What is the norm for a 9spd road casette in gearing as I am unsure which one to buy.

11-23.

11-25 if you're feeling soft.

Racing normal is 12-23 for a 9sp (although 10sp normal is 12-25.)
If you're unfit or live somewhere hillyish then 12-25.
If it's for a CX bike or you're really spectacularly incapable then 12-27.

😉

Do you have a double or a triple chainset?

Are you looking for 'race gearing' or 'easy gearing' or something in-between?

if you live down softy south then 11-21 is all you need
if you live up hard north then 11-26 is needed

(southerner turned northern) 😈

26? Are you a hom?

Doesn't it also depend on your cadence?

Chainset teeth OP?

53/39 or are using 50/34?

I use 53/39 and 11-25 on my 9spd winter bike.

On climbing hills in Bristol/Bath I would use 11-27 if only to look after my knees. In Cambridge you could get away with 11-23 as its flat!

10sp 50-39 and 11-25 on my compact bike goes up hills no probs but you can't beat training and look after your knees.

I've got a double on mine and a 12-25, not done any massive climbs yet, but never used the lowest gear either

"Doesn't it also depend on your cadence?"

No. It completely depends on what you want other people to think of you.

My first road bike (9sp) came with a compact 12-25 but thought I was fast so I got a 11-21 and that was fine if I avoided most of the hills around Bristol / Bath as whilst not long they are pretty damn steep. Then I tried an 12-27 which was horrible because of all of the gaps so I went back to a 12-25 which suited me and the local terrain best.
Now I'm 10sp I have a 11-26 which is good for me but I prefer to spin any hill climb thats over 5 minutes – others may be different.

Depends on the bike 11/21 8 speed with 45/55 on the tt bike 11/27 9 speed with 22/32/44 on the Audax bike ,very much horses for courses

assuming 39/53 front, then:
South East = flatlands thus fixies only
South west & lower midlands = short n sharp thus 11-21/23
upper Midlands, North West, Wales & Scotland = 11-25/26
Alps & Pyrenees = 34/50 Front + 11-25/27

Its mainly flat around here Bridgwater area and climbing cheddar gorge sometimes so could be steep.
I am very used to cycling and am quite happy spinning along at 19mph on my mountain bike on roads though its less when climbing hills.
The chainset will be a double.

am quite happy spinning along at 19mph on my mountain bike

..oh really Ken?

I think I will just buy a cassette and see how I get on with it and whether I need to change it.

Wow, loads of love for 11 tooth small sprockets. I don't like them, they seem to wear out significantly faster than 12s.

If anyone's spending a significant amount of time in 53/11 they are v.strong. You'd be doing 45 mph before spinning out.

use a 12-23 and 52-39 I think for the distinctly rolling Northants countryside. All good.

I'm not being an internet hardman or anything, but I quite frequently spin out on 52/12. At that sort of speed of course you're not usually pedalling, but getting a bit of an extra blast helps.

God, there is so much crap willy waving on here.

53/39 and 12/21 is what Fabien Cancellara uses. If you are not him then don't expect to use the same gears as him.

For the record I use a triple with a 12/27. I very rarely use the low gears, but like having them. I also love spinning past "hard" men on their silly high gears on long hills when they are grinding their way up at about 30rpm, when I am happy at my normal 100ish rpm.

Basically choose what you like but don't let silly people pressure you in to running silly high gears.

Oh, and MisterT, I live in the "flatlands of the SE" and my daily commute includes a 22% climb. Even Pro-teams change their gearing above about 15%

God, there is so much crap willy waving on here.

I also love spinning past "hard" men on their silly high gears

😆

38-52 an 12-27 here,

Who cares if it's exactly right for where you live, as someone up there said, the pro's use 39/53 11-21, they produce ~2x the power of the average STW'er, so logicaly we should be using 22-42 cassettes!

I hate running out of gears and I hate having to ride arround hills,

Going compact 34/50 11-24 soon ish.

30, 42,52 rings at the front, and I use 12-23, in Derbyshire. I don't find myself using the 30 tooth on normal rides currently, but I guess if I went to the Lakes or somewhere, I might well want it, and it is dead handy if you're loaded up with junk. It is nice having all the gears close together.

I find on 52×12, I spin out at just under or over 70km/h, which I do once per commute. I am quite a spinny rider though. I don't see much point in having a higher gear – above that kind of speed, on most long downhills you're going to be faster tucking in once you hit 60 or 70km/h rather than pedalling.

Joe

From seeing this question on a number of roadie threads it seems that gearing ratio is of primary macho concern for the majority of road cyclists.

In particular, you must not have any low gears on your bike. The limit seems to be about 39/23 if you want to be seen as having a big willy swinging between your legs.

What cadence you will be pedalling at when cycling up steep hills on training rides is of secondary importance, and should not be mentioned when boasting on the internets.

From seeing this question on a number of roadie threads it seems that gearing ratio is of primary macho concern for the majority of road cyclists.

Not really, it's just what I'm used to and what works for me. There are 2 hills in the UK I wouldn't attempt on my lowest gear of 39:23. Hardknott and Wrynose. Everything else is eminently do-able even at the end of a 100 mile road race. Not boasting, it's just what works for me.

Replacing the cassette a few weeks ago and I debated long and hard about swapping for a 12-25 (9sp) on the grounds that I do virtually no road racing these days and live in the somewhat hilly Peak District but in the end I just went for the same 12-23.

Yep 11-23 and 53/39 uphills all day and see your knee surgeon at 40yrs of age…

Peoples perception of hills vary, a long steady steep climb on 11-23?
Not all pro's use what the people above post.

OP – if you are in shape and have been training for 3 yrs min then look at what people your build, age and gender are using.

Your body is unique and lactic threshold is unique to you and your training/genetics – so make the best of it even if its a 12-27 or a triple and don't screw up your knees and heart otherwise you will be retiring in your 40s while others pedal by at 80yrs old.

I run 50/34 – 12/25

I still struggle when the gradient gets steeper than 20% though

Yep 11-23 and 53/39 uphills all day and see your knee surgeon at 40yrs of age…

You see, on the track, I actually gear lower at about 90" whereas a lot of endurance trackies will go up to 94" or so. 4" difference doesn't sound like much but on a track it's quite significant.

I used to do crit races occasionally on my SS road bike (48:16 so 81" gear). Did it mostly to annoy roadies who were upset that someone on a 1-geared-bike worth less than their rear wheel could stay with them in a bunch. Even in the sprint, so long as you can spin and power, you can still do up to about 35mph on that gear.

It's finding a combination where you can spin while still putting the power down.