EastTNrider

Just bought a set of slightly used Shimano RS80 Clincher wheels for my 2013 Bianchi Impulso. Got a great deal on them and they even came with the Ultegra 6700 10s rear cassette with 12-25 still on them. My current cassette is a Tiagra 10s 11-28 and I am wondering whether I should keep the new cassette on or put my stock one back on the new wheels. I live in a very hilly/mountainous area of East TN, so climbing and descending are a constant. Is one of these better for that than the other?

Lazyass

Take one minute to switch them and see.

caloso

How often do you use the 28? If never, then no. If always, then yes. If sometimes, then .....

Elvo

Always upgrade. Never downgrade.

Homebrew01

Yup.

You already have everything right in front of you. Why would we know any better than you, since you can go ride it and find out ?

Lazyass

I had an 11-28 and hated it. The gearing was way too wide.

TrojanHorse

I have an 11-32 and love it. Depends on your terrain & fitness/fatness.

PhotoJoe 

I have a 12-28 and really don't notice how wide it is. I'm actually thinking of swapping to an Ultegra 12-30 or SRAM 12-32. I have limited leg strength and would much rather have the lower gears than an 11 for downhill. My 235 lbs. helps me down the hills just fine!

OP - calaso nailed it. Do you use anything bigger than a 25 now? I'd bet you do if you live in hilly country. But if not, leave it be. I would not make your decision based on Tiagra vs. Ultegra though.

Pedalocity

Me too. One of the nice things about upgrading from Ultegra 6700 11-28t to putting a long-cage derailleur on my new bike is that the Ultegra 6800 11-32t cassette has the exact same first 10 gears as my old bike, but gives me a 32t for steeper climbs at my clyde weight.

Edited to add: Huh, scratch that, turns out they're not quite the same. The 6700 11-28 is 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,21,24,28 while the 6800 is 11,12,13,14,16,18,20,22,25,28,32. Still pretty close though...

RollCNY

I have a single speed and love. Hope that helps.

gregjones

By using a gear calculator you can see the relative differences of the gear ranges.

Plug your numbers in for gear/cog teeth and have at it.

I doubt that you'd have much use for 11t in Choo-Choo and I'm sure at times 28t isn't enough!!

brianmcg123

I live 30 miles north of you and I am currently running a 12/23 on a compact crank. I really like the closer spacing of the 12/23 but if I ever do 3State again I will switch back to the 28.

Try the 25 you may surprise yourself. You will like the spacing better and you may not miss the 28 unless you climb Lookout every day.

spdracr39

I use an 11-28 an have no problem with the spread. I don't think the quality difference in the cassettes is even a factor.

EastTNrider

Ok I think everyone who said to ust try it and see was dead on. Funny how that thought didn't even really register at first. I definitely use the 28 for the big sustained climbs that riddle the Chattanooga area. Would only being able to get to 25T improve my climbing strength/ability over time? What kind of rear derailleur adjustment would I need to make to fit it?

bbattle

I'm not too far from you and have used both cassettes. The 28 is certainly nice to have when you need it. There is really little difference in ultegra and tiagra cassettes other than a bit of weight. You'll certainly appreciate the difference between the 25 and the 28 far more than the difference between the 11 and the 12. I have an 11-28 11-spd. cassette now and the 11 is pretty much useless for me.

As Greg Lemond said, the climbs don't get easier, you get faster. Since the cassette with the 28 probably has a 24 or 25 cog already; if you find the 28 too slow, you can shift into the higher gear or just not use the 28 at all. When the cassette needs replacing, you'll know which one to get.

EastTNrider

So what would you say off the bat I should do? Keep the old one and just not use the 28?

loimpact

2 comments.........

#1 .) That 30 seconds it takes to take swap cassettes is only viable if the old cassette comes off easily. Just like taking a wheel off your car or plunging the toilet.

#2 .) Sounds like you're not debating options above 28T anyway, but if you do, be aware that your rear derailer cage (assuming it's a "short") may not handle a 30T or 32T, so 28T may be tops for you regardless.

EastTNrider

Definitely not considering anything about a 28T. Just debating between the current 28 and the new 25 if I want to put it on. I think I'll just try out the 25 I think and see what I think

fstshrk

My ideal cassette would be:

12,13,14,15,17,19,21,24,28, 30

I think the Shimano 12-30 comes pretty close to this in the 10 speed version.

loimpact

FIFY

(11sp FTW)

bbattle

I'd go with the 11-28.

Lazyass

If you have a chainwhip and lockring tool any cassette will come off in 30 seconds.

StanSeven

I've seen very experienced mechanics in shops have lots of trouble getting cassettes off quickly. They all don't just pop off, although I've had pretty good luck the last several I did. Then it's always a good idea to adjust the rear d/r because shifting sometimes in slightly off from gear wear, etc.

Lazyass

If you really have then they need to start securing the lockring tool with a wheel skewer. I broke loose a lockring that was locktited on, it popped easily with my 12 inch wrench.

rm -rf

Campagnolo had the right idea. They have a 13-29 10-speed:
13 14 15 16 17 19 21 23 26 29
and 13-26
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 23 26 (adds 18, deletes 29)
They have similar cassettes in 11 speed, adding the 12 cog to the above choices.

I kind of miss the 18 cog. When I'm riding 18-21 mph, I'm always a little too fast or two slow on cadence, and the 18 falls right in the middle there. But I keep the 13-29 on the bike for the hills over 8% grade.

I don't see how riders that need cogs over 25 will also want an 11 cog. It just means that useful cogs in the middle get deleted. I can spin my top 50-13 gear up to 33 mph, and coast on steeper downhills.