kahn

re: https://www.interlocracing.com/cassettes_steel.html

I did not get a response from IRD so I figured I'd get responses from 'bike mechanics!'

I would like to achieve lower gearing, if possible, to deal with aging knees and Seattle-environ's steeper hills.

I've read the information on your site but still have questions since there is reference
to "mountain bike components" that can handle your wider ranging cassettes while I have ROAD components.


I have a Shimano Ultegra triple crank: Hollowtech II Crankset FC-6603

I have a Shimano Ultegra 10-speed rear derailleur (12-27T) that tops out with a rear cog of 27.

It is: Rear Derailleur RD-6600-GS.

According to Shimano's specifications it will handle:

Max. Sprocket 27T

Min. Sprocket 11T

Max Front Difference. 23T

Total Capacity 38T

I am considering your 11-32T or 12-32T cassettes for Shimano if that
would work. I understand that Shimano is conservative in their
specifications and believe it can be upgraded???

I already have another, older road bike with 24-42-52 and
12 14 16 18 21 24 28 32 gearing and know it will be SLOW (and wobbly)
on steep climbs which is fine.

Thanks in advance

Sheldon Brown

Shimano is conservative, and we routinely sell cassettes with 30 tooth sprockets for use with Shimano's so-called "road" derailers.

However, generally, 30 is as big as these can handle. Your present derailer is very unlikely to be able to handle a 32.

Fortunately, derailers are cheap, considerably cheaper than cassettes, in fact!

You need one of the models with the long "SGS" cage, such as a Deore, LX, or XT. (XT is "Ultegra level" if you're hung up on the snob value issue.)

Shimano's marketeers call wide-range derailers "mountain" parts, but that's just marketing talk. Wide-range derailers were formerly called "touring" equipment, but the marketeers retired "touring" as a buzzword in the late 1980s.

Sheldon "SGS" Brown

Al1943

According to Shimano specs your 10-speed Ultegra triple has 52-39-30 chainrings. One alternative is to replace the 30 with a 28, or possibly a 26 but I would worry about shifting performance with a 26.

A custom 13-28 or 13-30 10-speed cassette is another good alternative, but running a 30 cog may take some derailleur tweaking.

Al

kahn

First, THANKS for answering.

30 may be more than enough (this year!) I shall plug a 30 into my equation and see what pops up or maybe down.

Regarding the long "SGS" cage models, do I recall that Shimano has some kind of "reverse" spring action on their newer ones? That is, am I looking for any particular one? Oh, yes, and this is TEN speed, so will that make a difference?

rmac

Do you know where you can buy a custom 10sp 13-30 cassette or even who makes a 10sp 30 cog?

Al1943

Haven't researched that, but there shouldn't be any problem running a generic 30 cog on a 10-speed cassette as long as it is spaced for a 10-speed. A small extra thickness for one cog at the end of the stack shouldn't hurt anything. The larger diameter cog diameter is more of an issue. This might require an extra long "B" screw.

Al

kahn

In addition to the link in my original message to IRD, there is also

https://www.cycle-dynamics.com/ - A Canadian outfit with pricy titanium cassettes.

rmac

Well, there is a problem. The end cog does not have a flat back like most cogs do. IRD (besides Shimano) is the only company I've found that makes them and they do not make a 30.

Sheldon Brown

I don't know anybody doing a 30 in 10 speed.

The better Shimano SGS derailers are "low normal" ("reverse action" a.k.a. "RapidRise.")

I bought an XT to replace the stock Ultegra that came on my Raleigh Cadent 4.0. I don't have a wide cassette on that bike, just the stock 12-25.

I swapped the derailer not because I needed the range. I did it because I wanted the improved downshifting of the low-normal design, and because it made it less confusing going back and forth between my two Campagnolo Ergo equipped bikes and the Shimano equipped Raleigh.

Sheldon "Low Normal" Brown

HillRider

A 26T granny works just fine on all of the many 7,8 and 9-speed cranks I've installed them on to replace the stock 30T. I've never tried it on a 10-speed but I'd expect it to work well too. Upshifting from the 26T to the 39T may be a bit sluggish but you are unlikely to be in a real hurry for that shift. Also, you won't be able to use the granny with the smallest few cogs but that is no sacrifice either.

One advantage is that a 26T chainring is a lot cheaper than either a new cassette or a new rear derailleur.

serpico7

I'm considering going with your 13-30 Century Special 9sp with my Ultegra 6600 10sp groupset. Will the alternate cable routing on your site make the 10sp shifter play well with the 9sp cassette?

Sheldon Brown

Yep.

Sheldon "Terse" Brown

serpico7

I emailed one of your colleagues at Harris earlier about moving to lower gearing, and received answers that don't agree with some of the stuff you've written. Hoping you can provide some clarification.

Copied from email:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can I use any of these[list of cassettes, including the 13-30 Century Special] with my existing Ultegra 6600 rear derailleur?

No, since it's probably a short cage model.

If I use a 9sp cassette, will using the “alternate cable routing” that Sheldon describes here (https://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adj...html#alternate) allow for crisp shifting?

No. That method is not accurate enough. The better solution would be a JTek adapter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Measuring center to center on the jockey wheels, my derailleur is 5cm. I'm guessing this is considered short (and not medium) cage?

From the Harris site: "The "Century Special" is our most popular custom cassette. It works with all modern derailers, even short cage models."

So it would seem the Harris rep is contradicting both the site (in terms of whether the Century Special is compatible with short cage RDs) and Sheldon (in terms of whether the alternate cable routing produces accurate shifting). If it matters, and I don't think it does except in terms of wrap, I am using a 50/34 crank.

Thanks for all the informative articles on your website, Sheldon.

Sheldon Brown

Who was the email from? I'll set him straight.

Sheldon "It Works" Brown

serpico7

Sheldon, I sent you an email with the exchange I had with a Harris rep; it includes his name (figured there was no reason to name him on this msg board). If for some reason, it doesn't come through, send me a PM, and I'll resend.

So you think the 13-30 Century Special will work with my short cage Ultegra derailleur? I don't think chain wrap will be an issue, because I only need to wrap 33t with this setup (50-34)+(30-13), and from one of your articles, I gather that an Ultegra short cage mech can wrap up to 36t. So the real rear mech issue is whether it can accomodate a 30t cog.

And the 10 speed shifter with the 9sp cassette will give crisp shifting (as opposed to merely serviceable shifting) using the alternate cable routing?

Sheldon Brown

We sell dozens of Century Special cassettes for exactly this application, that's what it was designed for. Although Shimano's Official Party Line says their "road" derailers won't work with anything bigger than 27 teeth in back, that's not actually true.

See: https://sheldonbrown.com/capacity

In almost all cases it works fine with any Shimano derailer. In a very few cases, where the geometry of the frame's derailer hanger is non-standard, we have had to upgrade to a wide range ("mountain") rear derailer, but it is quite unusual to need to do this. Fortunately, suitable derailers are not expensive.

You will need a new chain as well. (You should always replace the chain when installing a new cassette in any case.) I recommend the SRAM PC59.* https://harriscyclery.com/chains

I've used the alternate cable routing with a 9-speed cassette on my Raleigh Cadent 4.0 (Ultegra 10) and it worked fine.

Sheldon "Compatibility" Brown