best shimano 8 speed cassette for me

lookitsme

hi guys festive greetings, after going on a spin I gave the baby a clean and noticed that some of the teeth are worn on the cassette so I think it's time for a new one along with a new chain. the one I have is an 8 speed 13 to 26 teeth. looking around online I can easily replace it like for like but I was thinking to take the opportunity to change it for something different. I seen a 11 to 34 on evancycles and thought this could spice things up a bit, easier up hills and faster on the flat or is this just ignorance talking. at the moment I use the 13 tooth quite a bit so I think the 11 tooth would be an improvement. so is it as simple as taking the old cassette off and replacing it with the new one regardless of size as long as both are 8 speed or is it a more technical. excuse the ignorance. all opions greatly accepted

ps whats the difference between a road bike cassette and a mtb cassette

Cee-Jay-Cee

11/34 would be mountain bike ratios and chances are your RD wouldnt take a 34 cog, there would also be huge gaps between cogs considering youve only 8 gears and a 23 tooth gap.

If you need a bit extra help on hills then go for a 12/28 or 11/27

lookitsme

I wouldn't say I need more help up the steep hills I kind of like the challenge of a good hill and do feel the reward once over the top but we all have the bad days when we could do with a little shunt up the steepies. when you say there would be to much of a gap between gears would this be more pronounced on hills

lookitsme

I wouldn't say I need more help up the steep hills I kind of like the challenge of a good hill and do feel the reward once over the top but we all have the bad days when we could do with a little shunt up the steepies. when you say there would be to much of a gap between gears would this be more pronounced on hills

Cee-Jay-Cee

What they do is generally bunch the higher gears and spread out the lower gears so the ratios might be something like 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 25, 30, 34 so you see big gaps in the lower gears which isn't condusive to steady cadence/spinning, you could be on the 25 cog and only need another gear or two (26 or 27) but the next available is 30 which is quite a jump and you end up in a gear which is too easy for your needs, your speed drops and your using more energy spinning a low gear and going nowhere fast. If your able to manage with what you currently have then a 28 is all you really need.

browsing

I've an 8 speed 11-28 and it does the job just fine. plenty small for intervals or pedalling down hill and big enough to get you out of trouble on pretty much any hill. it can be a bit too much of a jump between gears but not too bad all the same. cheap as chips and the sram one wear quite well. using a shimano one at the moment and so far so good. no difference between mtb and road cassettes, just that 'mtb' cassettes generally have bigger cogs. cogs too big could present a problem if your deraileur can't handle it but I think you should manage with a 28.

lookitsme

an 11 to 28 sounds good to me. I was looking online for one but to no avail. do you know where one could aquire one

NeedMoreGears

Chainreactioncycles.com

Wiggle.co.uk

Plus others.

lookitsme

Crc and wiggle were my first port of call but no luck. They do have an 11 to 28 in a ten speed but not a eight speed. I think 28 would be the highest I could put on without messing around with other parts so the 30's and 32's would be out. Guess I will stick to what I have I was happy with it before I thought there were more options. A true case of the grass is always greener....

crosstownk

This should do the job.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/ie/en/sram-pg850-8-speed-mtb-cassette/rp-prod5212

You will also need the lock ring tool and a chain whip to replace the cassette.

NeedMoreGears

They have a deal that combines chain and cassette for another three euro. SRAM chain so would imagine it has a quick link. Sorry can't post exact link as I'm on an iPad and don't know how to drive it properly

lookitsme

crosstownk wrote: »

This should do the job.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/ie/en/sram-pg850-8-speed-mtb-cassette/rp-prod5212

You will also need the lock ring tool and a chain whip to replace the cassette.

But will this work with the rest of my shimano bits and bobs excuse my ignorance, I thought you were either shimano or sram, oasis or blur and so on

crosstownk

lookitsme wrote: »

But will this work with the rest of my shimano bits and bobs excuse my ignorance, I thought you were either shimano or sram, oasis or blur and so on

Sram will work with Shimano. They both use the same free hub so the Sram cassette will fit your hub.

My bike came standard with the cassette linked above, a Shimano derailleur and a KMC chain.

EDIT: If you live close to me you're welcome to borrow my old Sram 8 speed cassette and try it out.

lookitsme

crosstownk wrote: »

Sram will work with Shimano. They both use the same free hub so the Sram cassette will fit your hub.

My bike came standard with the cassette linked above, a Shimano derailleur and a KMC chain.

EDIT: If you live close to me you're welcome to borrow my old Sram 8 speed cassette and try it out.

That would be great I'm in Lucan but wouldn't mind venturing further a field for a trial run. Have to say that's very kind of you.

crosstownk

lookitsme wrote: »

That would be great I'm in Lucan but wouldn't mind venturing further a field for a trial run. Have to say that's very kind of you.

I'm in Terenure. PM me if you want to arrange to collect it.

It's an 11-32T. It'll be grand with your rear derailleur once you remember not to shift into the 32. You can set your limit screw to ensure it doesn't.