Ratio suggestion for new 11 speed Ultegra

omri · 28-02-2014 08:20PM #1

Hey, what ratio for cranks and cassette would you suggest for commute from Blackrock to Howth and some Wicklow cycles ?

Also which shimano cable set will fit U6800 - I want to get a different colour.

doozerie · 01-03-2014 10:35PM

Choose a ratio that you think will work for you based on the gearing that you use right now - ride the roads and find what gears feel comfortable. If in doubt be conservative and lean towards lower gearing.

And remember that any choice you make now is not cast in stone, you can change your cassette later should you wish to lower or raise your gearing, within limits of course. You can even change your chainrings or chainset too, but that's more costly.

Raam · 01-03-2014 10:38PM

Cables should be black, so leave em alone.

Cassette... 12/25 is a good one to have if you are on a compact and not so strong on the bike.

If you are less strong and slightly more portly, then a 12/27 might suit better.

denbatt · 02-03-2014 04:45AM

6800 crank spider can take 34/50, 36/52 or 39/53 so options are endless nearly

, I use a 36/52 and swap around casettes from 12/25 to 11/28 depending on terrain, I find this gives me a good range and can cope with any climb I have encountered. Compact 34/50 up front is also a good option if you want an even easier climbing gear. Good luck.

omri · 02-03-2014 11:22AM

I have none atm - I used to have a 9 speed 12-24 paired with 34/50 - in the good old days.

Now I have just the muscle memory left from these times but probably no muscles anymore. I was comfortable to keep 20-25kmph on flat with the cadence of 100-120 and pushing it to 30kmph (which was less comfortable but doable for some period of time). I did enjoy climbs much more than just flat TT.

Now since I'm kind of looking at new U6800 I'm wondering which would be the best set up - doubt I'd be changing parts in next 5 yrs (unless worn).

Re. the cables yes they come with black or some other color scheme but what I really want is red/white and black. So I'm thinking of getting the set that would fit new 11speed U6800 and just fit these isntead of the ones that come with the groupset.

Brian? · 02-03-2014 04:23PM

I find a compact with an 11-25 grand. Ultegra 6700 10 speed.

I am heavy and hills aren't my friend. I've used an 11-28 recently a few times but never really needed the 28, so I will be going back to the 11-25 whenever I next service the bike.

on_the_nickel · 02-03-2014 04:55PM

Can anyone tell me if/why crank length really matters?

Seweryn · 02-03-2014 09:11PM

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if/why crank length really matters?

Yes, it does. Very much for me, not necessarily for others as I often see.
If you are 180cm tall, 170mm are a good size cranks.

on_the_nickel · 03-03-2014 09:39AM

Seweryn wrote: »

Yes, it does. Very much for me, not necessarily for others as I often see.
If you are 180cm tall, 170mm are a good size cranks.

I get that the crank length effectively changes the power required to turn a given gear, but is there much actual perceivable difference between say 170mm and 172.5mm?

I'm moving from a compact (lowest gear 34/25) to a standard and my main decision is whether to get an 11/28 or suck it up and go with 11/25. Looking at Sheldon, the difference in crank length is far less significant than the gear ratio, so is there anything else I should consider - is leg length a factor?

170cm - 34/25 - 2.7
170cm - 39/25 = 3.1
170cm - 39/28 = 2.7

172.5mm - 34/25 = 2.6
172.5mm - 39/25 = 3.0
172.5mm - 39/28 = 2.7

Ratio suggestion for new 11 speed Ultegra

Comments