BLegat

Hi,

I'm new and was wondering if I can swap from this 42/52 tooth crankset & 8 speed rear cluster cassette size to an 11-28 or 12-27 (both new ones i'm looking at are Shimano along with the current group set on my bike is Shimano) Is it possible to put one of those rear cassettes on my bike and if not what would people recommend putting on the rear?

kleng

It depends if your Shimano rear derailleur is a long or short cage.

Long or short derailleur cage?

NormanF

You can even put a mega range cassette on a road bike. "Road" and "Mountain" are marketing terms. Their components are interchangeable and you can even mix and match them.

BLegat

it's a short derailleur cage, by the website of the brand of bike I have it's a 16 speed and I feel l need bigger gears & as I live in a hilly area and am having a hard time getting up some hills avg gradient of the majority is between 4-8% in some sections of the hills it's up to 10%+. So if a 11-28 & 12-27 rear cassette isn't applicable for my bike what would people recommend so I can get up these type of hills easier. Thanks

Fiery

You can use an 11-28 cassette with a standard short cage road derailleur. The only question is can you find one in 8 speed. If you don't feel like buying a new crankset, you could also at least replace the 42 chainring with a 39 without spending too much.

BLegat

As stated before i'm new to cycling (am a long distance runner who is currently injured with a stress fracture) so cycling talk is new to me. I know basic stuff like what the cassette and crankset and derailleur etc. is and where they are on my bike but don't know what they mean and basically I want to put bigger gears on my bike as i'm currently struggling with getting up hills. So basically what i'm asking is it possible to put say like a 10 or 11 speed shimano rear cassette on it with a short derailleur in like 11-28 with a 42/52 crankset? is that possible? and can someone please explain or link with the meaning of all the things I have mentioned sorry if before I wasn't clear enough. Thanks

stephtu

People would term what you want "smaller gears" not "bigger". It's a bigger cassette, bigger largest rear cog, but leads to a smaller gear ratio as your low, since what matters is # of teeth on smallest chainring divided by # of teeth on biggest rear cog.

You cannot switch from 8-speed to 10/11 speed without a ton of changes. Your shifters are 8-speed, it's expensive to change these to 10, assuming STI integrated brake/shift levers. You'd also basically have to change out your entire drivetrain, as 10 speed is using narrower chain. Not a good idea IMO, when replacing this much it's more economical to just buy a new bike, unless it's some really special classic frame.

How many teeth are on your largest rear cog now? Changing to 28 may not be a big enough change if it's already say a 25 or 26. You may want to get a 12-32 8-speed cassette. The gaps between gears will be a little larger than most would prefer, but will get you the range you need. Also as suggested change your small chainring to a 39. You'll likely need to get a different rear derailleur, a MTB one (8 or 9 speed), and a new longer chain to handle the greater # of teeth and range. Going to only 28 can avoid getting new derailleur, but also may not be low enough to comfortably get over the steeper stuff.