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11-28 or 12-28 Cassette

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deftone86

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I currently have an 11-32 cassette with a 50-34 compact crank. I am want to swap out the cassette for either an 11-28 or 12-28 since I never use anything less then a 50-28 currently. My biggest fear of getting losing the 11t cog is spinning out on the longer steeper downhills and losing that potential momentum, but people have talked about how great having the 16t cog is therefore I am looking for opinions on what option people would recommend.

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
It's basically up to you to figure out if you'll miss the 11t or not. check out Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Gear Calculator and put in your specs to see the MPH lost without the 11t. looks like it's about 3mph @100rpm. If you're someone that needs to hammer on the downhills, you may miss it. If you like the extra gear in the meat of the cassette - go for the 12-28.

I ride a 48-34 with an 11-28. If i still had a 50t, i would go 12-28.
 
#4 ·
I went from 11-28 to 12-29 and I'm glad I did. The 29 comes in handy on the steep stuff and the 12 is plenty when rolling at a higher pace. I'm on Campy and the 14-15-16-17 are there and that's where I spend most of my time. If you use your 16 a lot, it may be more important that having the 11 which might not be used as much? Hope this helps.
 
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#5 ·
I know I use the 16T all the time so I would not want to give up that gear.

Sure there are times I could spin out down hill without a 11T (or even a 12T on 9 speed), but since I don't race anymore it just means that I don't need to take the risk of going any faster. Even when I was racing most experienced riders would just tuck into an aero position and recover for the uphill where it really matters. If your spinning out a 12T, and not racing on a closed course, then your going too damn fast on a public road where anything could jump out in front of you at any time.
 
#6 ·
LC said:
I know I use the 16T all the time so I would not want to give up that gear.

Sure there are times I could spin out down hill without a 11T (or even a 12T on 9 speed), but since I don't race anymore it just means that I don't need to take the risk of going any faster. Even when I was racing most experienced riders would just tuck into an aero position and recover for the uphill where it really matters. If your spinning out a 12T, and not racing on a closed course, then your going too damn fast on a public road where anything could jump out in front of you at any time.
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keep in mind 50/12 is 41mph @ 125rpm

seems like a reasonable top speed.

I have 50x36, 11-28 on my current bike and will likely switch to a 12-27 when my current cassette wears out. I've only used the 50/11 a couple times -- descending in a tailwind. I'm also a pretty lightweight rider so my terminal coasting speed is fairly low and I have more to gain by pedaling than coasting than most.

50/17 and 50/15 are ~25 and ~29mph respectively at 110rpm (my preferred cadence under moderate to hard effort). In the small ring, the 16 gives me a gear between 18 and 21mph @ 110rpm. Both of those combinations would be used by me considerably more than the 50/11.
 
#7 ·
Before I read your post, I was thinking, "He should get the 12-28. I don't know what shift it tightens up, but 11t cogs are useless."

Since you're specifically worried about the 11t cog, go to one of your fast descents and see if you can spin out your 12t, or even spin it high enough to want another gear. If your current cassette goes 11-13 and you find the 11-13 jump as big as I do on my mountain bike, I bet that even if you like a smaller cog than 13, 12 is sufficiently small.

Regardless, it sounds like you have a fully functional bike. So experiment and satisfy yourself. I have my prediction about your conclusion, of course... :wink5:
 
#8 ·
AndrwSwitch said:
Before I read your post, I was thinking, "He should get the 12-28. I don't know what shift it tightens up, but 11t cogs are useless."

Since you're specifically worried about the 11t cog, go to one of your fast descents and see if you can spin out your 12t, or even spin it high enough to want another gear. If your current cassette goes 11-13 and you find the 11-13 jump as big as I do on my mountain bike, I bet that even if you like a smaller cog than 13, 12 is sufficiently small.

Regardless, it sounds like you have a fully functional bike. So experiment and satisfy yourself. I have my prediction about your conclusion, of course... :wink5:
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11-32 (I'm assuming SRAM Apex, not a MTB cassette) is:

11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 25, 28, 32

Dropping the 32 in favor of a 14 is definitely a good move unless the 32 is absolutely critical, IMO.

11-28 is:

11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-28

dropping the 11 buys you a 16. TBH, the 16 is really the annoying big jump in the 12-28. The 21-24-28 jumps aren't too bad as those are really more "bailout" gears than cruising gears.
 
#9 ·
^^^
Adding a 12t cog is about the only thing I can imagine liking better about having a 10-speed drivetrain for the MTB. Mine's a 9, and even if I could push the 11t reasonably well, getting from the 13 to the 11 sucks.

I guess we don't know how many cogs the OP has, so it's a little hard to know which 11-32 and 11- or 12-28 cassettes he's comparing. For cassettes with fewer cogs, even more go with 12-28. :)
 
#11 ·
Just switched out the Apex 11-32 a couple weeks ago.
I went with a 12-26. I figured that I could reach the same speeds on a 12 by pedaling 5-7 RPM more. If I'm getting past 110 RPM's going downhilll, I'll just tuck. It depends on how you climb, are you sure you need a 28?
PG 1070 12-26: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26
I ride mostly on flat terrain, but there is a 19% grade on one short climb over here. I made sure I could get up that part on my old cassette using the 25t while seated. Figured the one extra tooth couldn't hurt, so I went with the 26.
I'm very happy with my decision and wouldn't change a thing.
 
#13 ·
if you NEVER use anything less than 50x28 as you said you're either really strong and should get a smaller cassette and learn to shift up front, need to increase you cadence, or, what's probably most likely is you're not going up hills steep enough to worry about spinning out 50 x 12 on the way down them.

But you have an 11 now so know for yourself how much you'd miss it better than strangers on the Internet would know. Personally about 40-45 MPH is the point where I can't put any pressure on the pedals with a 50 x12. Which coincidentally is the speed where 9 times out of 10 I don't want to go any faster and for when I do it's a lot more effective to tuck than pedal anyway.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Jay Strongbow said:
if you NEVER use anything less than 50x28 as you said you're either really strong and should get a smaller cassette and learn to shift up front, need to increase you cadence, or, what's probably most likely is you're not going up hills steep enough to worry about spinning out 50 x 12 on the way down them.

But you have an 11 now so know for yourself how much you'd miss it better than strangers on the Internet would know. Personally about 40-45 MPH is the point where I can't put any pressure on the pedals with a 50 x12. Which coincidentally is the speed where 9 times out of 10 I don't want to go any faster and for when I do it's a lot more effective to tuck than pedal anyway.
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My legs are relatively strong but I do agree though I need to get better at spinning more on the hills. It also helps that I live in relatively flat Wisconsin. I would consider going with an even smaller cassette but I want to do the horribly hilly hundreds in mt horeb WI whichever has 9900 feet of gain in 100 miles.

I also agree about my top speed if I get over 40 I think I'm going fast enough. I just wanted to make sure I am not spinning out way befor that.
 
#15 ·
I have 11-26 and 11-28 on my two main bikes. I don't even know if I'm missing a 16-tooth cog, never noticed, and if there is a gap in the middle of either cassette it's one I've gotten used to.

But the change to an 11-tooth smallest cog was definitely noticeable, appreciated, and mandatory: I was regularly spinning out the 50/12 combination on long fast descents.
 
#16 ·
I always wonder what people's max spin is when I read that they can spin out 50/12. I can't, but I found out not too long ago, after not using a computer with cadence for a long time, that my selected cadence is over 100. Not sure what my max is, I still don't have a computer with cadence, but it's probably pretty high.

According to Sheldon, if I spin at 120 rpm in 50/12, I'm going 39.1 mph. In 50/11, 42.6 mph. I rarely hit those speeds and they're well above the threshold of no longer pedaling another poster mentions. Frankly, when I am going that fast, the turns are close enough together that I'm fully occupied with cornering and setting up the next one.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
One problem I think I have is my feeling of spinning out seems to be happening much quicker then other people. My average cadence is 80 and when I get up to 100 I feel like I am pedaling my heart out. I tried to get use to spinning more but it is hard for me and I am much better and just using my strength to my advantage instead of the mechanical advantage the gearing offers.
 
#19 ·
deftone86 said:
One problem I think I have is my feeling of spinning out seems to be happening much quicker then other people. My average cadence is 80 and when I get up to 100 I feel like I am pedaling my heart out. I tried to get use to spinning more but it is hard for me and I am much better and just using my strength to my advantage instead of the mechanical advantage the gearing offers.
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As long as you're not hurting your knees, you can turn the slower cadences, and it may be that's just what suits your body type. BUT, IMO you can't really know that without trying to practice higher cadences A LOT. If you're pedaling your heart out at 100 rpm, I'd bet you could improve your spin, and you'll be a better rider with more endurance if you do. Most roadies can turn faster than that.

But maybe you're Jan Ulrich.
 
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