Hey all...

I purchased a new wheelset, and need a new cassette. I have seen they are available in different gear configs, primarily 12-34, 11-34, and 11-32 (for 9 speed Shimano). What I'm wondering is what the main difference will be with these gears. My current Chinrings are 22-33-44, but that may change as I may be upgrading crank as well. Please LMK, Thanks.

Hey all...

I purchased a new wheelset, and need a new cassette. I have seen they are available in different gear configs, primarily 12-34, 11-34, and 11-32 (for 9 speed Shimano). What I'm wondering is what the main difference will be with these gears. My current Chinrings are 22-33-44, but that may change as I may be upgrading crank as well. Please LMK, Thanks.

The 12 in 12-34 is the small cog or the highest gear, a 11 will give a little higher gear than a 12, but I think this is no big deal for MTB's. The 34 is the large cog which is the lowest gear and this allows you to stay in the middle ring more and is good for steep climbs. I suggest the 12-34. 22-32-44 rings are very common and are on most cranks now.

The 12 in 12-34 is the small cog or the highest gear, a 11 will give a little higher gear than a 12, but I think this is no big deal for MTB's. The 34 is the large cog which is the lowest gear and this allows you to stay in the middle ring more and is good for steep climbs. I suggest the 12-34. 22-32-44 rings are very common and are on most cranks now.

where you ride, and personal preference. 11-34 seems to be standard nowdays, but I prefer the 11-32. Where I live the climbs are long and steep, so for me the middle ring is not an option. And I find that a 22 x 34 is just too small. In that gear it's hard to keep enough speed up to clear any obsticle bigger than your average pencil :p . So why carry along a gear I'll never use. 11-32 just fits both the terrain I ride, and the way I ride it. Of course, unfortunately, it takes time and experimentation to figure out what will work best for you.

Nine speed mountain cassette choices are almost a non-issue ? not like the 7 and 8 speed cassettes where there were some real choices to be made in terms of high vs. low gear and gearing density.

But take a look at the cogs that fall inbetween the smallest and the largest. The differences lie in there.

You've probably be in the position where you're riding along something fast, relatively flat, and you're just flying along in a high gear. The gear you're in you feel inefficient and you could push something harder for more speed, but shifting up a gear stalls your momentum. A smaller gap in gearing would take care of that problem.

For example, the difference between a cassette that jumps from 11 to 13 is pretty dramatic compared to a cassette that transitions from 11 to 12. The one tooth difference represents a 9% gap in gearing, or rather an 18% jump when shifting between the 13T cog and the 11T cog.

Another example to look at are SRAM's cassettes. They jump a big gap to get to the large cog ? from 28T to 34T (versus Shimano XT 30T to 34T). SRAM's gap represents a 21% jump in gearing versus Shimano's 13% jump in gearing. But if you look at what happens before that gap, you'll see that SRAM give your a tighter gearing cluster through the gearing range up until that point, where Shimano is just a little bit wider through the entire gearing range.

Compare any mountain cassette to a road cassette and you'll see the difference is the road cogs are very close in gearing so that the "perfect gear" is always just a click away.

Hey all...

I purchased a new wheelset, and need a new cassette.

You can take the cassette you currently have and put it on your new wheels. This will also avoid any skipping problems you might have with a new cassette and an old chain and save you money. If you get a new cassette, be sure to replace the chain too.

If you really do need to get a new cassette, the advice posted here so far is sound.