Quote:
Originally Posted by Hack&Lube
I've got an old 2013 Ghost Race Lector 7000 Road Bike with that era's Shimano 105 group set. It has a Shimano 105 10-Speed rear derailleur, a Shimano 105 Compact 50-34 crank in front, and a Shimano 105 11-28 in the back (28 teeth on highest gear).
I have to climb a lot of hills to get to the vault and really to anywhere else unless I'm heading south. I would like more teeth in my rear cassette to ease climbing, as 28t is not enough in some situations and it can stall or be difficult to start back up which is an issue if I'm on a road with traffic.
Can I easily swap my rear cassette to something else with 32 or 34 teeth? Do I need a new derailleur as well? What parts should I be looking at?
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Easily? I don't think so.
Typically, road bikes max out at 28/29 teeth at the rear; you might be able to add a couple of teeth, but not much more. You will have to check your rear derailleur to ensure it can handle the additional teeth.
I think only Tiagra in the Shimano line has a lower geared cassette and Chain Reaction has them in stock, but it is designed for specific shifters and derailleur.
You could try an MTB cassette, but you will need an MTB derailleur and, as strange as it sounds, I think you actually have to have a 9-speed derailleur.
Option 3 is train harder.
I run similar gearing except it's Campagnolo. I have the compact crank up front and 13-29 at the rear. What road are you going up where 34-28 isn't sufficient?