Touring Cassette

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I have cycled most of dartmoor's ridable paths and the fords and unridable heather on a non compact 13 -34 x 26 36 46 and it was only two minutes before my missus phoned me on the Tour update to say Schleck had droped his chain that I unshipped with a double shift, the very first time that bike owned since 96 and the first time since the early eightes on any bike.
Last problem was a broken KMC cheapy recycled from a skip bike.

On my current skip trainer I recently took two links out of the chain as compact needs less range and even when it was longer on my fith recycled chain which I take off when I hit 1 % stretch on a broken chain (above) and no chain loss.

Like motorcycles the chain is probably the item that receives less attention but needs just so maintainance..............

[willem jongman]

Your front chainwheels are not exactly small, so I would go for a cassette with 34t. There are parts of the UK where with luggage even this is not light enough gearing. With modern 9 or 10 sp cassettes, there is no longer a real downside to wider ratio cassettes, unless you are on a road bike in Holland.

[TimP]

I have toured using much less suitable gears than the ones you already have. If you are not carrying everything plus the kitchen sink with you then you should find it okay. Also, being the gears you are used to there is a familiarity and comfort using the gears you have.
28 front to 25 back is already near to 1:1. I have toured through the Yorkshire Moors where the roads go straight up and down hills instead of round them using a bike with a lowest of 40 front to 28 rear, so yo are already better equipped than I was then (I changed to an SR Custom Triple after that summer, 32-40-52 so you still have better gearing)

[dakari-mane]

I suppose a lot depends on how much stuff you are carrying too. I like the 22t front - 36t rear for hauling my full loaded bike up loooooong steep hills.

Very needed coming through wales.

[foxyrider]

Another advantage of not going too big at the rear is that you can keep the chain shorter which helps prevent loosing it on rough surfaces!

Sounds like an old roadie myth to me. I've always employed the biggest sprockets available and been no stranger to rough-stuff, but so far this worker has yet to lose his chains!

Not a myth but a fact from the days of simpler gear mechs without a top spring! Still works, just because you've never lost a chain doesn't mean it can't happen, it was a common occurrence on mtb's which spawned the DCD and eventually Shadow rear mechs.

[CJ]

Another advantage of not going too big at the rear is that you can keep the chain shorter which helps prevent loosing it on rough surfaces!

Sounds like an old roadie myth to me. I've always employed the biggest sprockets available and been no stranger to rough-stuff, but so far this worker has yet to lose his chains!

Not a myth but a fact from the days of simpler gear mechs without a top spring! Still works, just because you've never lost a chain doesn't mean it can't happen, it was a common occurrence on mtb's which spawned the DCD and eventually Shadow rear mechs.

Can happen maybe, but almost never does.

Loss of chain is a common occurrence only on single chainwheel derailleur geared bikes. A front mech very effectively keeps the chain on. When MTBs went single ring, that is what spawned the DCD.

And although the Shadow design may make some small difference in this regard, the primary response of rear mechs to terrain-induced chain jump (which is a problem only for extreme mountain-bikers, not tourists, and we're talking Touring Cassette remember) is a one-way friction clutch on the cage pivot. Admittedly Shimano calls this Shadow-Plus, but Sram, I believe, were first with this feature, so 'clutch derailleur' is the generic term.

Although only single-ring riders need this feature, clutch derailleurs might be quite nice for normal cycling too, by inhibiting the tendency of the chain to slap against and remove paint from one's chainstay. Use of larger rings and sprockets (to get a given gear ratio) also helps in this regard, since then the chain rides higher above the chainstay.