bikerjp

I know they are very similar but the steps at the top are a bit different and I don't have much experience with these things. I have the 12-27 now and need a new cassette for a new set of wheels. I don't need anything smaller than 12 as I almost never use the 12 anyway. But I do use the 27 on climbs and a 28 would be just a tab bit better. However, what I mostly use are the 15-24 with the front 50. That is where I end up doing 90% of my pedaling and there doesn't seem to be a big difference between the two.

I feel I do end up cross-chaining a lot as the upper 3 cogs tend to be ideal on small-ish hills and it's easier to do that than shift the front. the 12-28 gives just slightly different cogs there and my help or hurt some. Is gaining the 28 worth the change from 24-27 to 23-28? I don't know why they made that second cog smaller on the 12-28 (a 5 tooth jump instead of 3).

Also, does a 28 fit a short cage Rival derailleur? I've heard both yes and no and I don't see it on the specs on Sram's website. Thanks.

badhat

i have a couple of 28 tooths that i run with no trouble on both a short rival and a short Red derailleur. no prob there.

only you can answer the "is it worth it" question though. gaps arent that big a deal unless youre racing, imo.

Dean V

How about swapping the 50 for a 46. As long is the 46/12 is enough gear for you it will help reduce the cross chaining. Could also go to a 11-28 with it and then the 46/11 wouldn't be much different to your 50/12. If the inner is a 36 you could go to a 34 there too.

Seattle Forrest

Personally, I went from a 12-25 to an 11-28, and the gaps were too much for me. Since then, I've been wary of trying to cover too much range at the expense of big spacing between the gears.

Menel

11-25 to 11-28

Gaps are annoying. Greatly useful in the mountains I climb, really annoying in my day to day routes around my home and through the valleys and flattish lands.

Gonna try 12-27 sometime in the future.

bikerjp

That's the dilema I'm trying to solve.

Front chain ring changes are an interesting idea but expensive.

cuattop

12-27 still has gaps but did not get the job done for me. I am happy with the 11-28(gaps and all).

JTGraphics

Also depends on who's 11-28 you are talking about Shimano or Sram- Sram spacing is better for sure.

bikerjp

The gearing I mentioned above is from SRAM PG1070 cassettes. Although I've heard that Shimano Ultegra has quieter, smoother shifting cassette. I don't know if that's true or not but my current drivetrain is kind of noisy and was from the day I bought it. Are Sram/Shimano cassettes interchangeable?

badhat

yeah theyre interchangeable

yeah sram chain/cassette combos tend to be a little noisier than shimano

i know of people who have SRAM hardware but use shimano chains and cassettes.

i prefer dura ace chains, 1070 cassettes and all red hardware.

JourneyLightly

The SRAM 11-28 cassette is 22-25-28, and the 12-28 is 21-24-28, so there isn't a 5-tooth jump from any cog to the next, if that's what you meant in your first post. My experience with SRAM cassettes has been that they start out very noisy but quiet down after a few long rides. Hope that helps!

JTGraphics

I fill that the 1070 is about the same noise level and the Shimano now the Red 1090 is way noisier!
The Sram and Shimano cassette's can be swapped around on the hub as long as you have a Shimano hub on your wheel, if you have a Sram hub then you can not put a Shimano cassette on it.

bikerjp

My bad. I read the specs wrong. Thanks for clarifying.

I have about 500 miles on my caad now and the drive train is still noisy like the first day. Not sure I feel like mixing stuff though.

bikerjp

Well, I'm thinking of giving the Ultegra cassette a try. Unfortunately they don't make a 12-28 only an 11-28. Not a big difference but I want to give something with more gaps a try. I don't race and do ride hills quite a bit so more options seems better than smooth jumps.

Bob Ross

Ha! I was about to say just the opposite!

danvuquoc

I'll find out how it is over the next few days, I'm just finishing up putting a brand new red group. Bought an 11-25 and an 11-28.