if the difference is too small to worry with.

Thanks.

noodle soup

I like the tighter ratios of the 12-25 11 speed cassette.

Lazyass

If you're going to get something brand new may as well get the most up to date one. But if you rode 10 and 11 back to back without knowing which was which, you probably couldn't tell the difference in one extra cog. Personally I would get a 10 speed if the cost was much less.

pacalolo

I recently bought a year old 10 speed and saved enough that I'm not going to worry about having 11 speed. Or that's what I keep telling myself so I remain satisfied with the bikes I own :-)

kydeadhead

If you are adding and not trading, I'd go with the 10 speed so the wheels would be interchangable with your current bike.

StanSeven

I agree with this unless you ride lots of hills. I see lots of riders (non-compact) with 11 and 28+ that never use them.

Homebrew01

Most 11 speed cassettes (Shimano) start with an 11 tooth small cog. So there is no mid-cassette benefit compared to a 10 speed cassette starting with a 12, since all you gain is an 11 tooth, which most people never, or seldom use.

Look at available cassettes first, to determine if there's some "must have" option that justifies switching to 11 speed.

dtrain

I could take or leave the extra cog. But the front shifting is very nice.

noodle soup

+1

11 speed gives me a 25 tooth cog, but 12-23t 10 speed worked just as well.

colnago62

I am moving from 10 to 11 because the last series of Shimano 10 had some performance isuues, no other reason. Sram seems to have put the extra cog in the middle, where Shimano put their's in the low gears.

rms13

Depends on what 10 and 11 speed your talking about. Shimano is noticeably different. Hood ergonomics and front shifting are a noticeable difference on the bike. I understand the new 4700 10 speed has the improvements of the Shimano 11 speed groups so that 10 speed may feel the same as 11.

noodle soup

One could also argue that SRAM 11 works better than SRAM 10.

rms13

I don't have experience with 11 speed SRAM but the 10 speed front shifting was horrible and I hear the YAW deraileur is a big improvement

cale

If you get an 11spd bike, will you sell the 10spd you own? (rhetorical) Adding a bike is fun and if I can borrow your analogy of "stable", variety among your "horses" fit different interests. I've never successfully owned two racing bikes where one wasn't neglected (at least in the sense of "not ridden much"). That's not a stable which is working to maximize your biking interests.

Just something that might factor into your 11 vs 10 speed thought process.

rpenmanparker 

What's this horrible front shifting I keep hearing about? My 2009 Red FDs (pre-Yaw) shift great. And on FSA cranks, too. Can you imagine?

noodle soup

I'm not sure, but Andy might have a thought on the subject.

Lazyass

I don't know if the OP is going to return to his thread, but if he wants to run a 32T he'll need a long cage derailleur, and if he wants a 34 he'll need a MTB derailleur.

Bike Gremlin

I'd rather go with 3x8 for several reasons.

But yes, 11 will give you one more cog between the ones you get with a 10 speed cassette. If that's makes a significant difference.

Harvieu25

Part of me, the weak non-fit part, wants a 34 cog, but will using it on a 10/11 speed make the shifting bad? I've been looking at a used 10 speed, but the 11 peaks my interest. I would not be selling my current bike, but if the 11 is better then an upgrade might be in order.

Bike Gremlin

Shimano road 10 speed shifting is the worst I've seen.

11 speed has even tighter gaps between sprockets, however, cable pull ratio is longer, so it should work a little bit better.

Having said this, 11 speed cassette is wider still than a 10 speed one, making wheel even more strangely spoked. Here's what I mean:


So I'd much rather go with 3x8 - a narrow 8 speed "road" cassette, with a 3rd small bail out ring for when exhausted on long climbs. Cheap to buy, easy to set up. Recently switched 10 speed 105 drivetrain for an 8 speed Claris/Sora one - works flawless.

milkbaby

I think it depends on the terrain you're riding and what kind of rides you mostly do.

I live in a flat area and my preferred 10 speed cassette is 12-25t paired with 53/39 chainrings. Like Homebrew mentioned, most of the Shimano 11 speed cassettes start off with the 11t, so that's not so advantageous for me, because I'd rather have the 18t as my new eleventh cog than a 11t. I've ridden 40+ mph on 53x12, and so the 11t is mostly useless for me, versus an 18t which gives me a little more gearing in the cadence ranges I typically feel most comfortable at.

If you have hills, some of the Ultegra and 105 cassettes have a 32t as the largest cog which would be nice for some hard climbs.

Not sure of the gearing available on the SRAM 11 speed cassettes, but it's worth checking those out for additional options.

bbattle

I just wish somebody would make a 12-27 or 12-28 11-speed cassette that didn't cost an arm and a leg and half my teeth like the Dura-Ace one. The 11-tooth cog is pretty worthless to me.

Lazyass

11 speed is a scam.

noodle soup

You do realize that Campagnolo and Shimano both offer 12-25 11 speed cassettes, right?

bleui

is it much harder to hoard 8sp cassettes? is the price now higher/lower than when they were the latest?