reefer

My 7-speed cassette wore out and my LBS replaced my 11-24 with an 11-28. They claim it was the closest they could get. Not sure I buy that.

If anything, I would have preferred a 12-25. I'm thinking of saving the 11-28 for the hills and switching to a 12-21 or 13-23 for the flats. I hate the big ratio jumps with only 7-speeds.

What do other 7-speed owners run?

Reynolds 

13/21, but no hills here.

the beef

My 7-speed bike has a 13-26 with plenty of hills around here.

BoSoxYacht

On my old Trek I have a 13-23. It came with a 12-28 and a 30-39-53 triple crankset. With a triple, 13-23 is plenty for anything where I live.

Now I'm using a 53-39 double crankset with an Ultegra-10 12-25 cassette. It works sooo much better

DieselDan

11-28 myself.

Reynolds 

That's a MTB cassette.

clausen

I'm using a 14-28 with a 52/42 chainrings on my old steel beater. Not very much top end but I only use it on the trainer and slow rides with my wife.

mollusk

Nashbar sells a 13-24:

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...:%20Freewheels

I have one for my "beater" and it is "OK", but I really prefer a nice old Suntour freewheel.

operator

It's still a cassette.

Then don't. There are plenty of places to buy 7 speed cassettes only in whatever gearing you want.

Starclimber

12-21 is ok for moderately hilly for me. I can spin up 4-5% grades with that without difficulty. I have a 13-23 I haven't used yet, and a 12-28 that came with the wheel I'll be happy to slap on should I travel somewhere mountainous. Chainrings are a slightly odd 51-41. Oh, and I have an 11-19 I bought cheap on a whim for REALLY flat country. Check Ebay for NOS cassettes...that's where all mine came from.

TrackSmart

6-speed and I run a 13-30. We've got serious topgraphy in this part of the world, so the wider gear range is far more valuable than having more closely spaced gear ratios. It's a trade-off: pick the one that suits your riding style and local topography. Personally, I think an 11-28 should offer some fine utility for a place with varied terrain, but is a pretty big spread for those who live in places like Florida and Kansas...

DieselDan

I do have a 12-21 I use for racing. I plan on putting that on my new wheelset when it is ready.

Wil Davis

I've been building some wheels for my Schwinn Super Sport, and have been experimenting with different cassettes. The crankset on the bike is 52/46/34 and I've found a 7-speed 12-28 cassette gives me some useful gears, although it's not incredibly hilly around here (Southern New Hampshire). I also have a 13-30 which gives me slightly lower gears, but the 52/13 is still long enough not to spin out on the long downhills. I have an 11-28, which on the road bike means the 53-11 is a bit high for my taste; it works out better on my MTB (Shimano cassettes are so versatile!) I also have a 11-34 (Mega) which only really works on the MTB. I have a 12-21 8-speed cassette, which is interesting; nice close gears, but it means I spend more time using the 34 chainring on the front. I also have a 11-32 9-speed cassette, but this only gives me the same ratios as the 11-28 and the 13-30 combined (plus the low 32), and I've found that here again the 53-11 is a bit long for my riding.

Hope this helps -

- Wil

cyclezen

13-21 with a 52/42/30. Finally conceded that crawling up some of the long/steep climbs out here was less fun than a good poke in the eye, so I finally shelved my old 53/42 cranks. It was fine in my younger days, but not anymore.
Man, that 30-21 feels like you can pull stumps... nice...