Who uses an 11-25T cassette, on road?

On the 10 speed 50/36 with 11-23 was fine (West Mids) but couldn’t get a replacement in 105 so changed to 11-25 and now really miss the 16.

Have 11-25 on the 11 speed with 52/36, feels much better…

Compact with 12-25. Got up 25% with that but ended up walking on Hardknott/Wrynose.

Normally use a compact with 11-25 that came with the bike. Put a 11-28 on for winching up the climbs on the Wiggle Dragon Ride and it was almost enough. Had to walk for about 100yds that to be honest I should have just cracked on with in hindsight.
Living in Cambridgeshire though, the hills were a bit of a shock to the system to be honest although got up them OK.

I did try a 48 outer ring recently too (so 34/48on the front) as I tend to be at the small end of the cassette in the small ring and the big end of the cassette in the big ring, so thought a 48T might get me into the middle range of the cassette more in the big ring.
But, the 48T Stronglight ring I bought wouldn’t shift with the 34T Shimano inner ring. Keep meaning to have another go getting it set-up and then perhaps buying a 34T Stronglight inner ring to match the outer and see if that works.

11-25 with standard double here (Basque Country / western Pyrenees). Can get over anything including a local climb with 33% ramps because with Speedplay cleats, walking is not an option!
I’m not that fit this year though and a long nasty climb last week (10km @12% in the last third of a very hilly 175km) left me wishing for a compact.

I use a 11-25 and a 50/34. I’m always skeptical of people who say they spin out when using a 50. Especally when 50×11 is a higher gear than 52×12.

Think my road bike is a 12-21 7sp cassette, with 42/52 up front (formerly biopace, now round). Would have to go count the teeth to confirm.

Think the CX is 12-27 with a 34/50 compact. Could use a slightly wider range for hills.

Especally when 50×11 is a higher gear than 52×12.

50/11 is closest to 55/12. It’s surprising how much difference a single tooth at the back makes compared to a much bigger ring at the front (though I guess in percentage terms it’s about the same step up.)

12-25 on 11sp campag at the back, compact at the front. Very rarely used the smallest of the gears around fife and tayside. Has got me around the Fred Whitton and up and over alpine cols with no drama. Never really felt the need for anything bigger at the front but I’m not a powerhouse and don’t mind spinning quickly.

My first road bike had a 13-23 with 42/52 chainrings
Mind you, my first mountain bike had a 12-28 with 28/38/48 chainrings

I don’t really remember having any problems – I think hills must have been flatter back then.

My summer road bike has 11-25 with a 39/53 chainset cos that’s what was cheap when I built it, it will probably be changed to 12-28 when I get round to it cos the 11 had never been used (53-11 is cav’s sprinting gear)

50×12 at 90RPM is just short of 30mph. I’m not sure many people spin this gear out, present company excepted of course.

mrblobby – Member
Tried 12-23 on the TT bike and missed the 11t. Ended up fitting a 55t chainring, but 55/12 was still quite a bit less than 53/11. I reckon you do lose quite a lot if you ditch the 11t. 53/12 is about 31mph at 90rpm, which is pretty quick but quite doable and even on the road bike I reckon it would leave me wanting a bigger gear. Now want to go 11sp

But 90RPM can’t be anywhere near spinning out for you?
I don’t consider it to be spinning out until about 120rpm personally. I prefer to TT at about 85-90 myself, but will just spin faster when needed.
It is only for very short durations, as you pointed out its 30mph+ and if you are averaging that for a full 10 then Kudos to you squire!

All my Time trials are on undulating technical terrain. No Carriageway stuff.

Suppose it depends on rider and courses.

But you know Der Panzerwagen uses oversized chainrings so that he doesnt have to use the 11t sprocket much – you lose valuable watts with that selection!

Mine came with either an 11 or 12-25. Might be suitable for a proper roadie but ****-all use for me 😆

9spd 11-26 here (with 53/39) not sure how I ended up with that, original was 12-26. Could do with a compact or mini compact tho, don’t do much road riding but when I do there tend to be big hills involved. Did a biggy last week that included winnats, 39×26 is not a good gear for getting up there – not for me anyway, I reckon any hardknott/honister routes are out til I get a smaller chainset.

Mind you, my first mountain bike had a 12-28 with 28/38/48 chainrings

I don’t really remember having any problems – I think hills must have been flatter back then.weird innit, I didn’t used to go up monster hills in the lakes BITD, 22×32 is very much appreciated for that sort of thing. Mind you local hills which I must have ridden up 28×28 back then I now spin up in 22×32. Think I must have become more of a spinner* than a stomper over the years – whether the drive behind the change is down to my ageing legs or the lower gears I’m not sure…

*or just lazier/slower

Different strokes and all that, I’ve ridden with all sorts of folks on long/hilly rides, some sit and spin a 34/25-27 and others do it all on a 39/25 but grind up steep slopes at about the same speed – whatever works for you works, but it’s worth exploring options to see what you prefer. I’m a bit more spinny and have a 36/27 on the posh bike, have to say that I like to get out of the saddle when it gets too steep for 65+ rpm in that gear, but then I’m happy riding for quite long periods (relatively speaking!) out of the saddle.

I prefer to TT at about 85-90 myself, but will just spin faster when needed.

I’ll be about 90rpm for most of a TT, but towards the end I usually find I can make the most power by pushing a bigger gear with a lower cadence, so 53/11@80rpm to give 30mph (or 55/12@80 for about 29mph) would be about right.

50×12 at 90RPM is just short of 30mph. I’m not sure many people spin this gear out

After a certain rpm though efficieny starts to drop, I reckon.

I have lost my powertap computer.. will be gutted if I cannot find it for the weekend 🙁

My road bike came with a 11-25, it lasted a week before I stuck a 28 on.

After a certain rpm though efficieny starts to drop, I reckon.

Most studies that I’ve seen found that the most efficient cadence was between 80 and 100 rpm, but I’d take them all with a large degree of uncertainty due to the huge differences in human physiological make up.

My theory is that the larger and heavier your legs are, the more energy is wasted simply moving them up and down. Pedalling like hell in 22/34 on an MTB is very tiring but you hardly go anywhere. So the sweet spot would presumably depend on your build, with lighter people generally benefitting from somewhat higher cadence.

That sounds like science

used to have 52/39 and an 11-25 when I was a 60-70 rpm grinder.
now use a 50/34 and an 12-27 and spin more at 80-90 rpm.
don’t think I’m any faster or slower, but I can go further and my knees don’t hurt.

11-25 with 9sp triple here, still aiming for 60mph down Kop Hill & lowest ratio about the same as a compact with 11-28 cassette but without annoying jumps anywhere 😉

I’m an ok descender and it’s got very little to do with gear ratios, it’s about line, position, confidence and staying off the brakes. Or maybe I’m just fat 😉

11-25 and compact here. Hardly ever use the 34 around where I live (East Berkshire), but find the setup fine in the Alps. I do have a 12-27, just in case, though…

Race: 52/39 and 11/23 (circuit) and 12/25 (road)
Road: 50/34 and 12/25 or 12/28 (lumpy)

“50×12 at 90RPM is just short of 30mph”

My AVERAGE cadence was 104 rpm in my last race, and I raced the compact at many races last season. In higher cat races I need the 52, but it would be no big deal if I didn’t have the 11T on either bike set up.

I do miss the 16T cog though and was recently looking at 12/21.

Not a huge difference between 52 and 50 at the front though, less than half a tooth at the back.

When I was a callow youth I had a 12-18 straight through block with 42-52.
Only managed a year on it before going back to 21/23. But anything bigger was for OAPs (i.e. people over 40).
No idea what I have now, but it’s definitely bigger than 23 🙂

You recording zeros? That seems high! Last race was 87 avg and 137 max but I wasn’t doing a great deal of work…

I’m on a 10 speed 52-36/27×12 and think it’d be perfect if it was 11 speed, there’s just one slight jump in the middle of the cassette that my legs don’t quite agree with.

I spend a fair bit of time I’m the small ring to keep spinning

My road bike dates back to when a good bike was a pro one so 11/23 49/53. I don’t spend much time at 53/11 that’s for sure!

All my road bikes are compact chainsets. Here in the S.Wales valleys its kinda wise to.

Winter bike has 12-25.
Spare bike has 12-27.
Summer bike has 11-26.

For me – the 11-26 is perfect. Climbs anything easy enough. The 12-27 was a bit too spinny even on the steeper climbs.

12-25 on 10speed here with 53/39 up front in the Peaks. Could use a slightly lower bottom end, but wouldn’t want to lose any top. Pretty much every ride I break 40mph (48.something today), and most descents are at 30+, so I spend a fair amount of time in the 12 & 13. (I stop applying useful power at about 42mph, fully redlined about 45). I’m 10 stone, not racing anybody and quite enjoy climbing out the saddle, so I don’t find the bottom end very limiting up until steeper than 1 in 4s. Winnats is very unpleasant, but doable if I really want to.

I’ll be sticking a 11-25 on if I ever end up going compact (which would be a sensible thing to do, but I keep putting off spending the cash!)

molgrips, if yours is 11sp shimano and you want a straight swap I have an unfitted ultegra 11-28 and would prefer smaller

If you want to race then a 53/39 with a 12/25 block is perfect. If you can’t climb steep hills on the 39-25 they you’ll be out the back anyway.

Bovine excrement.

You recording zeros? That seems high! Last race was 87 avg and 137 max but I wasn’t doing a great deal of work…

Yes, of course. Years spent riding fixed, coupled with legs like stcks, mean that i spin like an electric drill! Power = force x velocity. I don’t have the force, so to put out those 300 watts i need velocity. 90-100 for normal riding, 100-110 for racing.

Funny thing is, i ride SS mountain bike with 32×17, including races, and can still spin along at 16 mph on the flat.

Probably something in molgrips theory then. I’ve quite heavy legs from years of running. Spinning at 95 is fine most of the time but for longer efforts around threshold or above I tend to settle into a steady 88rpm, just seems to work best for me.

Great to see sooo many different ratios we all ride.
Just goes to show what a wide range of both abilities and geography we play on.

8)

I trained myself to pedal at 90 or so because that’s what you do, but I often find that I can get a bit more power at the end of a ride by going lower.