10s Cassette Ratios

DaveN said:

Hi

I have a Campag 10s 11-23 cassette at present but I dont really use the 11 and 12. Does anybody have any experiance of 13-26, is the 26 useable? or are you spinning away and getting nowhere. I need some opinions on ratio's before dishing out the 120 euro for a new chorus one.

Regards

Dave N

Hi DaveN,

I use a Campag 53/39 chainring and 13-26 cassette on my road bike. I'm not particularly fast but not too slow either (can hold maybe 22-23mph on the flat with no wind for an hour or so), and I find the cassette's ratios very usable. The 13 is not quite small enough if going down a really long, steep hill (cadence gets stupidly high above about 45mph) but I'm fine with that, because the 26 is an excellent bailout gear if you're suddenly confronted by a nasty hill and you're feeling a bit spent. I usually try not to resort to the 26, staying on the next biggest sprocket (which I think is a 23), but it's good to know the 26 is there and I have certainly found good use for it from time to time. Hope this helps.

Cheers

M

DaveN said:

Hi

I have a Campag 10s 11-23 cassette at present but I dont really use the 11 and 12. Does anybody have any experiance of 13-26, is the 26 useable? or are you spinning away and getting nowhere. I need some opinions on ratio's before dishing out the 120 euro for a new chorus one.

Regards

Dave N

This question is essentially impossible to answer without knowing what type of terrain you are riding on and without knowing your fitness level. If you aren't using your 11 and 12, then you probably aren't riding down many steep descents, which means you also probably aren't doing any big climbs, which prolly means you wouldn't use a 26 very much if at all. Since you are likely doing mostly flat riding, you are probably best off optimizing your rear cassette for that type of terrain - meaning tighter spaced gears with no extreme gears.

WINGNUTT said:

This question is essentially impossible to answer without knowing what type of terrain you are riding on and without knowing your fitness level. If you aren't using your 11 and 12, then you probably aren't riding down many steep descents, which means you also probably aren't doing any big climbs, which prolly means you wouldn't use a 26 very much if at all. Since you are likely doing mostly flat riding, you are probably best off optimizing your rear cassette for that type of terrain - meaning tighter spaced gears with no extreme gears.

I have to agree with wingnutt. I ride a 53/42 with a 12-25 on the back, but I live in an area that is predominantly flat. When I head for the big stuff I switch out my 42 for a 39 and put a 13-29 on the back. I will spin out on the downhills, but I will take that for the extra climbing gears.

Thanks guys

I live in an area on the edge of the Dublin mountains but also near the flat section of kildare. I find that the only place i use th 11 & 12 is on decents but I find the 23 not enough for some of the hills. So this is why I am considering the 13-26.

Dave N

DaveN said:

Thanks guys

I live in an area on the edge of the Dublin mountains but also near the flat section of kildare. I find that the only place i use th 11 & 12 is on decents but I find the 23 not enough for some of the hills. So this is why I am considering the 13-26.

Dave N

Split the difference, go with the 12-25

Dave:

I went through the same issue that you are currently dealing with. In the end, I determined that I really didn't need the 26 at the top end either, what really solved the problem for me was a serious look at what gears I rode in under normal circumstances and the discovery that a 12-25 shuffled things around best from a chainline point of view.

WINGNUTT said:

This question is essentially impossible to answer without knowing what type of terrain you are riding on and without knowing your fitness level. If you aren't using your 11 and 12, then you probably aren't riding down many steep descents, which means you also probably aren't doing any big climbs, which prolly means you wouldn't use a 26 very much if at all. Since you are likely doing mostly flat riding, you are probably best off optimizing your rear cassette for that type of terrain - meaning tighter spaced gears with no extreme gears.

Sounds like a candidate for a fixie.

boudreaux said:

Sounds like a candidate for a fixie.

??confused?? I don't understand. Did I say something stupid?

WINGNUTT said:

??confused?? I don't understand. Did I say something stupid?

Nope...hahahahaha

Thanks for the advise, I'll have to wait a while before I try the 12-25 as I broke my wrist 2 weeks ago and have a cast on for another 4 weeks. While I am off the bike I was figuring ways to spend more on it.

Dave N

DaveN said:

Thanks for the advise, I'll have to wait a while before I try the 12-25 as I broke my wrist 2 weeks ago and have a cast on for another 4 weeks. While I am off the bike I was figuring ways to spend more on it.

Dave N

Sorry to hear about the arm, but I always like to devote some part of my day to thinking of ways to spend money on my bike.

WINGNUTT said:

??confused?? I don't understand. Did I say something stupid?

fixie was for the bike, not for you.

fixie = fixed gear bike 😉

drewski said:

fixie was for the bike, not for you.

fixie = fixed gear bike 😉

Ahh got it... fixie for the flat terrain. A little slow here, sorry for the confusion. 😉