recommend MTB cassette ratios?

[fuddam]

have an old but good MTB that needs a new cassette - just bought the new chain, chain rings and jockey wheels. Original mech was all Deore XT & XTR from 1997.

original cassette was 11 - 26

Is used mainly for cross country (adventure racing). How much of a difference will 11 - 32 make? Obviously it will be easier for the hills, but my current granny gear seems to be pretty good.
Got my eye on a discounted SRAM PG850, which only comes in 11-32 at that price.

TIA

[Tumble]

I'm running a PC770 in 11-34 flavour. If you're doing serious hills, that extra 2 teeth makes a world of difference. The new 10 speed cassettes are 11-36..... you could go mad and get a 2x10 setup! Also - if it's an 11-32, it's likely an 8 speed cassette - you might have to get a new mech, most cassettes these days are 9 speed.

[fuddam]

I'm running a PC770 in 11-34 flavour. If you're doing serious hills, that extra 2 teeth makes a world of difference. The new 10 speed cassettes are 11-36..... you could go mad and get a 2x10 setup! Also - if it's an 11-32, it's likely an 8 speed cassette - you might have to get a new mech, most cassettes these days are 9 speed.

thanks for that



yep, is 8 speed. I don't really want to fork out on new gear shifters etc, so 8 will do fine.

chain rings are 26, 36, 46

[danroyle]

i run an 11-32 setup on my sram pg970. do you have a spacer behind your cassette if so your freehub could take a 9 speed which would be nice

CRC have always got deals on cassettes

[Konan555]

chain rings are 26, 36, 46

I run touring ratios like this with an 11-32 on the rear. Always feels like it gives me an edge powering down hills where people wheel but I've never felt I needed higher than 26/32 in races.

Only swine is that I have to avoid riding over logs that other people clear. Giants tend to have a low BB and when you add the 48 ring on it's asking for impact. Still, I started out racing cross so dismount, shoulder and run isn't as alien to me as it is most riders!