Originally Posted by
jaxgtr
The main reason for me moving her to the 14-28 is that while she is not going to be a speed demon, she will never use the 11, 12, or 13 tooth cogs which are going to be harder to pedal with the single chain ring up front, and to deal with the wind. Her general avg speed never typically tops 14-15 mph over large distances, and as the tallest "mountain" we have around here is called a bridge, and is 108 ft at the summit, the 28 tooth is plenty of climbing gear for her. The wind can get pretty strong here and notorious for switching directions mid ride, and I like having single tooth gap to deal with it, versus having 2 or 3 tooth gaps. I do not race, rarely if ever used the 11,12, or 13 locally anymore, have no worry about spinning out going down hill on a 108 ft bridge, and usually, just casually riding at an 18-20 avg mph. The 14-28 cassette works perfect for that scenario. If the wind kicks up in my face, the one tooth difference can make all the difference in hating life or enjoying life and I like to keep my cadence consistent. Now if I plan to ride with a group I know if going to be going fast, I can bring out my Emonda and use a 11-25 or 28 I have, but as I approach my 60's, riding 24/25 avg over 40 or 50 miles in not something I am doing on a regular basis, so for me, the 14-28's are exactly what the doctor ordered.
I guess I will have to pay more attention to the differences between teeth to get a sense when I ride. I rode at the Jersey shore this weekend and the wind along the beach can be more powerful than a hill I think. As a new rider also approaching my 60's, I doubt I could get to those high speeds. What cadences are normal for a bike ride? When I ride the Peloton (which is how I got into this) I think of 80 as my normal cadence, but so far I have a tough time getting that high on a real bike.
Now that we are discussing the rear cassette I was putting my bike in the car and looked at the rear closer than before. Is it normal for the teeth to have different shapes like you see in this picture or with some flat and some pointy or am I damaging them somehow? The bike is under 2 weeks old and has less than 100 miles on it, but I was surprised all the teeth did not look all the same. Is this anything I should be concerned about?