Originally Posted by
j mazz
Thanks - great education!
i think i'll stay with the 11 - 26 as i like the 23 for the majority of the climb and fall back on the 26 to get me to the top. The 28 sounds nice but maybe too slow, i'll have to tough it out.
Hilly to me is 7 - 9% grades on average, i checked the signs for the trucks this morning.
RED will save me some weight so it seems smart for the extra $$
An 11-25 OG-1090 "Red" cassette weighs 161g with lock ring (weight weenies didn't have a measured weight for an 11-26). The lowest of the 3 shopping results returned by a Google search was $163.
An 11-26 OG-1070 cassette weighs 231g with lock ring. The best of five Google results was $51.
Assuming you weigh 140 pounds (like a 5'10" climber should) and are riding a 6.870 kg bike within striking distance of the UCI minimum the Red cassette will make you a full 0.099% faster up the steepest hills. The results will be proportionally less with a heavier rider and bike.
If you are currently competitive as a climber and plan on racing off the front to an up-hill mountain finish that will give you 3.6 seconds an hour on the chasing peleton and the extra $100+ is well spent every few years.
If you'd just like a shiny bauble (I admit to having carbon fiber cranks, carbon fiber and titanium in my derailleurs, a titanium seat post, etc. They make nice guy jewelry which costs far less than something pretty with an engine. I also get the least expensive Campagnolo cassettes that still come with nickel chrome finish so I don't feel bad dropping them in the trash can) that's fine too but be honest about it.
Otherwise it's not so smart.