[djb]

Ok, so I'm building up a new ride to get back into it, I haven't ridden in a couple years. I have most parts, but I have a question about what cassette to get. I'm going to be running a chainguide up front, don't know what size ring but I'm thinking around 36-38.

My question is, why do I see a lot of people running road cassettes? Is there any advantage to them? I'll be running a Saint derailleur, if that helps. Any suggestions on what size, type etc cassette to get would be greatly appreciated. I'll be riding freeride mostly. Cost isn't really a great concern.

Thanks!

 

[GotMyGED]

Ok, so I'm building up a new ride to get back into it, I haven't ridden in a couple years. I have most parts, but I have a question about what cassette to get. I'm going to be running a chainguide up front, don't know what size ring but I'm thinking around 36-38.

My question is, why do I see a lot of people running road cassettes? Is there any advantage to them? I'll be running a Saint derailleur, if that helps. Any suggestions on what size, type etc cassette to get would be greatly appreciated. I'll be riding freeride mostly. Cost isn't really a great concern.

Thanks!

People run road cassettes because they dont need the low gearing due to the fact that they're probably not climbing hills on dh rigs and dirt jump bikes. Since they can use a road cassette, they can also use a short cage road derailleur, which shifts infinately better than a long cage on an 11-34 mtn setup.

I really didn't think i would be able to tell a difference in the shifting, but i installed a 12-27 with a short cage 105 on my freeride bike last night, it is noticeable more crisp and way faster.

 

[S.K.C.]

... as what was stated above, another reason a lot of pros run road cassettes is to save a bit of weight. The close-ratio gears also make for improved shifting.

If you watch the Earthed 3 DVD during a sequence where Sam Hill is talking about a "mechanical" problem he had where he twisted a crank arm from a rock hit, the camera zooms in on the back of his bike, and you can clearly see that he is running a striaght-block. It's basically a road cassette with such close-ratio gearing that no matter what gear he's in, it's pretty much the "right" gear for him, for that track.

 

[JRogers]

Yeah, weight and most people don't use all the gears. I think the best decision for you depends on what you mean by "freeride," which has become an almost meaningless word these days. Do you mean big drops and DH? Any climbing? If you are planning on going up and down, then the wider the range and the lower the gear on the back the better if you're running one ring up front, no question. If you're doing mostly lift-served or shuttle stuff, it could go either way and different people will say different things.

For a front ring, it seems like the most common choice these days is a 38. If you're riding all over, a 36 might be a better bet. I run a 40 right now. Seems to work best with the bike (pedals a bit better) and my preferences (I hate not having a tall enough gear and I don't have the best leg speed).

After running a few road cassettes for a while, I went back to a mountain cassette (might be 11-32, I forget exactly what) on my DH bike. I race sport/expert level, if that helps. I found a road cassette to be annoying if I ever did have to climb. Also a lot of race courses would have an open section that transitioned quickly to a slower woods section or I'd be going along and then get hung up and have to restart (read: hit a tree, or something). I often found myself forgetting to shift or doing it too slow and losing time, ending up in some massive gear. Bigger gaps in the ratios help that and I never find that I don't have the right gear to be in- this isn't road, it's DH, so you're not spinning for long periods in the same gear, but you are hitting a variety of speeds and accelerating and decelerating quickly.

So, snap judgment: unless you are doing full DH/racing almost all the time, I'd get something like a 32 tooth cassette. It's more versatile and forgiving.

 

[djb]

awesome thanks

 

[dhpimp]

Ok, so I'm building up a new ride to get back into it, I haven't ridden in a couple years. I have most parts, but I have a question about what cassette to get. I'm going to be running a chainguide up front, don't know what size ring but I'm thinking around 36-38.

My question is, why do I see a lot of people running road cassettes? Is there any advantage to them? I'll be running a Saint derailleur, if that helps. Any suggestions on what size, type etc cassette to get would be greatly appreciated. I'll be riding freeride mostly. Cost isn't really a great concern.

Thanks!

Just a quick note on the Saint rear derailleur and a road cassette, but for some reason it does not work well. I had this setup originally back in 04 (Saint RD and Ultegra 12-27 Cassette) and it shifted like crap. I was in Mont St. Anne and talked to a Shimano Engineer about it and he said that the Saint RD was designed to work with a 30T plus big cog. Never said anything about changing it, but to my knowledge it will still be that way.

 

[BIRDMAN111]

Cost isn't really a great concern.

Thanks!

lucky

 

[jungle]

I'm just going thru the same process of road cassette 12-27 v
mtb cassette 11-32, another thing that was pointed out with the road
cassette even though it may shift smoother you have to do more shifts
to cut thru such a close range of gears seeing each shift doesn't
make much difference pedalling , but with a broader range cassette you will notice a bigger difference with each shift so less shifts to feel a
difference in pedalling
so both have their pros and cons, but like me if you aren't racing DH
only , i reckon the 11-32 is going to be what i end up using
so i have a chance to pedal uphill as well
BTW i'm running a 38T single chainring up front

 

[GotMyGED]

People run road cassettes because they dont need the low gearing due to the fact that they're probably not climbing hills on dh rigs and dirt jump bikes. Since they can use a road cassette, they can also use a short cage road derailleur, which shifts infinately better than a long cage on an 11-34 mtn setup.

I really didn't think i would be able to tell a difference in the shifting, but i installed a 12-27 with a short cage 105 on my freeride bike last night, it is noticeable more crisp and way faster.

I guess i should also note that i have a double up front (22/32) with an mrp long range. The 22/32 option seems to work very well with the 12-27.

 

[BrandonWatts]

not to jack the thread or anything but will any road casstte fit on any hub? i have been looking at getting the sram pg970 road casstte for my dh bike and was wondering if it will fit on a ringle 150mm hub.

 

[vibiker]

i have been looking at getting the sram pg970 road casstte for my dh bike and was wondering if it will fit on a ringle 150mm hub.

The 150mm hub is the width of the hub, not the freewheel body. So, if you can fit a 9 speed mtb cassette on your hub (which I'm sure you can), yes a pg970 road cassette will work.

 

[BrandonWatts]

thanks i realize that 150mm is the hub width and not the freewheel width i just worded my question wrong.