Cassette Buying Top Tips for Road Bikes // Wiggle

Cassettes provide a range of gearing options for your chain to run on. The range of gear ratios allows you to vary your pedalling cadence (revolutions per minute) to achieve optimum efficiency.

Running your chain on one of the larger sprockets - those with more teeth - will provide an 'easier' gear. This reduces the torque required to turn the back wheel - perfect for climbing hills - but it also means you have to complete more pedal revolutions to cover the same amount of ground.

Running your chain on a sprocket with a lower number of teeth maximises the torque, meaning less frequent but harder pedalling is required. This will allow you to keep adding power through your drivetrain without 'spinning out' (pedalling at an uncomfortably high number of revolutions) on a downhill section or sprint.

A good range of gears on your cassette, therefore, allows you to select the optimal level of torque versus pedal speed to transmit your total effort to the wheels in the most effective way.

bike cassette, bike sprocket, bike cog

How do you choose the right cassette for your bike?
The choice of cassettes can appear overwhelming at first glance. There are different combinations of sprockets to suit different tastes, terrains, and disciplines. For example, there is a significant difference in cassettes for triathlon bikes compared to those for mountain bikes.

The main thing to consider is the spread of gears on the cassette. The smaller the difference between the highest and lowest number of teeth, the smaller the jump between gears; facilitating a smoother gear change. However, having closer-geared sprockets will normally decrease the size of the largest sprocket on the cassette, leaving you with a gear ratio that may be less suited to climbing and tough terrain.

Road bike cassettes
bike cassette, bike sprocket, bike cog

The largest sprocket on a road bike cassette is generally smaller than those on mountain bikes, providing smaller jumps between gears. Most road bike cassettes have an 11, 12, or 13-tooth smallest sprocket, then between 21 and 32 teeth on the largest sprocket.

The vast majority of road bikes come with a 12-25 cassette, which is suitable for most cycling terrain when paired with a compact or standard chainset.

If you ride a lot of hills or struggle with hill climbing, a cassette with a lower ratio largest sprocket (27 or more teeth) may be beneficial. It will allow you to keep spinning for longer, rather than grinding.

When selecting a cassette for your road bike, ensure your derailleur can accommodate the largest sprocket. A longer cage rear derailleur is needed for larger sprockets because more chain is required to go around the greater number of teeth. Use a small cage derailleur with a large sprocket cassette and you'll risk over-stretching the derailleur. You may also see the chain becomes slack when riding in the smaller sprockets on the cassette.

For hill climbing and mountainous terrain, we recommend a road cassette such as the 11-32T SRAM Red 22 XG1190 11 Speed Cassette (A2)
SRAM Red 22 XG1190 11 Speed Cassette (A2)IN STOCK
SRAM Red 22 XG1190 11 Speed Cassette (A2)
Save 24% List Price £274.99
£209.99
4.8/5 (5)
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Buy Online
, or the 11-34T Shimano Ultegra R8000 11 Speed Cassette
Shimano Ultegra R8000 11 Speed CassetteIN STOCK
Shimano Ultegra R8000 11 Speed Cassette
Save 33% List Price £74.99
£49.99
4.7/5 (190)
Read all reviews
Buy Online
.

For flatter terrain and time trialling, we recommend a road cassette such as the 11-25T SRAM Red 22 XG1190 11 Speed Cassette (A2) or the 11-28T Shimano Ultegra R8000 11 Speed Cassette.

For more information visit: www.wiggle.co.uk