Originally Posted by Mr. Beanz

11-28 means the smalest gear in back is an 11 tooth gear/cog. The 28 is the biggest cog which is the highest gear.

I runa 12/25 with the standard (two rings) in the front.

Riders select their gears based on their preferred style. I like to spin (high rpm's) soa 12 as the small gear (gighest gear) in the rear is good because I wouldn't use an 11. It would be too hard to push for my style, so the 12 is plenty.

THe 28 is the easy climbing gear (low gear). I use a 25 as I can make it up most hills with the 25. A rider that struggles on the climbs would like a 28 as it would give him a few extra gear inches to climb a bit easier.

However, a rider must take into consideration the front gear setup. A standard double is two rings with a 53 big ring and a 39 small ring (other combos exist like a 53/42 etc.) the 53 is the big ring used for high speeds 9high gear) and the 39 for easy spinning (low gear)

SO if you have a triple up front (3 rings) you may not need an 11-28 as the low gear can be obtained by using the front small ring. SO some riders with a triple might prefer a 12/25 in teh rear so that the incremnets between shifts is minute.

A rider with the compact front (50-42?) might like the 11/28 as a rear cassette casue the 11 is a high gear that would compliment the 50 ring up front sine the 50 is smaller than the standard 53 of the standard double.

SO it pretty much depends on the gear you are spinning and what makes you comfortable.

Basic explanation