So lets see if I've learned anything.....

mikej1962

Total newbie to the road bike game. All these numbers you folk use, it's just incredible! My main hobby is photography and I wish I could throw something back at you and see how you get on

So, I've set my budget. Done loads of reading, asked a few questions etc etc. and I've decided to go for the Ribble Shimano 5800 11spd Sportive Racing. I'll be happy with that for my needs.

It's got the new 5800 groupset ! yeah! ( never heard of the word up to 5 days ago....), and a RS500 172.5 34/50 compact chainset, and I decided to go for the 11-32 cassette. Presumably this gives me a wider gear ratio ???? Not more gears, but a wider range yeh?

The next item on the selection process is the thing that really bamboozled me. The rear gear, SS or GS?
So, the description says SS for 23-28T and GS for 28-32T.

So I guess T is for teeth.

I would therefor need to go for the GS gear???

Correct?

Thanks again to anyone who takes the time to reply.

dulwichiron

Correct you will need the GS rear derailleur with the 32 tooth cassette.

iron-clover

Yup, sounds about right- 5800 refers to the generation of Shimano 105 groupset, this case being the latest, and it does indeed have 11 cogs on the rear wheel making it an '11speed' groupset.

The 11-32T cassette means the smallest cog (highest gearing) on the back is 11T, which is the smallest you can go, and the largest cog which determines your lowest gear (higher no. of teeth gives a lower gearing) has 32T, which seems to be the biggest you can go for road bikes at the moment, and with a compact chainset on the front (34T inner and 50T outer) you'll be able to both grind up walls and blast down mountains, plus anything in between.

You are right that the number of cogs on the different cassettes are the same- the difference between them is that for example an 11-25T cassette will have a more limited gear range, but the steps between the different gears will be smaller allowing for smoother changes in pedaling cadence (pedal rpm) to match smaller changes in speed.
TBH unless you live in a very hilly area (i.e. Lake District, Peaks, York Moors etc) or plan on doing very long hilly rides I would go for a max of 28T on the rear cassette so you have the benefits of a tighter gear range but still have a good bail out gear once you've become a little fitter (it'll only take a few months of riding before the 25T is enough for all but the steepest of hills) and you can always buy and fit the wider range cassette if you feel you need it for a trip to a hilly area etc.

The 172.5 refers to the length of the crankarms (the bits the pedals attach to!) so the length that will suit you best depends on the length of your legs/ height. However, 172.5 is a fairly standard length and is OK for most people although taller riders might appreciate a longer one, but double check first- slightly too small is better than too big.

The SS and GS refers to the length of the pulley cage on the rear derailleur which keeps the chain tensioned- if you want a wider gear range you will need a longer cage to take up the chain slack from the smallest to biggest cogs, so the GS will have the longer cage. You can run the GS cage with a tight gear range as well- it just adds a tiny amount of weight and may seem unslightly to purists.

There are a lot of numbers involved in the hobby, but it's mostly just model/ part numbers or to do with gearing and part sizes. Once you know what's what it's all really simple- the most important thing though is just to get out and enjoy the ride- no matter what you're riding!
Have fun!

rafletcher

DulwichIron wrote:

Correct you will need the GS rear derailleur with the 32 tooth cassette.

Um, no. Possibly. Both the SS AND GS 105 5800 rear mechs have a stated maximum capacity of 28 teeth at the back. The GS has a greater overall capacity. A bit odd I agree, as when I have a 10sp 105 with a triple chainring I used a GS, because of the 30-50 (ie 20T) difference at the front. I assume, although there is no 11sp triple front mechm you can still run the 10sp front mech and triple chainset, so the GS mech is for that. Maybe.

In practice the maximum sprocket size at the rear is more to do with the design of the drop-out and mech hanger, and nothing at all to do with the cage length. But you may well be able to fit a larger than specified sprocket, as others here have done.

Anonymous

Why do you feel you need the 32?
A wide range of gears is not really a good thing. Its better to have the range as small as possible as long as they go as high and low as you need.

Just noticed Iron-Clover has said the same thing. Could not have put it better myself.
I would say 11-28 is a much better option for most people.

Not tempted by the Campag on the Configurator?

mikej1962

Carbonator wrote:

Why do you feel you need the 32?
A wide range of gears is not really a good thing. Its better to have the range as small as possible as long as they go as high and low as you need.

Just noticed Iron-Clover has said the same thing. Could not have put it better myself.
I would say 11-28 is a much better option for most people.

Not tempted by the Campag on the Configurator?

Well, wrongly or rightly I assumed that 32t would help me getting up hills. Not sure if that's right now....

and regarding the campags, well, tbh I've never heard of them before. So I guess it's just a case of knowing Shimano. Also, just remembered it was because of the 11 gears over the 10. More than willing to take advise though.