mattfeet

So right now I have an 06 Fuji Newest 1.0 and was wondering which cassette would give me the most benefit in the climbing department. At performance, they have an Ultegra 12/27,11/23, and 11/25. Any help would be most appreciated!

-Matt

garysol1 

12-27 would be your best choice for climbing

mattfeet

Thank you much.

-Matt

mattfeet

It has a 12-26 now, would a 12-27 be that much of a difference? In other words, would it be worth the 50.00?

-Matt

garysol1 

Probably not. What do you have up front? Triple, Double or Compact?

late

https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html#9

Look at the Century Special.

joshalope

Doesn't a 27 require a long cage deraileur? Also, for what it's worth I do a ton of climbing on a 12-25

voltman

No.

the beef

It would decidedly not be worth an extra $50 to go from a 12-26 to a 12-27. Maybe an 11-28 or 11-30 with a long cage. Or if you have a double up front, consider swapping to a triple or (if you want to try and look manly/trendy), a compact.

Phantoj

The 06 Fuji Newest came with a compact. 36t small ring. Can a smaller (34t) ring be put on it?

Also, you can pop on an MTB cassette for really low gears. I'd say get a cheap 9-speed MTB cassette and run it until you get the fitness to turn a 36X26...

spunky

That all depends upon how strong of a climber you are.
I use a 39/53 in the front and 11-23 in the back.

roadfix

Yep, the choice would depend on your fitness level.

Nagedzi

...and the hills you plan to climb!

rbrsddn

I use 39/53 and 11/25. Got a 34 on the Mtn bike for great climbing.

banerjek

Yes. You will notice the difference between 36T and 34T up front, though unless you spend lots of time on really steep hills, it might not be worth the price unless you change the ring yourself (very easy, BTW).

On a 9 speed setup, the last 2 cogs are different on a 12-26 and 12-27. 12-26 has 23 and 26 for the last cogs, 12-27 has 24 and 27. You may notice a slight difference.

If I were you, I'd just ride the bike awhile and maybe swap out the rings and cassettes later. I run a compact with 34T in the front and a 12-27 in the rear myself. It's a great setup.

munkyv22

No.

msheron

My setup is a R700 crank 50-34 with a 12-27 rear cassette for where I live. Works great.

munkyv22

53/39, 12-27 works fine for me in Albuquerque.

Brandy

That's what I'm using now, though I just had it swapped out this week and haven't had a chance to do much climbing on it yet. I did the Stagecoach Century yesterday and there was about 4500ft (give or take) of climbing and it seemed to work well. I'll get a better idea when I do a route I've done before so I can compare.

johnny99

This question is way to vague. The best cassette for climbing depends a lot on your fitness level and the length and steepness of your hills. A strong rider will benefit from closer gear spacing so they can fine tune their cadence. A weaker rider may want the lowest possible gearing. Some cyclists will have different cassettes (perhaps mounted on different rear wheels) for different riding conditions.

rufvelo

It is usually the other one at home - definitely not the one that's just not helping in my currently struggle

merlinextraligh

I'd ride the bike as is. If you're strugglingon the terrain you usually ride, then you can go to a 27 in the back or 34 up front. Both will make pretty small increases. Or both togehter if you need to get substantially lower.

On the other hand, if you never use the 26, then you could go for an 11-23.

At any rate, unless you're dying on your climbs, I'd wear out the existing cassette before I changed it. IF you ride a lot, you'll likely need a new one in a year or so. By that time, you should know what if anything you'd like to change in your gearing.

msheron

Great for areas that most of your riding involves climbing unless your a great climber then a conventional 53-39 may do. I have found even with the 12-27 and 50-34 front crank I have not lost so much as to make me want to go to a conventional setup.

WheresWaldo

Any of these cassette might be a good choice:

https://cgi.ebay.com/Mixed-Lot-of-5-C...QQcmdZViewItem

Switching out your small front to a 34 would be a better choice than swapping cassettes.

teterider

Ideally a 12-21 straight block is best for climbing since you have the smallest incremental changes between gears and therefore can find the perfect gear and cadence for each small change in the incline. that is of course, if your strength and inclines you are climbing can take the 21.

For your last post, no, going from a 26T to a 27T large cog is not worth $50 and will to make that much difference that can't be overcome with a small extra effort.