11-36 Cassette compatibility
 

Hey everyone, it is coming time to replace my chain and cassette and having moved from a flat desert to a not so flat Portland, OR I am looking at making my bike more climbing friendly.

Being that I am a bigger guy with a double, albeit a compact, I am thinking of going with a larger rear cassette and found this http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...e.aspx?sc=FRGL which seems to be perfect for what I am wanting.

My bike is a 2005 Orbea Dauphine which came with Ultegra, I am assuming the rear derailuer to be a standard cage.

Now then, my two questions:

1) With this cassette should I be looking at a 10spd road chain, a 10spd MTB chain, or does it not matter.

2) Will I need to switch to a long cage rear derailuer?

Thanks a ton!

You'd need a Shimano MTB rear derailluer. Depending on your fitness a compact front and 36 rear may well be overkill for all but extreme terrain. Have you tried using an 11-28 rear cassette with your compact

what gearing do you have now? i'd think it would be a lot easier to change up your front rings than go to a mountain bike cassette... you could switch to a 32-48 with an 11-28 cassette and keep your road parts.

edit: pretty sure 110 bcd has lower than 34 rings. if not then woops ;)

To be honest I am not sure if I have a 25 or a 28 in the rear currently, I will have to check when I get home. If I do already have a 28 are their any options you are aware of to go larger than that while still using my current derailuer?

I had thought about going smaller rings up front also, but being that then I would be buying front rings, and a cassette and chain (mine are worn out), figured it might be better to go larger cassette.

Well, front rings and cassette are cheaper and easier to switch than cassette and derailleur

Fwiw, I have a compact and 12-27 now and while grades over 10% are a slog, it's not undoable. I'm 195lbs too and in maybe average shape. For my new wheels I got a 11-28 for just that tad more in low range but haven't ridden it yet as I'm waiting on the wheels. My understanding is more than 28 in the back and you need a long cage or mountain bike derailleur. If you already have that, then a new cassette isn't that expensive an experiment.

Nope, it's 34.

You can get a 110mm BCD 33t but on some cranks the chain sideplates hit the ends of the crank arms.

A shimano MTB derailleur may not shift to a 36t cog. They normally max at 34t. You can adjust the B screw to get a bit more clearance.
Use a 2010 or older 9sp derailleur. The 2011 10sp ones have a different cable pull and are not compatible with Shimano road shifters.

If youre making it on the 34x27 now and just want to be a little more comfortable, then look for a X-30 or X-32 cassette. 36t may be lower than you need, and the drawback to it is the wide gaps in the gear ratios.

dohh.. my mistake :) 34 x 28 is still pretty damn low.

Unless you have to go that route to get home for example, if you can't climb a hill with a 34X28, then best to avoid those gradients for now and work your way to those slopes. Six months of climbing easier hills with some weight loss that will likely come automatically will enable you to get to your goal. My concern is that you're likely straining way too much to get over that hill today.

I have an 6600 Ultegra 10sp triple bike that had a 12-27 in the back. I wanted the lowest gears I could get in the back.
My SO put a 10sp SRAM 12-36 on the back with a 9sp XT Shadow rear der. Works perfectly.
He set up a friends 105 10sp bike like this also. He used SLX level on hers.
The trick is to use the 9sp rear der., a 10sp one won't work.

Get the gears you need for the hills. You can't assume you will become more fit but you are certain to become older. Your knees will thank you. A 34 or 36t cassette will require a 9 speed long cage derailleur (LX, XT, etc.) It will work perfectly, I have many friends who use this setup.

I'm not the most skilled climber and definitely not the most fit at 190lbs and I can say I haven't came across many climbs in Oregon period that I could easily climb with a compact double and 12/27. Anything lower would have been quite overkill.