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@Mr_B
A friend and I got talking gearing, and I said that I was thinking of switching to an 11-28T soon (I currently have a 10spd Shimano 12-27T).
He said, "I've a part-worn 105 one you're welcome to. Give it a go, it's not damaged and probably has about 1500 miles on it."
So I gave it a go with my current chain (also wearing similar mileage), and there was something about this 11-28T that just didn't feel right.
I spend a lot of time on the big ring and in the middle of the cassette, and I just couldn't get comfy with this one.
It wasn't until I checked the specs that I realised the Shimano 11-28T is missing one of my most-used cogs - 16T. The 15-17T jump in the middle of the standard 11-28T felt 'orrible.
So I did a bit of searching and decided to create a custom cassette using what I had:
Standard 11-28T Cassette: 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-28
Standard 12-27T Cassette: 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-24-27
Custom 11-28T Cassette: 11-12-13-15-16-17-19-21-24-28
Just back from a test ride and it feels way better. The grouping seems more natural, the centre portion of the cassette is back to how I like it, and the 'gun it' gears (starting with 13T) kick in one click sooner.
Of course, the old 12-27T is now useless as it contains two 14T cogs, but tbh that's likely going to sit in a ziploc bag until I either need or bin it.
Thought I'd share. I'm likely not the first person to do this.