Cassette decisions

[martiarch]

Could someone please explain the sizing on cassettes...I'm looking to buy a new cassette for my mountain bike. What are the differences between 11-32 , 11-34 and 12-34...

thanks

 

[Risto Varanka]

martiarch <[email protected]> wrote:
: Could someone please explain the sizing on cassettes...I'm looking to buy a new cassette for my
: mountain bike. What are the differences between 11-32 , 11-34 and 12-34...

Means maximum and minimum teeth for the sprockets of the cassette. ERm or rather minimum and maximum
If you have 34 instead of 32, you will have slightly easier gear in the very low end.

For further information http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/ varis at no spam please iki fi

 

[Sheldon Brown]

martiarch wrote:
> Could someone please explain the sizing on cassettes...I'm looking to buy a new cassette for my
> mountain bike. What are the differences between 11-32 , 11-34 and 12-34...

Those are the numbers of teeth on the smallest and largest sprockets respectively.

An 11 will let you go a bit faster downhill or on the road. A 34 will let you climb with less
effort, but more slowly. A wider range will cause bigger spacing between intermediate gears, which
could be annoying.

Some older freehubs won't accept an 11 tooth without minor modification.

See also http://sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

and http://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html

Sheldon "Kah-Sept" Brown +-----------------------------------------------------------+
| In my opinion two characteristics disqualify skating | as vehicular travel. | The first is the
| necessary side-to-side swerving motion. | The second is the very poor braking deceleration. | I
| think that skating should not be allowed on either | pedestrian or vehicular facilities. -- John
| Forester |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Joe Gilmore]

Some years ago I asked a similar question and someone named "Sheldon Brown" responded and directed
me to their website! I have referred to that website many, many times since then and I highly
recommend it as a "favorite" when it comes to questions about components, etc. "Sheldon Brown"
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> martiarch wrote:
> > Could someone please explain the sizing on cassettes...I'm looking to buy a new cassette for my
> > mountain bike. What are the differences between 11-32 , 11-34 and 12-34...
>
> Those are the numbers of teeth on the smallest and largest sprockets respectively.
>
> An 11 will let you go a bit faster downhill or on the road. A 34 will let you climb with less
> effort, but more slowly. A wider range will cause bigger spacing between intermediate gears, which
> could be annoying.
>
> Some older freehubs won't accept an 11 tooth without minor modification.
>
> See also http://sheldonbrown.com/gears.html
>
> and http://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html
>
> Sheldon "Kah-Sept" Brown +-----------------------------------------------------------+
> | In my opinion two characteristics disqualify skating | as vehicular travel. | The first is the
> | necessary side-to-side swerving motion. | The second is the very poor braking deceleration. | I
> | think that skating should not be allowed on either | pedestrian or vehicular facilities. --
> | John Forester |
> +-----------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
> Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
> shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com