Cassette Gearing Quiver

[PNW]

So I'll have two different wheelsets by the end of this week.

1.) HED C2s/Chris King R45s
2.) Shamal Ultra C17s

I currently have a Chorus 12-29 cassette and am going to be grabbing an additional cassette. What would be the best ratio for me to have all around in addition to my 12-29? I am running a 50/34 up front. Preferably would like an 11-something but want feedback!

Thanks!


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[oliver1850]

Pretty sure you can get 11-23, 11-25, 11-27, and 11-29 among various models.

[fogrider]

this is a very personal question. I live in San Francisco and it' very hilly here. And over the years, I've taken to riding in the big ring as much as possible and bigger cogs...

[PNW]

I guess what I'm asking is...will a 12-29 give me enough easy gears to climb and enough on the flats? I'm not mountain goat..if a 12-27 or a 12-29 will be a good all around cassette then I'll buy an additional one.


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[sitzmark]

Climb what? Over what distance? What max sustained grades?

Personally I run 50/34 front rings on drop bar bikes. Occasionally swapped in 52/36 in the past, but haven't done that for a couple of years. For 10s wheelsets I've standardized on 11x23 and 11x28 cassettes. 11x23 for solo fitness riding around suburban/rural routes and 11x28 for centuries with significant hills or when I know the "gang's" ride objective is to hammer and include every hill in the area. I ride big ring mostly and will cross chain if needed to carry momentum over rollers. Cassette/wheel selection depends on how much I anticipate needing to drop my front ring.

For 11s wheelsets I run 11x28 - the extra cog keeps mid-range ratios tight and allows for whatever hills pop up along the way.

Recently I reconsidered gearing for VT's 6 gap ride - 135 miles/12k+/6 major climbs with sustained grades of 15%+ and a couple of 20-24% sustained grades for up to a mile. Initially I considered 11x32 (11s), but ultimately decided to go XD driver body and 10x42. 10x40 would have been ideal, but machined "monoblock" cassettes are 10x42 so went with that. I'm old and decided I was damn well not going to stop or walk any climb on the ride. The 30 and 40 somethings in the group razzed me - which was cool - but they all walked in the 20% grades. I neither stopped or walked. 10x42 is now in my 11s box of options for "extreme" terrain - Wolftooth RoadLink and interchangeable drive bodies makes the swap a 20 min exercise. I had concerns about the 2t jumps in mid-range for spans between climbs, but it actually worked fine.

As fogrider said - it's personal. What are the specifics and objectives for what you want to accomplish? One or two choices does not make a "quiver", but a couple of cassettes can cover a LOT of territory.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by PNW

I guess what I'm asking is...will a 12-29 give me enough easy gears to climb and enough on the flats? I'm not mountain goat..if a 12-27 or a 12-29 will be a good all around cassette then I'll buy an additional one.


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Gearing is personal..no way to say. 'Some' can climb 'that hill' in a 39/23, some need a 34/29+....Remember tho, when you add cogs at the ends(11t and 29/30t)), even on 11s, you lose an interior cog(s), like the 16 or 18..probably use that way more than an 11t.

[chiasticon]

super personal question, specific to riding style and region of riding. in a given area, some can do great on 53/39 with an 11-23 out back, while some prefer 50/34 with a 12-29. the former like to push big gears at a low cadence, the latter like to spin smaller gears at a high cadence. different strokes, as they say...

my understanding, though I could be wrong, is that you're just getting back into riding. if that's the case, I'd say give it some time to see what you like or don't like about your current gearing options. alternatively, if you're looking to have one wheelset set up for climbing days and one for flatter ones, just get an 11-23 to contrast against your 12-29. try to find one used, so you can sell it with minimal loss if it's not your thing.

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by PNW

I guess what I'm asking is...will a 12-29 give me enough easy gears to climb and enough on the flats? I'm not mountain goat..if a 12-27 or a 12-29 will be a good all around cassette then I'll buy an additional one.

Since you decided on 12-29 for one set, then why not try that out first. If you need more than 12 on the flats, then go 11 on the other cassette, and if find you don't need the 29, then go 11-27.

And if 29 is "not low enough", there are 11-32 and 12-32 options (but you will need a longer chain for a 32).

[R3awak3n]

I would get a 11-29 for my other cassette. You are in oregon, plenty of hills over there. Also its nice to keep your chainlenghts the same between both wheelsets.