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52/36 -11-32 or 50/34 - 11-28 difference low gears

rob39rob39 Posts: 479
edited January 2017 in Road general
Hi
Ive a compact with 11-28 cassette on the bike and thinking of changing it to a mid compact which I have in the shed. But was thinking of adding a 11-32 cassette to this but what is (if any)the difference in gearing between the two. Would the 34 28 gear low ratio be similar to the 36 - 32 ratio of the mid range compact?? in terms of power input to output if you know what I mean (kinda confused myself there) :?

Posts

  • bendertherobotbendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    34-28 is 31.8 gear inches

    36-32 is 29.7 gear inches

    So, the 36-32 is an easier gear to push than the 34-28
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  • andcpandcp Posts: 645
    Have a play on here http://www.gear-calculator.com/#KB=34,5 ... =2099&SL=2 adjust the chain angle to +3
    "It must be true, it's on the internet" - Winston Churchill
  • nuclearred955nuclearred955 Posts: 81
    Do you spin out your highest gear with your compact? If not, I'd struggle to see the point tbh. There's also a slight weight gain from bigger rings, sprockets, the longer chain & longer rear mech cage you'd need to run that setup. Small, but still a gain.

    Speaking pesonally I'd find the bigger gaps between gears annoying.
  • imposter2.0imposter2.0 Posts: 11,258
    rob39 wrote:
    Hi
    Ive a compact with 11-28 cassette on the bike and thinking of changing it to a mid compact which I have in the shed. But was thinking of adding a 11-32 cassette to this but what is (if any)the difference in gearing between the two. Would the 34 28 gear low ratio be similar to the 36 - 32 ratio of the mid range compact?? in terms of power input to output if you know what I mean (kinda confused myself there) :?

    If you already have it, then why not try it and answer your own question? Your own experience is going to be far more pertinent than anything anyone else tells you here.
  • AnonymousAnonymous Posts: 79,692
    Imposter wrote:

    If you already have it, then why not try it and answer your own question? Your own experience is going to be far more pertinent than anything anyone else tells you here.

    Thats so true of so many questions on here.

    MTB to Road shoes/pedals is one that springs to mind.
  • thumpermanthumperman Posts: 76
    Been running this through my head for the new bike I'm building. On my current bike I run a compact with 12-30 (10spd) which is great except I do spinout down hills even though I'm happy at a high cadence (I ave 95-100rpm).
    So do I go with a 11 up cassette and compact (not sure it'll make enough difference or not) or get a 36/52? Only thing is I'd like a 30t and havn't seen any 11-30t 11spd cassettes about. I don't need a 32 and don't want a long mech anyway but 36/28 may be a little big for some hills.
    As the new bike will be at least 3kg lighter than the old one and wont be going up some of the really steep but quite rough Irish hills it dosn't need to be geared as low as my current one.
    My personal dilema which I'm sure no one can help me with either. I'll have to sit down properly and look at gear inches I suppose. Just wish someone made a 11-30 11 speed cassette.
  • spatt77spatt77 Posts: 315
    Hi, I think, SRAM do a 11-30 cassette and now Shimano do a 11-30 but only for Dura Ace, the SRAM one is pretty expensive if memory serves me right.
  • Mad_MalxMad_Malx Posts: 4,226
    thumperman wrote:
    Been running this through my head for the new bike I'm building. On my current bike I run a compact with 12-30 (10spd) which is great except I do spinout down hills even though I'm happy at a high cadence (I ave 95-100rpm).
    So do I go with a 11 up cassette and compact (not sure it'll make enough difference or not) or get a 36/52? Only thing is I'd like a 30t and havn't seen any 11-30t 11spd cassettes about. I don't need a 32 and don't want a long mech anyway but 36/28 may be a little big for some hills.
    As the new bike will be at least 3kg lighter than the old one and wont be going up some of the really steep but quite rough Irish hills it dosn't need to be geared as low as my current one.
    My personal dilema which I'm sure no one can help me with either. I'll have to sit down properly and look at gear inches I suppose. Just wish someone made a 11-30 11 speed cassette.

    50-11 is a bigger gear than 52-12
  • thumpermanthumperman Posts: 76
    Yea, not far off I'd imagine. 1 tooth on the back is roughly 3 teeth on the front (worked well enough for a bmx anyway). I was thinking 52/11 really, about one and a half to two extra gears from 50/12 I'd have thought. I might consult "sheldon" in a while.
    And I'll have a look for them 11-30 cassettes, Thanks.
  • thumpermanthumperman Posts: 76
    I found some. Dura ace 250 euro and sram 300 euro. Looks like I'm going 50/34 with 11-28. This thread did help me. Thankyou. :D
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