Cassette spacing query

[DooDah]

Hi all,

I currently have an SRAM PG950 12-26T cassette on my compact bike. I am finding the hills around me a little tough, I can manage them but I could do with a couple of lower gears at times. The hills range from about 5% to (some very short stretches) of 13% gradient. Wiggle are currently selling the same SRAM cassettes relatively cheaply, but I am not sure what to go for 11-32 or 11-34? As I am fairly new to all this I am not sure the difference I would find, both in the hills or in general riding over my existing 11-26.

Any advice gratefully appreciated.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

It will depend on your dereileur what you can run. I'm pretty sure you would need a medium if not long cage derailleur for a 34T cassette. for 32T the debate is not clear to me yet. Some people say that a standard cage would be sufficient I tend to think you need a medium cage. I have a 32T on one bike with a medium cage derailleur and I cannot see how a standard dereilleur would be compatible.

If you can do the hills with a 26T, even when you find it hard, a 34T would be wasted I think. So you need to think that either a 28T (standard derailleur) or 32T is the cassette you need.

 

[DooDah]

Thanks for the info. The bike it is for is a Boardman Race with Sora derailleur, not sure at all on the cage size. The cassette I was thinking is only available in 12-26, 11-32 or 11-34. Is there another cassette I could buy with 28T that you would recommend?

 

[the_mikey]

Sram 950 (9 speed) cassettes also come in 11-28, alternatively I have been running a BBB 12-27 9 speed cassette, the ratios on the BBB cassette seems more linear than the Sram 11-28, but the Sram 11-28 seems more logarithmic in the way it increases it's tooth count on it's sprockets across the cassette.

 

[HLaB]

Thanks for the info. The bike it is for is a Boardman Race with Sora derailleur, not sure at all on the cage size. The cassette I was thinking is only available in 12-26, 11-32 or 11-34. Is there another cassette I could buy with 28T that you would recommend?

I would guess your current cage is short and a 27t or 28t would be the biggest you can go without buying a new derailleur. FWIW, I bought a Ultegra cassette (10 spd though) which was 11-28 which worked fine with my 5700 (105) short cage.

 

[DooDah]

I would guess your current cage is short and a 27t or 28t would be the biggest you can go without buying a new derailleur. FWIW, I bought a Ultegra cassette (10 spd though) which was 11-28 which worked fine with my 5700 (105) short cage.

Thanks guys for all the advice. I probably think i will stick with what I have then. The other options i seem to have are to change to a triple or just MTFU, I am thinking the later unfortunately