Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
I'm not sure you're asking the same question that I'm hearing, and that's probably why I didn't see the answer. That, or my general cluelessness.
I changed from a 12-26 (?) a while ago to an 11-28. And, like you, I fear no hill now. But, occasionally, on the flats, I feel like the gap or spacing between two gears is just a little too much. I'll be spinning the pedals and decide it's time to shift, then my cadence might drop to 65 and I start using more leg muscle and less CV. Then I'll switch back, and my legs are flying around in circles so quickly I'll need to catch my breath.
Is this something you're noticing.
Yes, I was concerned about the mechanical smoothness of the shifts. The change in cadence is another issue. I'm adding the wide range cassette for a hilly riding event. I own two bikes, one has a triple the other has Compact crankset with the wide range cassette.
I'm using both a 105 road triple (50, 39 & 26t) with a 12-27 ten speed cassette on my Cyclocross/touring bike and the 50 & 34t compact with the 11-32 Apex ten speed cassette on my road bike. I agree the 12-26 (sic) will provide a much tighter range than the 11-32. I also find the 39t chain-ring very good to use on flat terrain.
All of my hill climbing comes in short 15 to 22% bursts, the longest such climb is less than two miles. I'll attend a 200k next week with 13,500 ft of climbing, but the steepest climbs are less than a mile long each. The longest decent will be 3 miles. For this event, I will be above 25 mph for 1/3 of the ride, below 10 mph for a 1/3 of the ride and the rest will be in the 10-25 mph range. The compact gearset with the 11-32 cassette has benefits in this rolling terrain. While rolling down hill, I shift to the big chain-ring and can stay on cadence at any speed above 15 mph. While heading uphill, I shift to the smaller chain-ring and stay on cadence from 6.5 to 22 mph. While my cadence will range from 85 to 100 rpm, I find this acceptable.
I will continue to prefer the triple on the CX/touring bike when most of the route is not very steep. On flatter routes, that include a few sharp climbs, the smallest chain-ring is used as a "bail-out" option. Here, the 39t chain-ring & 12-27 cassette is king, and can be used most of the time. It allows a narrow 90 to 100 cadence from 10 to 25 mph. The 50 chain-ring is only used on longer downhill descents.
My preference is to shift less often while remaining on cadence and having the range of gears needed. Sometimes the wide range double is the solution, other times the triple is better. If I had to use only one, it would be a triple.