keep/change cassette

[Enw.nigel]

I have been riding my Focus Cayo 105 triple since last May and have obviously become used to the gear set up. The cassette is 10 spd 12 - 27 with a triple of 30-39-50.
My quandry is that I have just bought a brand new set of Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels which came with a Shimano 6600 12 - 25 cassette.
I am tempted to remove the cassette from the new wheels (and possibly sell it on) and either take the cassette off the Cayo wheels or just buy a replacement to keep the 12 -27 ratio.
My question is basically would I notice a big difference between riding a 12-27 cassette as I do now compared to a 12-25. It is cycling uphill that I am concerned about.
Should I even be thinking about experimenting and changing to an 11-28 ratio with the new wheels.
What do you think?
I used to be indecisive but I'm not so sure now.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

This might help you decide.

 

[zizou]

Depends how many miles you've done, you may need to change cassette anyway.

If it was me i'd save a bit of money and hassle and give the new cassette a try and see how you get on - 30X25 is still a pretty low gear. However gearing is so dependent on a combination of what your fitness is like, what your style of riding is and what the hills/roads you ride are like so what is right for one person might not be right for another.

 

[DCLane]

I'm in the same position - looked at this and 11-28 seems to be a sensible route to go as well for the Ridgeback - I've got 12-25 on both sets of wheels.

 

[HLaB]

If all is running fine and there is still life left in the chain; I'd be tempted to use the existing one and save the cash at this time of year and put a shiny new chain & cassette on in the spring once the grit has gone. Ratio wise you are running a tripple, so I doubt you'd notice changing to a 12-25 from a 12-27, only you can really answer if you need it or not however. If you are changing though I'd be tempted to put something with a 11t on them to improve your top speed (Shimano now do a 11-25 I had one of them but changed it to a Sram 11-26 as it was better priced on ribble).

 

[Blue]

The first question you should be asking yourself is "how often do I use the 27 sprocket?". If the answer is 'all the time' you may need to keep it. If the answer is 'never' you may be safe to dump it.

As has been said, your cassette will wear out. If I were in your position I would put the existing cassette on the new wheels and then keep the new one in the hope that the extra training meantime makes answering the questions above easier.

 

[Enw.nigel]

'The first question you should be asking yourself is "how often do I use the 27 sprocket?".'

Good point Blue. There are a few occasions when I do use the 27 with the middle chainring because I tend to use the 'granny ring' as a last resort. So I will go with your suggestion of swapping them over.
However as a 'senior' rider I cannot see my fitness levels improving much beyond what they are now.

' shiny new chain & cassette on in the spring once the grit has gone.' As Hlab suggests I will look at putting a new cassette and chain on in the spring.
Besides the larger range of ratios with Sram compared to Shimano is there any other difference that I should be aware of e.g quality?
Thanks to you all for your replies.

 

[HLaB]

Besides the larger range of ratios with Sram compared to Shimano is there any other difference that I should be aware of e.g quality?
Thanks to you all for your replies.

IME in terms of quality there is no difference, I think SRAM may be slightly lighter and better quality actually but I can't say for certain. Apart from my campy equipped bike all my shimano equipped bikes have SRAM cassettes, IMO they offer better ratios.

 

[boydj]

I'm with using the old cassette until the better weather. Using the new cassette with an old chain could cause the cassette to wear more quickly, depending on the amount of wear on the chain. If you decide to go with the new cassette, then I'd go with a new chain as well and keep the old one for a while if you want to go back to the old wheels.