Cassettes

[pabstblue]

I'm hoping someone can help explain how the gearing works for the cassette. What do the numbers stand for? (eg. 11-25)

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[andy_wrx]

How many teeth the largest and smallest cogs have
The big one will have 25, the smallest 11, all the rest are in between

e.g. 12-25 9sp cassette : 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25

 

[mickle]

11- number of teeth on the smallest sprocket, 25- largest sprocket. On any given cassette the other sprockets will be, as far as is possible, equally spaced within the range. With the exception of MegaRange cassettes which have a big jump to the granny gear.

 

[mickle]

Damn! Beaten to the holeshot.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Hi there,

It's the number of teeth that the smallest sprocket and the largest sprocket has on a particular cassette. Therefore it indicates the range and the suitability of that cassette for a given purpose.

The other sprockets on the cassette are assumed to be spread evenly between them, although for complete accuracy (by anaraks) they should be fully detailed, such as 11-12-13-14-16-19-22-25 (For an 8 speed example)

 

[andy_wrx]

 

[pabstblue]

So if I live in a relatively flat place (not the mountains) what would you recommend as far a cassettes are concerned?

 

[DaveV]

11-23

 

[HLaB]

Basically the higher the number of teeth (i.e 25) the slower you go but the easier it is, visa versa the less teeth you have (i.e 12) on a cassette the faster you can go but it's harder (especially up hills). There's a range in between this as described above. What type of cycling are you planning on doing. Both my road bikes are similar a 12-26 and 12-25 which is a good range for me. The commuter is a mega range 11-34 the larger two rings are bit too much of a jump sometimes for me. I live in Edinburgh which is a bit hilly but if I was somewhere flatter I think I'd go for something like a 11-25.
Bear in mind that you've also got chain rings which are the exact opposite of a cassette (large is fast but hard, small is slow but easier) This is the major change I'd go for on a new bike in a flatter location perhaps going with a double (eg 39-52) instead of a compact (e.g 34-50). My other bikes have got tripples which make them handy on a hill (30-42-52 and 28-38-48).

 

[pabstblue]

Thanks for the info guys. I live in a relatively flat place but it can get a bit hilly. I'll have to give it some thought. I don't want a triple because i have a triple now and i never use the small ring, even on bigger climbs. I think i like the idea of doing a 39-52 crank and 11-25 cassette but I'm sure I'll change my mind fifty times before I actually buy anything.

 

[mickle]