11-25 vs. 11-28

[alleyne]

I changed about a year ago to 11-28 a year ago, would not go back to a 11-25. 

[Fat Boab]

Everybody needs an easier granny gear, don't they? Once age, 'gravity' and worn-out knees start to work against you, you do!

 

11-28 for me and on a 50-34 compact too. If you run out of gears/revs on a downhill, then rule #23 is for you......

[HOEKVLAG]

Found this little gem online:

http://www.gear-calculator.com/

 

Also helped me make my mind up on getting a 11-25.

Tx for this link. I've seen a couple of them, but this one's brilliant!

['Dale]

Did Alpe D' Huez with 11-25

 

Really hurt my feelings ????

[Veebee]

Everybody needs an easier granny gear, don't they? Once age, 'gravity' and worn-out knees start to work against you, you do!

 

11-28 for me and on a 50-34 compact too. If you run out of gears/revs on a downhill, then rule #23 is for you......

 

I'm on the same. at first I used the 28 a lot, but now I am lighter and a bit stronger and hardly make use of it, BUT there are those days when my legs are really tired and I like to spin them without feeling too much pain.

[Edgar]

To all the Hard Men out there:

• 23mm tyres at 12bar
• 11-23 cassette
• 177.5mm Crank
• 53 chain rings

**** em.

 

The Smart Men:

• 28mm tyres at 7-8 bar
• 11-27/28
• 172/175mm crank
• Compact cranks

Unless you are super sensitive to cadence changes you will not notice the gaps in the 10sp 11-28 after a few rides. 

 

Are you planning on winning the sprint or planning on enjoying your ride and finishing in your best time? 

Do you care if the guy next to you on the start line laughs at you set up and then finishes the race while you are sipping your second ice cold amber nectar?

 

Riding is about enjoying at and doing the best you can do. if it is about looking well 'ard and poncing around Tasha's then join the Tri Guys and buy white bibs and sleeveless shirts with arm warmers.

 

But then again what do i know, I'm just a guy commenting of the Hub asking them not to flame me.

 

 

 

[jimmycool]

What the 28 cassette does do is give you those few extra gears to change to without having to drop from the big blade at the front so often. At the end of the day you will probably do less shifting on the front with a bigger range at the back. (unless of course you are rolling with fully automatic Di2)

[jimmycool]

To all the Hard Men out there:

• 23mm tyres at 12bar
• 11-23 cassette
• 177.5mm Crank
• 53 chain rings

**** em.

 

The Smart Men:

• 28mm tyres at 7-8 bar
• 11-27/28
• 172/175mm crank
• Compact cranks

Unless you are super sensitive to cadence changes you will not notice the gaps in the 10sp 11-28 after a few rides. 

 

Are you planning on winning the sprint or planning on enjoying your ride and finishing in your best time? 

Do you care if the guy next to you on the start line laughs at you set up and then finishes the race while you are sipping your second ice cold amber nectar?

 

Riding is about enjoying at and doing the best you can do. if it is about looking well 'ard and poncing around Tasha's then join the Tri Guys and buy white bibs and sleeveless shirts with arm warmers.

 

But then again what do i know, I'm just a guy commenting of the Hub asking them not to flame me.

Well said!

[Wez-O]

Did Alpe D' Huez with 11-25

 

Really hurt my feelings

HAHA yeah!

I always swore I'd never use a compact chainring but the bike I rode in France had one and boy was I glad for that by the time I reached Dutch corner with 7 hairpins to go

 

As for the OP, I like 11/28 as it allows you to stay in your big chainring for longer without crossing the chain. 53 front 23 or 25 back is a nice gear on long drags.

[funjunkie]

I ride a 10 speed setup with a compact crank (50/34)

 

I have ridden both 11-25 and 11-28.

 

On a 10 speed setup, I find that I just cannot get the right gear to climb on the 11-28 cassette.

 

the 10sp 11-28 cassette goes 21-24-28. On the really steep stuff this is ok, but on less steep stuff i find that once I cant push the 21, the move to 24 to too large and I end up spinning out wildly and loosing speed in the process.

 

the 10sp 11-25 is better for me in that it goes 21-23-25 at the back end. I rarely need the 25 in JHB and the 23 is just perfect for moderate hills. (3-4% gardient). 

 

After riding the 11-28 I went back to 11-25 and noticed a huge improvement in my climbing.

 

Of course, for the really steep stuff I will consider the 11-28.

 

With a 11sp setup, its a no brainer. I will go with the 11-28 which goes 21-23-25-28.

[Dicky DQ]

To all the Hard Men out there:

• 23mm tyres at 12bar
• 11-23 cassette
• 177.5mm Crank
• 53 chain rings

**** em.

 

The Smart Men:

• 28mm tyres at 7-8 bar
• 11-27/28
• 172/175mm crank
• Compact cranks

Unless you are super sensitive to cadence changes you will not notice the gaps in the 10sp 11-28 after a few rides. 

 

Are you planning on winning the sprint or planning on enjoying your ride and finishing in your best time? 

Do you care if the guy next to you on the start line laughs at you set up and then finishes the race while you are sipping your second ice cold amber nectar?

 

Riding is about enjoying at and doing the best you can do. if it is about looking well 'ard and poncing around Tasha's then join the Tri Guys and buy white bibs and sleeveless shirts with arm warmers.

 

But then again what do i know, I'm just a guy commenting of the Hub asking them not to flame me.

Looking at all this I say Wow. I just moved to a 25 and that was from a 21 with 53/39 

 

Damn seems like old school is dead. I remember seeing some guys riding 11/ 21 with a 60 Front blade. My how things have changed. 

 

I even saw a bike with a 32 out back and a 34 small blade last week.

 

Edit. O Ja I am just on 100kg, no wonder I K@k on the climbs.

[devocean]

I'm 68kg, ride 172.5mm standard crank (53, 39) and I find a 10 speed 11-25 cassette perfect for races in CT. The only time I sometimes feel like I could do with another gear is going up Kloof nek in the corners where it briefly goes to 14% gradient. But none of the races in CT have hills like Kloof neck anyway.

[shaper]

Did Alpe D' Huez with 11-25

 

Really hurt my feelings

Have just done Mont Ventoux with compact and 11-28 and was glad for every gear... generally ride 53/39 but was glad i had a compact for this little hill

[tombeej]

I ride a 10 speed setup with a compact crank (50/34)

 

I have ridden both 11-25 and 11-28.

 

On a 10 speed setup, I find that I just cannot get the right gear to climb on the 11-28 cassette.

 

the 10sp 11-28 cassette goes 21-24-28. On the really steep stuff this is ok, but on less steep stuff i find that once I cant push the 21, the move to 24 to too large and I end up spinning out wildly and loosing speed in the process.

 

the 10sp 11-25 is better for me in that it goes 21-23-25 at the back end. I rarely need the 25 in JHB and the 23 is just perfect for moderate hills. (3-4% gardient). 

 

After riding the 11-28 I went back to 11-25 and noticed a huge improvement in my climbing.

 

Of course, for the really steep stuff I will consider the 11-28.

 

With a 11sp setup, its a no brainer. I will go with the 11-28 which goes 21-23-25-28.

 

Hundred cement.

 

The 11-28 has gaps that are too big as you get to the top of the cassette. Well for me anyway. Makes it that much more difficult to hold a comfortable/optimal cadence on a longer climb.

 

Like you, 11-25 is perfect for me too.

 

And also why I went Compact in the first place. It gives you the ability to run a tighter geared cassette for better cadence management. Makes climbing easier and more comfortable, because it's so much easier to settle into a good rhythm with the right cadence.

 

My view is that too many people hold onto the belief that they need to stick with Standard cranksets and so they suffer along as a result, being forced to go 11-28 to try and compensate for front rings that are too 'big' for them.

 

Compact cranks + closer ratio cassettes transformed my riding. I believe it's the ideal setup for us weekend warriers who aren't pros (who weigh a feather and have huge pistons to turn over those standard cranks with tight cassettes).

 

I'm no expert in the world of gear ratios... just what I've found in my own experimenting, and from hours of quiet thought while plodding along the road. Use it, don't use it. Whatever works for you is fine.

[BDF]

I just moved from a standard crank (53/39) with 11-23 cluster to a 52/36 crank and 11-25 cluster. What a lekker change! I have a 10 speed setup and agree with funjunkie  that on the 10 speed cluster the gaps are too big on the 11-28. If I had 11 speed, I would run the 11-28 for sure.

This all said, I am still trying to get my legs working properly after some back and sciatic nerve damage and I will probably return to the standard crank when all my faculties are fully functional again!

[jimmycool]

Come on guys. This is what real men ride....

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/3138870178_b0de01abe1.jpg