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Why would a triple have a 11-32 cassette?

  • 15-06-2013 9:30pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,308
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    Just a question from curiousity - why would a bike with a 48/36/26 chainset have a 11-32 rear cassette?

    Like on this bike?

    http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/fitness/fx/7_3_fx/

    Surely all that does is give you massive overlap on the gears, big gear jumps and the ability to climb absurd hills that you'd likely never climb on a bike like that?

    An 11-26 would give you the same top speed, a 1:1 granny-gear and much smaller gear jumps (especially as it's only 8 speed in this particular bikes case).

    Can anyone explain the reasoning behind the other? I get why you might want such a wide cassette on a compact but not with a triple, I'm new to bicycle gearing and I'm wondering if I'm missing something obvious here.


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,390 IM0
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    you are, some people need very light gears for steep climbs, its an ability thing.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 11,394 Captain Havoc
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    Not everyone who rides a bike is superbly fit. If you cycle a couple of kms to work but have to cycle up a very steep hill, I'm sure the gears would be useful.

    https://ormondelanguagetours.com

    Walking Tours of Kilkenny in English, French or German.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,313 Mycroft H
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    touring load. panniers and such like.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,889 feck sake lads
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    on a loaded touring bike going up hill you will be glad of them .:cool:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,440 cdaly_
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    On a bike loaded with only me I'm glad of them...


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,526 Darkglasses
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    My old hybrid has gearing like that, I think I did use the lowest gear a couple of times going uphill into the wind on my evening commute. Soon grew out of it.

    I currently use the lowest gear when I take that bike off-road.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,830 doozerie
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    I have a triple on my MTB (22/32/42), fitted with slicks. I use it on the road all of the time so I have a narrow range cassette on it (11-23), and I never use the granny ring. However, on holiday recently in Yorkshire I rode up a 17% gradient while towing a child trailer and I was glad of my 22-23 gearing and that's only slightly higher a gear than 26-32 - in fact I might have gone lower again if I'd had another gear available. And certainly in that part of the world a 17% gradient is common as muck and there are plenty of 20%, 25%, and even the odd 33%, gradients knocking around.

    So as per the previous posts your choice of gearing really depends on a variety of things including the nature of your riding (touring, towing, etc.), whether you like to spin or grind (and you can still find yourself grinding a bit even in very low gears, under certain circumstances), age, physical constraints, your local terrain, etc. Such low gearing certainly isn't for everyone but I could see why there is a demand for it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 585 enas
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    Actually, I'm wondering the opposite. I get that on this type of bike, you need a low lowest gear. But what about the smallest sprockets, isn't the 11 sprocket a bit low for this bike? I mean, with one calculator I used online, 48 front with 11 sprocket at 90rpm pedalling gives us over 50 km/h, close to 60km/h at 100rpm. How often would anyone ride at those speeds on such a bike? I'd rather go with smaller gear jumps and sacrifice the highest gear, especially if I was the kind of persons who needs very low gears. I agree that the gearing is a bit strange with that bike...


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,812 smacl
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    enas wrote: »
    Actually, I'm wondering the opposite. I get that on this type of bike, you need a low lowest gear. But what about the smallest sprockets, isn't the 11 sprocket a bit low for this bike? I mean, with one calculator I used online, 48 front with 11 sprocket at 90rpm pedalling gives us over 50 km/h, close to 60km/h at 100rpm. How often would anyone ride at those speeds on such a bike? I'd rather go with smaller gear jumps and sacrifice the highest gear, especially if I was the kind of persons who needs very low gears. I agree that the gearing is a bit strange with that bike...

    I rented a bike last year cycling from to Dingle from Tralee over the Connor pass with a 14kg backpack. The super low gears were grand for the climb, but the bike was totally undergeared on the flat (46/13). Extra weight only makes a difference on a incline, I would've loved and 11 or 12 in the cassette.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,526 Darkglasses
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    enas wrote: »
    Actually, I'm wondering the opposite. I get that on this type of bike, you need a low lowest gear. But what about the smallest sprockets, isn't the 11 sprocket a bit low for this bike? I mean, with one calculator I used online, 48 front with 11 sprocket at 90rpm pedalling gives us over 50 km/h, close to 60km/h at 100rpm. How often would anyone ride at those speeds on such a bike? I'd rather go with smaller gear jumps and sacrifice the highest gear, especially if I was the kind of persons who needs very low gears. I agree that the gearing is a bit strange with that bike...

    Now there's a good question, in my opinion. Most beginners aren't going to touch the pedals on the way down a climb, unlike smacl above. I very rarely put my triple-equipped hybrid in the top gear, and mainly just to challenge myself.

    Suppose you have to put something on the sprocket.


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  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 21,899 Brian?
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    Now there's a good question, in my opinion. Most beginners aren't going to touch the pedals on the way down a climb, unlike smacl above. I very rarely put my triple-equipped hybrid in the top gear, and mainly just to challenge myself.

    Suppose you have to put something on the sprocket.

    I have a compact 50/34 on my bike. Over 40kph I reckon I'll spin out a 50x11 handy enough. I'm glad of the 34-25 going up hill though

    they/them/theirs


    And so on, and so on …. - Slavoj Žižek




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