Campy 11 cassette gearing

[druptight]

Campy cassette gearing question:

So I finally went to campy 11 speed
Compact up front 50/34.

I was riding 10 speed 13-29 previously: 13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-26-29

Felt like I needed one more bailout gear because I suck and am old so I went to the 12-32: 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-22-25-27-32

I historically (10 speed) tended to stay in the big ring up front and I apparently spent a lot of time in my 50/21 or 23 which is my cruising 17/ 18ish mph at 95/100 rpm. Now with 11sp I’ve got 19/22/25 and the jumps are brutal - as I feel like I’m constantly spinning too fast or cranking too hard with the 3 tooth jumps.

I’d love to forgo the 12 cog and replicate the 21/23/26 near the top but based on what I can see, don’t see 13 smallest cog choices on any 11 speed cassettes. I guess I may have to be open to living on the small cogs in my 34 ring which should provide most of the gearing I need but if there was a solution I’d much rather have a 13 with smaller jumps at the other end. Any options out there I’m missing? Also considered a 52 but right but still not sure that will help with those jumps.

Lastly I suppose I could ditch my 13 ring if they don’t make a 13 tooth starter cog, then replace 19 and 22 with an available 19/21/23 cog bunch that’s available?

Thoughts?

[zmalwo]

A 53/39 standard crankset using 39 - 16 has about the same ratio as 50 - 21. Have you thought about that? For campy 11s groupsets small - small actually keeps the chianline straighter than big - big.

[druptight]

Originally Posted by zmalwo

A 53/39 standard crankset using 39 - 16 has about the same ratio as 50 - 21. Have you thought about that? For campy 11s groupsets small - small actually keeps the chianline straighter than big - big.

I need easier gears than a 39 provides, 39/32 is less easy than the 34/29 it’s replacing.

[Nomadmax]

Originally Posted by druptight

Campy cassette gearing question:

So I finally went to campy 11 speed
Compact up front 50/34.

I was riding 10 speed 13-29 previously: 13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-26-29

Felt like I needed one more bailout gear because I suck and am old so I went to the 12-32: 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-22-25-27-32

I historically (10 speed) tended to stay in the big ring up front and I apparently spent a lot of time in my 50/21 or 23 which is my cruising 17/ 18ish mph at 95/100 rpm. Now with 11sp I’ve got 19/22/25 and the jumps are brutal - as I feel like I’m constantly spinning too fast or cranking too hard with the 3 tooth jumps.

I’d love to forgo the 12 cog and replicate the 21/23/26 near the top but based on what I can see, don’t see 13 smallest cog choices on any 11 speed cassettes. I guess I may have to be open to living on the small cogs in my 34 ring which should provide most of the gearing I need but if there was a solution I’d much rather have a 13 with smaller jumps at the other end. Any options out there I’m missing? Also considered a 52 but right but still not sure that will help with those jumps.

Lastly I suppose I could ditch my 13 ring if they don’t make a 13 tooth starter cog, then replace 19 and 22 with an available 19/21/23 cog bunch that’s available?

Thoughts?

48T chainring. I use them on two of my road bikes with braze on FD mounts and no kind of adapter. The FD bottom edge of the cage is further from the chainring teeth but I have no shifting problems whatsoever.

https://www.bike24.com/p2207587.html

I'm sure if you look around you can even find it cheaper.

[homagesilkhope]

Originally Posted by druptight

I guess I may have to be open to living on the small cogs in my 34 ring which should provide most of the gearing I need but if there was a solution I’d much rather have a 13 with smaller jumps at the other end.

Love your small ring (especially when combined with longer-lived steel cogs at the bottom of your cassette)! You were jumping five inches between 21 and 23 in your 50, which is the same as between 14 and 15 in the small ring, plus there are only four inches between 13 and 14.

[Ralph]

You just described why I still like the 10 speed cassettes. And for my riding around here....still prefer the 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-26. With 39/52 front usually. 4-1 top gear.

If I lived in mountains....no doubt would have a different preference.

Seems to me....when I go to the newer 11 or 12 speed cassettes...which start with very small cogs....will need to go smaller on front chainrings. The Campy 32-48 seems about right for me and my use. Or even a 30-46 (or 34-46) if I'm forced to use a cassette starting with 11.

Gotta remember....a 52/13, 48/12, and 44/11 exactly same top gear. And I don't need to be able to pedal past about 28-30 MPH. And that doesn't happen often around here for me. And like you....prefer the small gaps between cogs for my terrain.

[Dave]

I rode with a 50/34 and 12-32 on two bikes for a whole year. I did not consider the spacing between the largest 3 sprockets to be too large. It's all about the percentage difference, not the number of teeth. I absolutely needed a 34/32 to get up some of the hills in my area.

The 19-22 difference is a large 16% and the 22-25 is 14%. If you want to keep those percentages down, all you can do is use an 12-29 and a sub-compact crank, but you'd probably need a 46/30, like you can get from praxis.

As an example, if you're pedaling at 80 rpm and getting bogged down in the 19, shifting to the 22 would require 93 rpm. The same situation with a 21 on the cassette would require 88 rpm. That's significant.

The 19-22 shift apparently doesn't bother me. My 12-32 had it and so does my new 11-34 12 speed. I ride terrain with large changes in slope, so I'm rarely in one gear combo for very long.

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by Dave

I rode with a 50/34 and 12-32 on two bikes for a whole year. I did not consider the spacing between the largest 3 sprockets to be too large. It's all about the percentage difference, not the number of teeth. I absolutely needed a 34/32 to get up some of the hills in my area.

The 19-22 difference is a large 16% and the 22-25 is 14%. If you want to keep those percentages down, all you can do is use an 12-29 and a sub-compact crank, but you'd probably need a 46/30, like you can get from praxis.

As an example, if you're pedaling at 80 rpm and getting bogged down in the 19, shifting to the 22 would require 93 rpm. The same situation with a 21 on the cassette would require 88 rpm. That's significant.

The 19-22 shift apparently doesn't bother me. My 12-32 had it and so does my new 11-34 12 speed. I ride terrain with large changes in slope, so I'm rarely in one gear combo for very long.

Yes.....I have noticed that when I go to the NC mountains with my bike....the close ratio cogs I enjoy for flat to slightly rolling hills around here are too close for riding in mountains. There...when I shift down for climbing....it doesn't feel like I shifted down far enough. Sometimes have to go down two cogs to feel like I made enough difference. I enjoy the slightly larger cog gaps (%) for hilly or mountain riding.

When I go 12 speed....and 32/48....will probably get several 12 cassettes with new group purchase.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by Ralph

You just described why I still like the 10 speed cassettes. And for my riding around here....still prefer the 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-26. With 39/52 front usually. 4-1 top gear.

If I lived in mountains....no doubt would have a different preference.

Seems to me....when I go to the newer 11 or 12 speed cassettes...which start with very small cogs....will need to go smaller on front chainrings. The Campy 32-48 seems about right for me and my use. Or even a 30-46 (or 34-46) if I'm forced to use a cassette starting with 11.

Gotta remember....a 52/13, 48/12, and 44/11 exactly same top gear. And I don't need to be able to pedal past about 28-30 MPH. And that doesn't happen often around here for me. And like you....prefer the small gaps between cogs for my terrain.

I agree, the 46/30 crank (with a 12-29 11spd cassette) might be your solution. The 12-29 11spd cassette has all the same sprockets (and percentage difference between sprockets) as a 13-29 10spd cassette with a 12 tooth tacked onto the top. If you were happy with 50-13 top gear, a 46-12 give a nearly identical ratio. And the 30-29 low gear is slightly lower than a 34-32 low gear. So its win-win all around.

[druptight]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I agree, the 46/30 crank (with a 12-29 11spd cassette) might be your solution. The 12-29 11spd cassette has all the same sprockets (and percentage difference between sprockets) as a 13-29 10spd cassette with a 12 tooth tacked onto the top. If you were happy with 50-13 top gear, a 46-12 give a nearly identical ratio. And the 30-29 low gear is slightly lower than a 34-32 low gear. So its win-win all around.

This sounds like a good solution, does this mean I need to ditch the 4 arm chorus crankset I just bought though?

Before I go spending heaps, I may try to do more riding in the small ring and see how that goes.

[choke]

Originally Posted by druptight

I’d love to forgo the 12 cog and replicate the 21/23/26 near the top but based on what I can see, don’t see 13 smallest cog choices on any 11 speed cassettes.

I understand your frustration. I have one bike with 11sp...it came that way....and I hate the lack of a 13T first cog. The 12 is beyond useless for me.

The others are 10sp and will stay that way for as long as I can still get cassettes, which being Campy I imagine will be a long time.

I would like to have the 32 but it's my understanding that all of the Campy 11sp cassettes with a 32 have the last 4 cogs pinned together. If they made one with a loose 32 I'd graft that on to at least one bike since it runs friction so a spacing problem wouldn't matter.

Originally Posted by druptight

This sounds like a good solution, does this mean I need to ditch the 4 arm chorus crankset I just bought though?

You would have to if you want to go with a 30 small ring. But if you want to do 34/46 then TA makes one that would fit, the X145 series.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by druptight

This sounds like a good solution, does this mean I need to ditch the 4 arm chorus crankset I just bought though?

At the moment, yes. But the Chorus sub-compact crank's 96mm inner BCD could allow chainrings down to 30 teeth, and the 123mm outer BCD could allow chainrings down to 38 teeth - if anyone ever decides to make them. Campagnolo currently does not, and I haven't heard of any plans to do so.