synchronicity wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 4:32 pm
Often we don't appreciate what we've got until we've lost it. That's how I feel with the 23T, 25T and even now the 27T.
Well I don't care what gear campagnolo
wants me to use, I still prefer closer ratio gears, yes even in the upper half of the cassette,
especially in the upper half of the cassette, which are the cogs that I used to do long (5% gradient) climbs with. If I'm on a 1 hour climb, say, I want to be able to adjust my rythm slightly now and then. That would be a bonus. Not be stuck in the same gear, only to be carrying around dinner-plate-sized sprockets that I won't ever use. That's what more cogs allows one to do! It's not only about having a wider total gear range. They are completely separate issues and some people obviously prioritise these things differently.
Maybe if the hill climb is above 8 to 12%, well okay, I can see the logic of having a 29T cassette.
And at around 15-20%, absolutely I would use the 29T cassette and maybe even the 32/34T.
But why carry around a 29T, a 32T tooth or even a 34T if the terrain doesn't justify it?
I find it fascinating the attitude of all the [smug] people who basically take the position "the pros do it this way", "campagnolo knows best", "it's done for this reason", insinuating that others "don't know what they're talking about" (or whatever). How quickly they seem to simply gloss over these issues and dismiss the concerns of others. Why is
my opinion any less valid?
I think there's only
one real reason that more cassette options aren't offered. And it has nothing to do with matching the cassette to the terrain. Sure, some people think "there's no need for closer spaced cassettes with 12 speed". But in reality it's more about the cost of designing and producing many different cassettes with different sprocket carriers. It's about
maximising profit. That's all it is. Who knows? Maybe Campagnolo doesn't think enough people will buy closer-spaced cassettes. But they don't "know" that. Do they? They've never offered these huge cassettes and the standard ones simultaneously. They've simply eliminated all of the normal cassette ratios from their entire range.
(it also might have something to do with the extra overhang by the last cog, and the limitations caused by the proximity of the derailleur cage to the spokes)
And so they've made a business decision. And I for one think it's a very poor decision.
Now the trouble is that in this day and age, people want more choice. We've come to expect more choice. And I don't just mean having 12 gears to choose from on a ride as opposed to 11 or 10 or 9 or 8 ... Some people also want more choice when it comes time to selecting from the various cassettes options. Just because "pros do it a certain way" is actually irrelevant. Campagnolo does not exist to serve pros. Campagnolo exists to serve the millions of other cyclists around the world.
At the end of the day, I pay to put campagnolo on my bike. Pros don't pay.
They get paid.
If you ask me, Campagnolo is missing a great opportunity and that is people might even decide to buy TWO [or more] cassettes as opposed to one.
A "mountain range" one and "a flat one". I would buy two or more, yes. Definitely. But in order to do that, they first have to have make the darn things!
Should be allowed on a MTB only.
