I just had the cassette replaced on my road bike. When I was in the LBS having the chain replaced last month, they said I needed a new cassette, but I waited until after the Livestrong ride.

I don't actually know what brand/model cassette was on the bike before today, since it's been replaced several times already. But I do have the original bike specs. So last week I called the shop and asked them if they had one in stock. I told him was a 9-speed and I read the model number that originally came on the bike. I think it was an HR-50. They said they had an Ultegra in stock and that a Shimano like the one that came on the bike was backordered for a long time. So we ordered a Sram PG-950 that he said was comparable to the original cassette (and $60 less than the Ultegra). It came in yesterday.

This morning while carrying the bike down to the car, I noticed how nice and light it felt, since it was stripped down (no water bottles, lights etc.). But after the new cassette was put on, as I was carrying the bike up the parking garage stairs back to the car, it felt much heavier in back. Hmmmmm.

So the lesson learned here is that next time, I need to do some research upfront to see what cassette I want, since difference in weight does seem noticeable to me. And if I notice it when carrying the bike up and down stairs, I'll notice it when I'm hauling my butt up steep hills. Not to mention, now that I'm looking all this up online, I see that the HR-50 is a Tiagra, whereas the rest of my bike is 105, and I'd like to keep things in that family.

In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to lose another pound off my butt to make up for it...