Campagnolo Chorus 12 Chainring and Cassette selection.
 

I posted this in the Clydesdale section, but then I thought if a person wasn't a bigger rider they might not visit that section and I might be missing out on some valuable input.

Decided to upgrade my 2001 Record 10 to the new Chorus 12 speed

I'm a big guy. I am fit, but never the less, you can't defy physics. I'm 6-4 high 220's.

I live and ride in the Phoenix, AZ metro area. It's a valley so you are always going uphill at least one way. Once you get out of the valley a little there are some good inclines, but I'm might ride into the mountains once in a blue moon.

I'm pushing a 50/34 now with either a 12/25 or 13/26 and 99.9% of the time have no problem turning the peddles over. There a couple inclines around here where I really have to dig, but they are the exception not the rule.

So with all that being said, before I go and order...Campy is offering a compact 50/34 or a sub compact 48/32. With a cassette option of 11-29, 11-32, 11-34.

I've looked at the gear inches calculator, but I'm having interpreting what it means to be in the real world performance?

I'm leaning towards the 50/34 with an 11-32 cassette. But do I even really need an 11-32 cassette? Do I opt of 11-29 with smaller jumps?

Or do I go 48/32 with the 11/29? Would that give the best of both?

Thoughts?

Sorry for the repeat. I can delete one post or the other depending upon which place is the best for the question to be posed.

I, too, am a clyde at 235lbs. Just put Record/Chorus 11 speed on my daily rider and went from 39/53 + 14-28 to 39/50 + 11-32 cassette and find the lower gearing is welcomed, and the higher gearing not needed, but the stuff in between is perfect. I say go with the 34/50 + 11-29 cassette. Won't be much different than your current gearing and will grant you just one more lower gear for those tough spots.

Thats good info. Thank you very much!

how do you “likel” a post btw. I can’t figure it out.

Never used the "Like" button, but I suppose one click on it in the lower right of a post should do it. Testing now. Yep, that worked. I just "Liked" your post.

I know I’m not crazy...that like button was not there yesterday....I swear!

On the toughest hills, do you feel as though you need 1 lower gear, or 2 lower gears ? Maybe be better to get slightly lower than what you think you'll need.
Cassettes wear out, so you can always get a different one next time.

50-34 up front and 11-32 in the rear.

YMMV

There are only a couple hills around here that are tough to get up and they are relatively short climbs.

Most everything around here is long gradual climbs. Like I said, it's not hard to ride uphill for hours on end if you want.

I have a 12-25 and 13-26 10 speed now which pretty much get the job done.

And since the Chorus 12 speed cassette is an 11-29 that already gives me a a couple more teeth than I have now. The other two options are the 11-32 and the 11-34, which seem a little much for around here.

That was my original inclination, but then I though the 11-29 would give me closer spacing between cogs and still get the job done.

I'm open to it, but just wondering why you feel the 11-32 would be a better option over the 11-29?

Thanks to everyone for all the input

For me, I do a lot of relatively short but steep climbs. My LBS mechanic recommended a Campy medium cage and a 11-32 cassette for the C60. I love having the 32 cog when I climb. By comparison I have an 11-29 cassette in the C59 and it makes climbing the same hills a bit tougher.

There are bike gear apps where you can compare the effects of different gear combinations.

Good luck. :thumb:

That's good info. Thank you. Seems like maybe we ride a lot of the same type of situations.

So you don't find the couple extra cog jump in the back of the 11-32 to "feel" much different than the jumps on the 11-29?

Here are the ratios on Chorus 12 speed.

11-29: 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-26-29
11-32: 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-22-25-28-32
11-34: 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-22-25-29-34

I ride 50/34 x 12-30 on a 10 speed set up. I find it pretty adequate in Colorado. The gaps between gears isn't really noticable. I do have a 12-25 on my heavy wheels I ride on flat days though.

Only occasionally do I wish I had a little lower gear up and a little higher down.

For my area and desire to ride up mountains, I'd stay 50/34 and go 11-32 if I were to go to 12sp.

Two caveats to this. I don't ride my bike loaded. 2 bottles and a seat bag max. A touring set up might need lower gears. The other is that I weigh 140.

To be honest, The only difference that I have experienced between the 11-29 and the 11-32 is when I run out of gears in the steepest parts of my normal climbs.

I practice climbing while sitting on the saddle, for some reason that makes me feel stronger. But when I use the 11-29 I find myself climbing out of the saddle.

The spacing has never been an issue for me.

11-32 it is then.

I'm a big guy, so it's much more efficient for me to climb siting than standing.

I'm 225, so I have a couple pounds on ya.

Seems like the 11-32 is the way to go so I that's what I'm gonna try first.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. It really helped.

so.. it's only a difference (11/29 vs 11/32) at lower end, One finishes with a 2-2-3-3 gap, the other with a 3-3-3-4. And hey, you never know.. maybe someday you'll ride somewhere else?

Surprised they haven't put out any 12-xx cassettes for the 12speeds.

Agreed. I ordered the 50/34 and 11/32 yesterday. Excited to get it on the bike.