Old 07-04-20, 01:36 AM
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pinholecam
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On a 18" and 20" (406) bikes, I have used the 11-36t cassette and its been enough in most cases except for rather steep inclines with the bike loaded with touring gear.
This works on the more common Shimano 10speed (not 11sp being more common) freehub and Shimano XT or Saint/Zee shifter/RD.
I have seldom found any need for higher (ie. harder) gearing with the 52/11t combo (406 wheels) even with my weekly rides of the bike with folks on road bikes.
The max gearing is certainly enough to reel back most riders in a sustained effort over 5km or more, as most riders may get the initial jump with higher gearing but fewer can really sustain it for that long.

The 3T cassette you mention uses the XDR freehub and its not even common on 700c wheels (and certainly not available on smaller wheels ).
If you want this option, you will have to build the wheels with a XDR compatible hub.

The Bailout cassette is the more interesting one even for 700c wheeled bikes.
The jump in gearing from 9 - 19t is very gradual and makes more sense as the "muscle shock" jumping from 9t-11t is considerable for the Overdrive option, especially when pushing the pace in a group ride.
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