You are reading a single comment by @Dixie and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@Dixie
SockToy, your London ride will be a mass of stop/start, so the chances of actually getting to use all those gears is minimal. You need no more than 10 gears, and the compact chainset is perfect. You'll be able to skim along at 25 mph on the 14-tooth sprocket using the compact, and you can exceed 30 on the 12T if your legs are strong enough: do you envisage going faster than that between lights? If so, you may need the 53/39, but you say you are a novice: I suspect those ratios may be too much for you if it's some time since you you rode seriously.
In truth, you will use maybe six of the 20-22 gears available to you on a London commute. Even a 10-speed is over-engineered for what you are proposing. Don't waste your money - buy a decent but relatively inexpensive cassette that will fit your existing wheels.