What chainset / cassette combination?

Yedders
Yedders Posts: 8
edited September 2012 in Road buying advice
I have a 2012 specialized allez 16. The bike came with the shimano 2300 groupset. While I love the frame the groupset is cheap and problematic. I want to upgrade to shimano 105, but am somewhat confused as to what chainset / cassette combination to go for. The allez has 39/59 rings and a 13/26 cassette. I'm really disappointed with the lack of speed I can achieve in the highest gear and the lowest could do with being a bit lower for tougher climbs. I've been looking at a 105 standard 39/53 and 11/28 combination.

Is this a viable combination, or will the difference in gearing be too great?

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,248
    It will be fine...

    In fairness 53x13 is plenty, should allow you to go 35 mph on the flat, which I struggle to believe is not enough for you!
    left the forum March 2023
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    Yedders wrote:
    I'm really disappointed with the lack of speed I can achieve in the highest gear

    You need to reflect on how you ride then. My bike's highest gear is 48-11 and I hit 55.3mph yesterday. That fast enough?
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • ♠ChumBucket♠
    ♠ChumBucket♠ Posts: 388
    maddog 2 wrote:
    Yedders wrote:
    I'm really disappointed with the lack of speed I can achieve in the highest gear

    You need to reflect on how you ride then. My bike's highest gear is 48-11 and I hit 55.3mph yesterday. That fast enough?


    Did you over-shoot it on the white cliffs of Dover? :lol::lol:
    B'TWIN Triban 5A
    Ridgeback MX6
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    maddog 2 wrote:
    Yedders wrote:
    I'm really disappointed with the lack of speed I can achieve in the highest gear

    You need to reflect on how you ride then. My bike's highest gear is 48-11 and I hit 55.3mph yesterday. That fast enough?

    Albeit that a 48-11 is 115 inch gear, so a chunk higher than the 107 inches that 53-13 gives, but the point is a valid one. OP, watch the pros and see how fast they spin their legs, a high cadence really is a great thing to learn (80-90 average with 120-130 as a normal top range should do you and help maintain speed/endurance on long rides).

    A couple of my bikes have 53/59 standard doubles and I find that a 13-28 (9 speed) cassette suits me for everything, although I do live in a bumpy part of the World (lot's of ups and downs). You could go for a 12 small cog but the trade off will be a bigger gap somewhere, usually in the lower-middle so you may find yourself toggling between gears trying to get things just right more often than you fancy.

    Having said all that, we are all different so why not just get the cassette you think you need and give it a go for a few months, if you get it wrong then you won't have splashed too much and the spare casette will always do for the turbo wheel, etc. Don't forget to look at chain length and b-stop if you change the spec a bit.
  • greentea
    greentea Posts: 180
    maddog 2 wrote:
    Yedders wrote:
    I'm really disappointed with the lack of speed I can achieve in the highest gear

    You need to reflect on how you ride then. My bike's highest gear is 48-11 and I hit 55.3mph yesterday. That fast enough?


    The words BULL and SHJT spring to mind here...
  • Magic Spanner
    Magic Spanner Posts: 11
    maddog 2 wrote:
    Yedders wrote:
    I'm really disappointed with the lack of speed I can achieve in the highest gear

    You need to reflect on how you ride then. My bike's highest gear is 48-11 and I hit 55.3mph yesterday. That fast enough?

    Isn't this a cadence of 160 ?
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    ...depends how steep the hill is and how heavy the rider...

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