Which rear Cassette?

aldric

Hi,

I have a Compact Front 50/34, rear 11-25 cassette with Tiagra Derailleur. (9 speed)

I live in a fairly hilly part of the world and have been struggling getting up some of the local hills. I am always very quickly into the lowest gear I have and then its a bit of a slog from there on in.

There is one particular hill which I thought I would try as a bit of a challenge and although it is just under 1 mile long it is incredibly steep and I could barely turn the pedals even when out of the saddle!

Can anyone recommend a cassette to buy that would fit without any issues and links would be much appreciated. I take it a new cassette with more teeth will significantly?

I will eventually look to upgrade my wheels and tyres as I am sure they are holding me back somewhat as well.

(This is my bike http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/focus/mares-comp-2010 only difference is I have the Schwalbe 28m Marathan plus tyres on as I was initially just using the bike for a commute.)

Thanks.

andrewjoseph

depending on your rear mech, a short cage shimano road mech is normally only rated to about 28tooth. i have a 32t on a medium cage mech.

if you need more than this, then you will need a compatible mtb rear mech and cassette, this can go up to 36t.

my wife has this setup on her road triple.

aldric

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I don't know what size of rear cage I have.. I had an issue with my rear mech snapping a month ago and the rather rusty from salt corrosion rear cage is in the following video for a short time

Can you tell from that?

CYCLESPORT1

You have 34/25 thats not a bad low gear and if the said hill is almost a mile long it can't be that steep, train - get fitter and you WILL ride up it.

aldric

It is true that I am just coming back to cycling and my fitness is improving on a daily basis, however I struggle to see how I will get up it to be honest with my current gear set-up.

http://app.strava.com/segments/914182

Starts of gently, very steep and then gentle slope at the end. Looking at the map it only looks like .3 miles of pain :P

pinarellokid

Get a 27 tooth makes a world of difference or if like me are crap on hills get a 29tooth

elderone

Go for at least a 28.My best bike has 32 and my trainer/winter bike has a 30.Why struggle more than you have to.It,s hilly where I live that,s why i went for gearing to help.Personally it doesn,t make me that much quicker,but what it does do is get up the hills with a lower heart rate,which lets you go longer.

Hoopdriver

You will get fitter and that hill will become easier but for now get a 27. If you really are having problems after that you could try for an MBT cassette and a 32 but fir that you will need a different rear mech.

andrewjoseph

aldric wrote:

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I don't know what size of rear cage I have.. I had an issue with my rear mech snapping a month ago and the rather rusty from salt corrosion rear cage is in the following video for a short time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D400dNJh8UM

Can you tell from that?

can't really tell, sorry. i suspect it's a short cage. it's recommended to get a medium road mech if you are getting 28t or greater, otherwise the top jockey wheel may contact the biggest cog.

denniskwok

I had the same problem with my 12-25t 9spd. Tiagra cassette. I just needed that little bit of extra bail out, so I've fitted a 12-27t cassette which only cost me £16 from chainreactioncycles.com. You can also get an 11-30t cassette too.

Mad_Malx

Ignore those telling you just to man up. You aren't living in a flat part of the country. Even when you conquer this hill in a 25 (which you probably will after a few months) , there are plenty of other longer or steeper in your area where you will want a low gears - especially toward the end of full day's ride.

Get at least a 27, which should be ok without any further spending, or invest in a longer cage and bigger cog.

aldric

You are right I definitely don't live in a flat area!

Thank you very much for the advice. It sounds like a 12-27 cassette is the best option as it won't require any further upgrades.

I have had a quick look this morning and can't seem to find a tiagra 12 - 27 cassette. Can someone point me in the right direction?

I take it the hg 50 is suitable? I'm a bit confused when it talks about a narrow chain? They all seem to be out of stock everywhere as well.

Mad_Malx

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=387# but not in stock until next week.

Can't see one on wiggle.
I think this German company is ok too:
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a48885 ... 12-27.html

Any 9 speed chain should be ok. It's recommended to replace the chain if you change the cassette, unless the chain is fairly new (but what constitutes new is can of worms). Essentially, you don't want to risk preamaturely wearing the cassette with a cheaper and easy to replace component.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=6053

You need a chain whip, cassette removal tool and chain splitter (if changing) too unless you have them already. If you want your LBS to do it they will rightly charge you a lot if you don't buy the hardware from them. If you buy the stuff from them fitting price will be minimal, but parts much more, and probably come to about the same.

hatch87

I have a compact with 11-28, I got up a 25% hill with that, just. My weight just about produced enough to turn the crack, fortunately it was a short hill, pretty sure with a 25, I would of stood on it and nothing would of happened.

Grill

aldric wrote:

It is true that I am just coming back to cycling and my fitness is improving on a daily basis, however I struggle to see how I will get up it to be honest with my current gear set-up.

http://app.strava.com/segments/914182

Starts of gently, very steep and then gentle slope at the end. Looking at the map it only looks like .3 miles of pain :P

The profile makes that an easy one to get up. Power up to the steepest bit and get out the saddle for the .3 miles. It's actually easier to push a big gear out of the saddle as you can leverage your weight more effectively. Keep at it.

aldric

Mad_Malx wrote:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=387# but not in stock until next week.

Can't see one on wiggle.
I think this German company is ok too:
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a48885 ... 12-27.html

Any 9 speed chain should be ok. It's recommended to replace the chain if you change the cassette, unless the chain is fairly new (but what constitutes new is can of worms). Essentially, you don't want to risk preamaturely wearing the cassette with a cheaper and easy to replace component.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=6053

You need a chain whip, cassette removal tool and chain splitter (if changing) too unless you have them already. If you want your LBS to do it they will rightly charge you a lot if you don't buy the hardware from them. If you buy the stuff from them fitting price will be minimal, but parts much more, and probably come to about the same.

Thank you very much for the info I will order it when its back in stock.

I won't be buying a new chain, had a new one fitted about 3 weeks ago.

Hopefully a friend will fit it for me when it arrives.

Thanks.

aldric

Grill wrote:

aldric wrote:

It is true that I am just coming back to cycling and my fitness is improving on a daily basis, however I struggle to see how I will get up it to be honest with my current gear set-up.

http://app.strava.com/segments/914182

Starts of gently, very steep and then gentle slope at the end. Looking at the map it only looks like .3 miles of pain :P

The profile makes that an easy one to get up. Power up to the steepest bit and get out the saddle for the .3 miles. It's actually easier to push a big gear out of the saddle as you can leverage your weight more effectively. Keep at it.

Maybe easy to get up for some

Interesting info with the bigger gear, will try that on some other hills.