Cassettes

Cassettes in all sizes at low prices

The cassette is part of the drivetrain and is an important part of your overall cycling experience. Figuring out which cassette fits with the rest of your drivetrain is relatively simple. The cassette works closely with the bike chain and rear derailleur, so naturally, it needs to be a perfect match. The two most important factors are 'Speed' and 'T'. Speed stands for the number of rear gears, where T stands for the number of teeth on the rear cassette. Knowing these numbers will help you find the right cassette.

Cassette speed - What you need to know

Speed is the term for the number of gear changes you should be able to make on the cassette. One gear = one sprocket. Ergo, a 10-speed cassette will have ten sprockets in close proximity to each other.

In the past, you were limited by the number of cogs in your gear changes, but in recent years, technology has improved to the point where you can produce thin cogs in strong materials that allow all cogs to be close enough together for a rear derailleur. It also requires a lot from the bicycle chain, as the cassette and chain together must be able to handle the amount of energy that is sent from the wire, down through the bicycle chain and on to the cassette that sends the power to the wheel and eventually creates propulsion.

These are huge forces that the chain and cassette must withstand, while at the same time they can now be built incredibly compact. Today, you can easily buy 11 and 12-speed cassettes, i.e. 11 sprockets placed close to each other, where a rear derailleur can still move the chain from one extreme to the other.

Number of teeth on the sprocket

Different sprockets have a different number of teeth. This is, of course, because the size of the sprockets varies. Many teeth means a lower gear, few teeth are for the high gears. Typically, you note the smallest and the highest number of cogs, with the rest somewhere in between.

11-28 means that the smallest cog has 11 teeth, while the largest cog has 28 teeth. The number of teeth depends on which bike or gearing you prefer. For example, there will be more teeth on a cassette for mountain bikes compared to road bikes. This is because you generally need lower gears and more revs to move forward, while a road bike focuses on speed and thus needs fewer teeth to have a higher number of revs.

Easiest with one brand

Both Sram and Shimano are among the market's biggest manufacturers of groupsets for both road and mountain bikes. However, it is rare that the two brands produce products that "talk to each other", i.e. can be used across brands. In most cases, it will be easier to choose the right parts for your bike if you stick to a single brand. You can, of course, supplement with other brands that fit both Shimano and Sram, but basically, you have a safer and simpler solution if you choose to keep all components in the same brand. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule.