bike shop switched cassettes on me

[awm03]

DH took my 20 month old bike in for a tune-up. The mechanic told DH it needed a new chain (ok...) and a new sprocket (:confused: ). My husband gave him the go ahead for the work. Got the bike back today, and the biggest sprocket in the new cassette is only 23 teeth. The old one had 25. I really need at least 25 to climb hills around here.

I will take the bike back and ask them to switch out the cassette. But just curious: how many teeth on your big sprocket? And isn't it strange that a cassette needs replacing after 20 months? Old one was a Shimano, new one is SREM, if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your input.

[Veronica]

Replacing is really about distance more than time. My largest cog is a 27.

V.

[madisongrrl]

Road bike = double up front, 12-27 rear

Mountain bike = triple up front, 11-31 rear

[maillotpois]

You may mean SRAM?

I have to replace a cassette every year at least (after every second chain change usually) - and I take pretty meticulous care of them, including taking them off and cleaning them in the ultrasoinic cleaner every month or so - so I think I suck all the life out of them that I can.

I think I have a 29. :D

[yellow]

Yeah, miles. It very well may have needed replacement, esp if your chain was overdue. The cassette will "mate" the the chain; it's not uncommon for it to need replacement at the same time as the chain. I usually replace each once a year (chain twice, usually).

However, they should have told you that they were switching the 25 for a 23. They most definitely need to know about that "mistake". It may very well be that the 12-25 cassettes are hard to get in stock (that was certainly the case last year with the 12-27 cassettes, which is what I ride).

MP, you have a 29??? (I'm jealous!) Which rear derailleur do you have? Are you on a double?

[maillotpois]

Yellow - I have campy triple, 10 speed. I think it's 13-29. Don't use it much, but it's nice to have. :D (Remember, Amazon-like girl who likes to do things like the Death Ride.)

Now, I would like something bigger in front.... maybe a 55...

[Veronica]

A 55! Yikes! I hardly use my 48. But I'd like that 29 in the rear!

V.

[awm03]

Thanks for your responses. They're very helpful. I think the mechanic in the bike shop assumed the road bike was my husband's and the mtn. bike was mine, and that of course DH would want something that delivered more speed.

This leads to a second question: do you think bike shops don't take you seriously? I'm 51, overweight*, & getting gray-haired. Seems like the young things at the bike shop aren't too interested in my biking needs. I've been biking over 30 years, and I *know* a 23 cog ain't gonna cut it for me. Betcha they'll try to talk me into it because they'll assume I don't know what I'm talking about.

*but losing! Lost 26 lbs. so far.

[Geonz]

They're probably used to their 'comfort level' of categories of people, and you don't fit... so just keep expanding their horizons. They're young critters :-)

[jobob]

Road bike = double up front, 12-27 rear

Mountain bike = triple up front, 11-31 rear

No. You're over-generalizing.

My road bike has a triple up front and a 12-27 in the rear.

My other road bike has a triple up front and a 13-32 in the rear.

[SadieKate]

Mtbike rear cassettes are frequently as large as 34T.

The combos of chainrings and numbers of teeth are infinite. Bottom line is they shouldn't change cassette size on you without your agreement.

[jobob]

Absolutely. They should have replaced it with the same size cassette. Don't just *ask* them to put a 25t cassette back on, tell them.

[maillotpois]

A 55! Yikes! I hardly use my 48. But I'd like that 29 in the rear!

V.

I've got a paltry 50 or 51, and I spin out on long, flatter descents where I really want to grind. When we were in France one year for the Tour we saw into the iBanesto team bus and they had these rows of dinner plate sized rings.... drool!

The 29 is great. I'm actually looking to get a spare 11-27 to give me a little more oomph when I do flatter rides like the Tucson race.

[barrb46]

Hi AWM,
I just had my cassette and chain replaced -- and the shop said it is common to need to replace it when you have around 3000 miles on the bike. I have 2900 on my bike. I also had the derailler replaced, since apparently somehow it was damaged. Cost $50 for the cassette and chain. $45 for the rear cassette which was an exact replacement of the one on it.

I trust this bike shop 100% and was having some shifting problems, so I feel they were not "taking me for a ride".

How many miles have you ridden with this bike?

Barb

[CorsairMac]

I have 33/43/53 Biospheres up front and 27-11 in back. I just replaced my chain and cassette and they put on exactly what they took off. He counted the cogs in back to make sure the new cassette matched the old one.

[bcipam]

Shimano's largest road cassette is 27, Campy is 29. But you can put a mtn bike cassette and derailleur on the back of the road bike to get lower gearing. I did - XTR and the cassette is 34 so I have a 12 - 34. I did it because of a cross country trip but like it so much have kept it on (plus I can't find the 27 - think I loaned it to someone and never got it back). Shifting is a tad clunkier but love the granny when needed!!!!

[Geonz]

Hmmm.... got me wondering - I've got about 20,000 on my Giant and the cassette's been replaced once (at about 16,000). The Trek 7500FX has 7 or 8 thou... same cassette. I'm thinking that "medium performance" demands mean using those puppies for longer, maybe?

[jobob]

I trust this bike shop 100% and was having some shifting problems, so I feel they were not "taking me for a ride".

Barb


AWM is dealing with a different issue here.

AWM's bike shop put on a cassette with a smaller number of teeth, which would make it more difficult for her climb hills. They changed the cassette to a different (smaller) size without telling her.

That was unacceptable behavior on the part of that bike shop.

- Jo.

[RoadRaven]

Its interesting to read these posts and see so many of you identify your front chain rings as either double or triple.

Remember that your front chain rings can be in different sizes too, and are just as important to your type of riding as the rear casstte.

My training bike has a 52/39 up front
... and a 27/13 (9 speed) on the back



I'm also with JoBob on this one

That bike shop displayed shabby and shameful practice in not replacing the cassette so it matched the original. It is extremely unprofessional to make such a fundemental error. And if it wasn't an error, why on earth didn't they mention the change when the bike was collected - or better still, ring up and ask if the a change in cassette would be ok BEFORE the change was made!!!

[madisongrrl]

No. You're over-generalizing.



Actually....that is my particular set up. I should have been more clear.

[Veronica]

I've got a paltry 50 or 51, and I spin out on long, flatter descents where I really want to grind. When we were in France one year for the Tour we saw into the iBanesto team bus and they had these rows of dinner plate sized rings.... drool!

The 29 is great. I'm actually looking to get a spare 11-27 to give me a little more oomph when I do flatter rides like the Tucson race.


Oh... you actually pedal when you're going downhill. :D I figure if I'm doing 25 mph, I don't need to go any faster and I spin out around 30 or so. Besides if I had a bigger front chain ring that would make my dates with Coach Troy SO much more painful.

Isn't there some limit to how big the jump between your rings can be? There's no way I'd give up the 24 in the front. My knees almost never hurt no matter how much climbing I do in that gear. Okay, so it is WICKED slow climbing...And cold does make them hurt.

V.

[maillotpois]

Oh... you actually pedal when you're going downhill. :D I figure if I'm doing 25 mph, I don't need to go any faster and I spin out around 30 or so. Besides if I had a bigger front chain ring that would make my dates with Coach Troy SO much more painful.

Isn't there some limit to how big the jump between your rings can be? There's no way I'd give up the 24 in the front. My knees almost never hurt no matter how much climbing I do in that gear. Okay, so it is WICKED slow climbing...And cold does make them hurt.

V.

I think there might be a limit in the "jump", but am not sure. I don't know what my smallest is in front, and I should. (Pausing to go look...) I have a 30/42/52 combo. I'm due for new rings in front soon, anyway. They look pretty bad. When I get my next chain that will be on the list. I'm going to research what my options are for front ratios right now.

The 30's small enough for me - but I have the 29 in back! :D

[maillotpois]

Fascinating (or not). The new combo for the Campy triple is 30/42/53 which is even better for me. But it is cheaper to order an entire new crankset than to replace individual rings. :rolleyes: That seems silly to me. My cranks are fine.

[FelesRidet]

The bike shop made a mistake and should rectify it. Possibly the mechanic grabbed what he had and thought it was good enough.

Probably, though, he stayed out too late the night before, greatly imbibing nectar, in which case his brain synapes where not firing all that well when your bike came in. I mean, that's why he's working at a bike shop and not NASA.

[Triskeliongirl]

You should make the bike shop swap it out for the one that was on there. Next time, bring it in yourself, and TELL them EXACTLY what casette you want. FYI, on my racing bike I have 50/34 compact double in front with a 12-27 rear, and on my touring bike I have a 50/34 compact double in front with an 11-34 rear (all shimano casettes, all with 700c rear tires, the tire size also effects your gear ratios). I live in the texas hill country, and tour in the mountains, so I am geared for a lot of climbing. You can run your numbers through the calculator at sheldon browns site to choose your gearing. Pay attention when you ride to what gears you use, what gears you never use, and what gears you WISH you had, and plan accordingly. If you are careful to avoid cross-training, your chain and gears last longer, so the rate at whichh they wear is not just a mileage thing. You should learn to adjust your front and rear derailleurs. Sometimes they just need tuning. A bike is like a stringed instrument. You don't bring it to the music store everytime it goes out of tune, but yes, sometimes parts do wear out.

[Starfish]

Gears: 30-42-52 up front, and up until today, 11-26 in back. As of today, same triple up front, but 11-32 in back. Haven't ridden the new cassette yet, we'll see. It is pretty hilly & mountainous around here, and I like long rides (and, I am the weakest rider in my group...the others seem to make do with doubles!). I found with the 11-26 I could go long with grades up to 7% or so, but that if I had hills with gradients up in the teens (which we have a lot of if you want to get mileage in), my legs got toasted early in the rides and my recovery would be LONG. I'm hoping to spin up the harder hills more easily and preserve some zip to carry on with the longer rides, and recover from them a little sooner. We'll see. I expect friendly razzing from my friends.

LBS attitudes: I have had various experiences. I have been thrilled with some LBSs -- respect for me, my concerns, and the dollars I'm spending. At 2 others, I have literally walked out after feeling steamrolled and condescended to. I will definitely go out of my way to support local shops that demonstrate they understand excellent customer service, across the board.

[awm03]

OK, thanks a lot everybody. I did call the bike shop bike back: nice as pie. They're ordering a new cassette (11/27 -- I can use that 27 here in hilly Connecticut). It was good of you all to post both your front & back numbers. Very illuminating!