Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
My Vado SL 4.0 Gen 1 came with a 10-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain. As there were big jumps between some gears, and I also needed a wide range cassette, I replaced the drivetrain with a 11-speed Shimano M5100 drivetrain with a 11-51T cassette, a new long cage derailleur, and an appropriate shifter. A new high quality shifter cable had completed the upgrade. Combined with a 42T Garbaruk chainring, the upgrade met my expectations. Why M5100? It was because the drivetrain was relatively inexpensive and had a wide gearing range.
A wide gearing range at the number of gears limited to eleven is a trade-off. There still will be gaps/jumps between some gears! Unfortunately to me, there was a pretty big gap between the 7th and 8th gear, and there's where I ride the most! So my cadence in the 7th gear could be in 70s but it jumped to 90s in the 6th!
Having available spare compatible sprockets, I built this cassette:
Yes, now there is a big jump between the Flatland and Mountain gearing range!
Now, I consider swapping the chainring for a 38T. It would give me five equally spaced high gears for a constant cadence...
A wide gearing range at the number of gears limited to eleven is a trade-off. There still will be gaps/jumps between some gears! Unfortunately to me, there was a pretty big gap between the 7th and 8th gear, and there's where I ride the most! So my cadence in the 7th gear could be in 70s but it jumped to 90s in the 6th!
Having available spare compatible sprockets, I built this cassette:
Yes, now there is a big jump between the Flatland and Mountain gearing range!
Now, I consider swapping the chainring for a 38T. It would give me five equally spaced high gears for a constant cadence...
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