Originally Posted by
Racing Dan
Often you need "more gears" because you cant get a cassette with the gear combination you need. For instance all my cassettes have a 11t that is never used. Might as well ride a a 9s 13-34 or a 8s 13-30 vs a 10s 11-34.
+1 A 9-speed 13x27 was just as useful to me as a 10-speed 12x27 is now or an 11-speed 11x27 would be if I had to get one. I need the low gears and like the straight block from 13 to 17 but the 12 I have is very rarely used and the 11T would be a waste of space. However, you could never buy a 13x27 (I made them by combining a 12x27 and a 13x25 9-speed), the 12x27 is out of production and very hard to find and 11xXX is about all you can buy. To keep the gearing gaps acceptable we are forced into more cogs.