Guy with MS has a question about 11-28 rear cassette

JimmyK

Hi all

Im a 38 yr old guy and I have relapse and remitting Multiple Sclerosis , I am what I suppose you call a recreational rider as my wife will not let me join a cycle club as she worries about my health condition.

I cycle 3-4 times per week and knock up a weekly total 100 -120 miles . My average is about 18.5 mph and personal best is 19.3 mph on a 45 mile trip. My bicycle is a Trek 1000 racing bike which has a rear cassette which is 12-23 and at the front its a double set of cogs.

The MS does not affect my mobility in any way , but I have to respect it and not push myself to an exertion level that could have health repercussions for me. I was speaking to the riders at a respected outlet and I told them I wished I had some lower gears as I do a lot of coastal peninsular riding and there are some nasty hills to contend with . Add the wind factor to this and things can get tough , especially with the 23 cog being my lowest gear.

I was advised to replace the 12-23 with a rear cassette costing £35.00 that is 11-28.

I pointed out that the "racing " cogs top out at 12-27 and why shouldnt I go for that one ? It was pointed out to me that its better to have a little extra low gear than you need , rather than go looking for it and find out you have nowhere to go, I suppose there is logic in that assumption. I was concerned about the fitting of a cassette with mountain bike leanings to a racing bike as I did not want to fit anything that would compromise my flat speeds and certainly did not want to be spinning away wildly and topping out.

The guy in the shop is an ex Cat 1 rider and told me the 11-28 would suit me to a tee, he said it wouldnt compromise my speeds one bit but would give me greater flexability for tackling hills and wouldnt put me in a position where id be risking my health.

Can I ask, what changes would I notice when using a trek 1000 racer that comes with 12-23 rear cassette and changing it to 11-28 ? Your comments are greatly appreciated .

Jimmy

markos1963

I wouldn't worry about the 28 cog as Specialized have fitted a cassette like this(11-28 ) to their latest Tarmac Comp.

As for the difference,well I would imagineonce you've climbed over one of those mega climbs you should be shooting down the other side

aracer

The only issue you'll have is that with the 11-28 you'll get bigger gaps in the middle than with the 12-27 (and far bigger than you're used to with a 12-23). This is certainly not something which will prevent you from riding, and if you're not bothered about having to make bigger changes in cadence when changing gear then it won't be a problem at all - most road riders prefer closer spaced gears though if possible (otherwise we'd all still be riding 5-speed at the back). Meanwhile I imagine the 11 sprocket will be pretty much redundant for you. Given there isn't that much difference between a 27 and a 28 I'd be tempted to suggest going for the 12-27, but if you really do need a lower gear than the 27 gives then you'll probably miss having the 28 more than you'll miss having closer spaced gears.

oldwelshman

I agree with aracer, forget the 11 28 go for 12-27 will be better for the gaps in gears and if your going fast enough to need a 11, then your going fast enough to freewheel and take a rest and watch the seaguls

timoid.

Agree with aracer and OW, go for the 12-27. You don't need an 11 sprocket and the difference between 23 and 27 is pretty big and should see you over most humps.

Also, don't be afraid to join a club. A lot of them are friendly and don't want to rip your legs off. If you can spin at 18mph you're plenty fast enough for most sunday rides. Its a more fun way to put in the miles.

maddog 2

if you're on 8 spd then you can fit one of these ( XT 11-28 )

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... ModelID=47

28t is at the edge of what a road mech can handle though. Officially the limit is 27t.


if you want a 11-28 on 9spd then you have to get a SRAM cassette, like this one. This is compatible with a Shimano drivetrain.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=5045

otherwise you can go for a standard Shimano 12-27, as suggested.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=1094

12-27 is the safest bet IMO - you know it'll work with the rest of your kit and it should get you up most things. If you want lower still then you'd be better off with a compact chainset eg. 34/50.

itisaboutthebike

I disagree.

I don't particularly like the current Shimano 12-27 cassette. The jumps between the last three largest cogs are too big (21,24,27). This is supposed to be a 'climbing' cassette after all.

A better cog spacing would be 12,13,14,15,17,19,21,23,25,27 giving a better spacing of the larger cogs. I hope Shimano address this when they bring out thier 11-28 cassette next year.

You don't say what cogs the 11-28 has. If it has reasonable spacing I'd go for that (if it's 9 or 10 speed) - if it's 8 speed the gaps mite be just a little too big.

JimmyK

thanks folks for the replies and advice

I was down at the bike shop this morning , what do you think of this course of action i have taken ?

On a sustained steep hill, the 23 is just not low enough for me and I have to ensure I dont overdo it, gear 12 is one that you have to be going flat out to use and by then you are admiring the scenery. The 11-28 , as it turns out, has big changes between cogs and I dont like that , the consistency in a well sorted out road cassette , to me, is eminently preferable to a mtb cassette.

So................I told the dude in the shop all this and I said I wanted 8 gears I could actually use and be able to keep up my 18.5 - 19 + mph averages without spinning wildly and going nowhere, said cassette should give the added flexability for the climbs yet contribute to good speed on the flats. A last requirement was that there shouldnt be any huge differences between the cogs .

What we came up with and what I placed an order for was a Shimano 8 speed 13-26 rear cassette, in my opinion just a nice top end and enough low gearing to tackle those hills. What do you guys think of this course of action ? When I saw the spacing of the cogs on the initial 11-28 cassette I considered, it was a non-starter.

I believe the cogs on 13-26 are 13,14,15,17,19,21,23,26 and I think it may just be what I am looking for.

Jimmy

itisaboutthebike

Hi,
that seems a good solution. I was actually going to suggest a 13-26 (I think Shimano also do a 12-26).

I have a 12-26 (with 34x48) on my bike I keep in Tenerife and it works just fine with a short cage rear mech. The 34x26 is just about low enough (33 inches) to get me up Tiede.........

tenor

An 11 sprocket is a rIdiculous inclusion for any other than an elite cyclist, even with a 50 ring. Even Eddy never used anything as high as 50 / 11 except for time trials - and he was the best cyclist in the world!
A 12-27 will be fine with a 50 or 48 outer ring, but might still be a little high unless you are confident about your fitness. Campag users are luckier in having the choice of a 13-29.
I currently use a 13-28 Campag cassette on a standard double with a Dura-Ace rear mech, but I dont know whether the mech could also handle the 11.
A good combination for you mght be an 12-27 with a 48/34, or a 11-28 with 44/29 (Stronglight Oxhale) compact.
My advice would be to start with lower gears and increase them as your fitness improves.
My LBS, CyclesDauphin, reckon that for most of its customers the 11 sprocket is just there to stop the chain from jumping off!

redddraggon

tenor wrote:

An 11 sprocket is a rIdiculous inclusion for any other than an elite cyclist, even with a 50 ring.

Rubbish. I often use my 11 sprocket and I'm not an elite cyclist.

aracer

itisaboutthebike wrote:

I disagree.

I don't particularly like the current Shimano 12-27 cassette. The jumps between the last three largest cogs are too big (21,24,27). This is supposed to be a 'climbing' cassette after all.

Have you actually used it and found it irritating, or are you just speculating? Given the 24-27 jump is a smaller % jumo than the 15-17 you're proposing (and which actually exists on the 9-speed incarnation) then it's hardly a huge gap. If you're climbing a hill and needing gears around the 15/17 sprockets you'll find with your suggestion that you have a more obtrusive jump than the 24-27 you're complaining about. In any case I've always found that when climbing bigger gaps are less noticeable than when motoring on the flat, so my custom cassette would have bigger % jumps at the bottom than in the middle. I've actually used a 9-speed 12-27 extensively and never found the jumps at the bottom a problem at all - it's the 16 sprocket to fill that 15/17 gap which I always miss.

itisaboutthebike

Hi
yep I used an Ultegra 12-27 in the Marmotte last year - highly irritating !

I'm going 11-28 this year with a 34x48 ! (with the last 3 sprockets 23,25,28 on an IRD elite)

itisaboutthebike

An 11 sprocket is a rIdiculous inclusion for any other than an elite cyclist, even with a 50 ring.

Really depends on what the big ring is as to whether an 11 sprocket is warrented and someones fitness.

magliaceleste

An 11 is actually pretty handy. The 11-25 Campag cassette is really useful on my 50/34 compact. I used to run 12-27 (when I used Shimano). Personally I always liked the idea of the SRAM 11-26 cassette, as I'd rather have range rather than smaller jumps.

JimmyK

do any of you guys use a 13-26 or can comment upon it from past of experience ?

Jimmy

redddraggon

magliaceleste wrote:

An 11 is actually pretty handy. The 11-25 Campag cassette is really useful on my 50/34 compact. I used to run 12-27 (when I used Shimano). Personally I always liked the idea of the SRAM 11-26 cassette, as I'd rather have range rather than smaller jumps.

I agree, I like my campag 11-25 with 50/34, although I rarely use the 25 (but it's there if I need it). I actually use the 11t sprocket more than the 25t sprocket.

redddraggon

JimmyK wrote:

do any of you guys use a 13-26 or can comment upon it from past of experience ?

Jimmy

Do Shimano do a 13-26 cassette? I thought 13-26 was a Campag set of ratios......

aracer

13-26 is an 8-speed combination (since that's what he's running). It's what I have on my winter bike along with 52/39 to enable me to get up the hills round here towing the kiddy trailer. Works just fine for me doing that, though obviously my needs are different to yours - the 26 is lots easier than a 23 though!

John.T

I've actually used a 9-speed 12-27 extensively and never found the jumps at the bottom a problem at all - it's the 16 sprocket to fill that 15/17 gap which I always miss.

.
With you 100% there. 12/27 works much better with 10sp, especialy with a compact. I have said on here a few times that I think the 12/25 is a waste of cogs as the lower gears are too close.
A pity we did not know sooner that the OP was using 8sp as that is a different kettle of fish. The 13/26 sounds a good compromise.

oldwelshman

Personally I think an 11 is a bit of luxury also and would prefer an extra climbing cog than having a 11 for the very rare occasion I would use it.
Why would I need a 11? If I am in a race and going that fast that I need a 11, which would obviously be downhill, it is easy enough to draft the person in front on his 11 pedalling like crazy At that speed the gain from drafting is good and the effort not maintin pushing a 11 is not worth it, would get more benefit from tucking in aero position.
On a steep decent you would even spin out on a 11 !!