Cassette newbie question

Triathlon Forum
1

Hello

I am completely new to the sport of tri, esp. cycling since I previously ran marathon. All the talk about the different cassette and types (53, 51, etc) is there like a complete beginner article or online source that I can learn when to use which kind for whaty kind of race and etc. Just some beginner information would be very very helpful.

thanks
chris

2

Try:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/11-27.html

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/gearing.html

By the way, 53, 51 etc are not referring to cassettes (the gears at the back) but the chainrings (the 2 or 3 at the front).

If you’re a complete beginner, an 11-27 is a good idea, maybe even a compact or, gasp, a triple on the front

3

The most common sizes are chain ring (front): 53 & 39
Cassette: 12-27 should see you going everywhere. 11 is not needed until you are real strong. If you leave in a relatively flat area 12-25 is very good. It gives you more cogs between the extreme which means smaller jumps from one cog to the next.