11-32 cassette on a road bike?

[Albert]

I run a compact with 11-34 rear cassette (LX rear mech) on all my bikes. 34 - 34 is almost never used, but it's good to know that it is there for the time when I am totally ****** *****d

 

[jack smith]

i tried it today on the flat just too see, i nearly fell off trying to pedal on it clipped in lol cant wait to try it on the steep 1.5 - 2 mile climb on my way home tommorrow! horrid windy back road, the nutter drivers done help either! ive NEVER made it up without at least 2 stops and i dont usually give up

 

[derrick]

Don't you find the ratio's spread to far apart, i like nice close ratio changes, 11/25 on a compact double.

 

[jack smith]

not for me i dont, to be honest when i change gear i change about 2-4 at a time, i'd much prefer to get out of the saddle and power through it instead of changing gears, so if i do need to change i need to change a few cause ill be buggered lol, it shifts nice and smooth so its a huge improvement over my h50's ive been putting on that would clank and stick when shifting causing allsorts of problems such as slipping,

 

[Kbrook]

I have an 11- 32 because I wanted something to get me up anything, in fact when i bought my new bike that it had that gearing hugely influenced the decision. In 6 months I've yet to use the 32 I have it as a absolutely last gasp gear just before I die, Its nice to know its there though, quite comforting.

 

[JoeyB]

All this talk of 32t makes me jealous. I wasn't really clued up on triple / compact / standard when I bought my bike and soon found that there aren't many climbing gears on a standard double with an 11-25t on the back! I soon changed that to an 11-28t which kept me going for a while but I recently had to walk up two hills on one ride....tbh I'm not sure I would have got up one of those hills if some was pushing me and I had stabilizers!!

I am tempted to pick up a cheap Tiagra 12-32t and see what its like.

 

[fossyant]

When you shift some of the weight, and get fitter you can move back to smaller sprockets.

Be careful with the mech though. Check how far the Jockey wheels are sitting from the cassette teeth when in the bigger sprockets as you may need to adjust the B screw on the back of the mech (this controls how far the mech sits off the jockey). Ideally you need a new long cage mech. Sora's are available for less than £30.

 

[jack smith]

had it out today on my commute, 20 miles in total, first time in my life ive ever got up the hill, although when i changed to the 32t as a last gasp where there is a near vertical bit at the top i managed to shift it off the cog ( my fault forgot to set the screw thismorning) a quick flick back on and i was up, could be that or the new wheels. or a combi of both although the wheels are still rather heavy shimano rs11's

 

[T4tomo]

just purchased myself one of these for my road bike that already has a compact chainset upfront, mainly because i wanted something with 11teeth at the bottom instead of the 12-25 of my old one for abit extra power, then i saw the 11-32 option and thought, i do struggle on some of the very steep climbs up north, especially when they go on for over a mile, and i am on my way back from a hard days work with a bergen full of all sorts on my back not to mention i already weigh in at 110 kilo, is this size cassette frowned upon on a road bike? or will i see some great benifits? the cassette it's sale only cost me 7 quid new in the sale, abit heavier than my old one but thats understandable due to much more material

Have an 11t cog doesn't give you any more power. You provide the power. The 11t cog vs the 12t just means the bike will go faster at a given cadence - if you have the power to maintain that cadence.

 

[jack smith]

i meant speed, i often find myself running out of gears on a 12t tbh i still do on the 11, is 11 the smallest??

 

[T4tomo]

11 is smallest you get on a normal road cassette. You just need to learn to pedal faster - higher cadence. Even with a 12 cog it's pretty difficult to run out of gears. 120 rpm is good for 40mph on 50-12. How often are you going faster than 40mph and if so what wrong with free wheeling a bit?

 

[MikeW-71]

TBH, if you're still going downhill when you spin the gear out, it's time to tuck right down and coast to go faster

 

[jowwy]

Theres no way your hitting 50mph on flat road - if you are, then its time to challenge Cancellara for the world 1hr record.

 

[jack smith]

i can safely say on the flat on the 11t with a very good cadence ( the point it is far too easy on the pedals to go any faster) sorry i cant measure cadence as i dont have the stuff, i hit around 25-28mph if your hitting 40mph then good luck in the next tour.

 

[AndyRM]

i can safely say on the flat on the 11t with a very good cadence ( the point it is far too easy on the pedals to go any faster) sorry i cant measure cadence as i dont have the stuff, i hit around 25-28mph if your hitting 40mph then good luck in the next tour.

How long can you hold that 25mph for...?